In yet another indicator of the confusion of who is in charge over what food – FDA or USDA – Local, State or Federal Regulators, "tip o’ the pen to" Bob Keefe for his story today – Troubled peanut firm’s chief also an industry quality adviser – in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to Mr. Keefe:
White House: Stricter Food Safety Rules are Coming – Its About Time
The White House is pledging stricter oversight of food safety in response to a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 500 people in the United States and Canada and killed at least eight. Press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday that President Barack Obama plans to announce a new Food and Drug Administration commissioner and
More Peanut Butter Press Quotes – Friday, January 30, 2009
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Peanut Product Recall Took Company Approval The F.D.A. can seize a product that it suspects is contaminated, and it can ask a federal judge for authority to recall products if a maker refuses to do so. The agency can also announce that it suspects problems with a product before the company agrees to a
What’s the Connection with Georgia Peanuts and Salmonella Tennessee?
We all remember that on June 1, 2007, the CDC reported that a total of 628 persons had been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella serotype Tennessee in 47 states since August 1, 2006. Rumor has it that that number was actually in excess of 700 – perhaps 714? Those illnesses were
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Overview of Food Adulteration and Criminal Sanctions
I received a lot of email and calls from folks today wanting to get some understanding of what might be facing The Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). Here are my thoughts:
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was passed by Congress in 1938 in reaction to the growing public safety demands. The primary goal
The Salmonella Body Count Continues
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CDC reported today that 529 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 43 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), Arizona (11), Arkansas (5), California (68), Colorado (13), Connecticut (9), Georgia (6), Hawaii (3), Idaho (13), Illinois (6), Indiana (6), Iowa
Criminal Investigation Launched in Peanut Butter Poisoning
The FDA, OCI and DOJ are now investigating Peanut Corporation of America according to the press conference happening right now. According to the CDC 529 people have been confirmed as ill and linked to this Salmonella outbreak.
Chopped Peanuts from Peanut Corporation of America were Refused by Canada and Returned to United States in September, 2008 – Where did the Peanuts Go?
And people say investigative journalism is a lost art. Hat tip to Sharon Theimer and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar of AP for uncovering that “weeks before the earliest signs of a national Salmonella outbreak that now has been traced to peanuts from a Georgia processing plant, peanuts exported by [Peanut Corporation of America] were found to be
Peanut Butter Salmonella – The Seven Year Old and the President
The New York Times story in the morning profiles Christopher Meunier, age 7, who is my client in the most recent Salmonella Peanut Butter Outbreak. He suffered a high fever, bloody diarrhea, vomiting and was hospitalized for six days because he ate peanut butter.
Somewhere, the intrepid reporters of the New York Times found this
Congressional Hearings Scheduled for February and Labs Under Scrutiny in Salmonella Peanut Butter Illnesses and Deaths
According to AP reports, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will conduct hearings the week of February 11, 2009 into the cause of the Peanut Butter Outbreak that has sickened over 500 and killed eight. It is anticipated that Mr. Waxman will ask Salmonella victims to tell their stories