In late 2008 and early 2009, nine people died and at least 714 people fell ill due to food poisoning from eating products containing contaminated peanuts supplied by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). The real numbers were believed to be much higher, since for every reported case of salmonellosis, on average, another 30 or so cases went unreported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A combination of epidemiological analysis and laboratory testing by state officials in Minnesota and Connecticut, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC confirmed that the sources of the outbreak of illnesses caused by Salmonella typhimurium were peanut butter, peanut paste, and peanut meal produced by the PCA at its Blakely, Georgia, processing plant.

On February 7, 2009, Oregon officials confirmed the first case of salmonellosis in a dog that had eaten biscuits contaminated with the PCA-produced peanut products.First animal injured in Salmonella outbreak , USA Today, February 7, 2009

In January 2009, the company issued a statement categorically denying the allegations;FDA: Peanut plant knew product was tainted with Salmonella, CNN, January 28, 2009Company lied to FDA about tainted peanut butter, agency says , Los Angeles Times, February 6, 2009 in that same month, it shut down production and laid off 50 employees at the Blakely plant.Georgia peanut region concerned about Salmonella outbreak's long-term impact , Chicago Tribune, February 5, 2009Salmonella-tainted peanut products spark public fury , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 1, 2009 In September 2015, the company owner and his brother received prison sentences along with other executives.

Background Aflatoxin suits

PCA was sued in 1990 by the American Candy Company after the FDA discovered that PCA's peanut butter exceeded the FDA tolerance level for aflatoxin, a mold-derived toxin. American Candy had turned the peanut butter into 8,000 cases of "kisses" for Wal-Mart. Another lawsuit was brought by Zachary Confections Inc. of Frankfort, Indiana, in 1991, after a 40,020-pound shipment of nuts from PCA was also found to have an unacceptably high level of aflatoxin.

Nestlé inspection In January 2006, Nestlé completed an onsite audit of PCA's Plainview, Texas plant, and gave it a "Does Not Meet Standards" score on nearly all 40 inspection areas. Kenneth Kendrick, who had worked as an assistant plant manager for several months in 2006 at the Plainview plant left, because according to him, he "knew it was a train wreck and something unethical and bad was about to happen". In 2009, he was interviewed by The New York Times and ABC News, where he detailed the unsanitary conditions at the plant. Because of his whistleblowing, the plant was investigated by federal and state officials as another source of the outbreak, and was found to be shipping peanut products between PCA facilities in different states, which contradicted what Parnell had previously told authorities investigating the outbreak.

FDA oversight before 2008

In 2001, FDA inspectors also found that products from the Blakely plant were potentially exposed to insecticides, according to a report obtained by the Associated Press.Insecticide found in peanut plant during 2001 tour, Associated Press, February 6, 2009

According to Virginia state inspection records, the PCA blanching operations in Suffolk, Virginia, had some of the same food safety problems that would be found in the company's Georgia plant (see below). Inspection in 2008 found mold on "totes" holding peanuts, counted 43 mouse droppings on the floor, and saw a live bird walking and flying inside the warehouse.Reports show safety problems at Suffolk peanut processor, News & Advance, February 11, 2009Peanut blanching plant in Virginia had Salmonella risks , CNN, February 9, 2009

Recall This contamination event triggered the most extensive food recall ever in U.S. history. As of April 22, 2009, it involved at least 361 companies and 3,913 different products manufactured using PCA ingredients.Peanut Butter and other Peanut Containing Products Recall List (Current Update) , Food and Drug Administration The recall included everything produced at the Blakely plant since January 1, 2007,Peanut Corp. recalls all products back to 2007, MSNBC, January 28, 2009Peanut product recalls spread fast, USA Today, February 1, 2009Peanut Product Recall Widened After Site Visit to Georgia Plant, MedPage Today, January 28, 2009Mold and Roaches Found in Peanut Butter Plant Linked to Salmonella , The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2009 as well as everything ever produced at the Plainview, Texas, plant.Texas health department takes over peanut recall , CNN, February 20, 2009 Products supplied for some school lunches were pulled, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) even recalled emergency meals sent after a massive ice storm.Schools, disaster victims may have gotten tainted peanut butter , Los Angeles Times, February 5, 2009 (Since the storm left many without power, the United States Postal Service went door-to-door in Kentucky to warn residents and hand out 600,000 flyers from FEMA.Postal Workers Warn Kentuckians Of Peanut Recall , WTVW, IN, February 9, 2009) Food banks nationwide had to discard thousands of pounds of food in time of high demand from millions of U.S. families in need.Food banks toss out food linked to peanut recall , Associated Press, February 15, 2009

The recall did not involve major-brand peanut butters, since PCA primarily served only low-budget and institutional providers, but many consumers reacted by avoiding peanut products altogether, driving down the sales of all brands of peanut butter by nearly 25%.Sales Drop 25% as Parents Shun Peanut Butter , The New York Times, February 6, 2009Survey: peanut recall known but misunderstood, Associated Press, February 13, 2009 This caused great harm to the industry and farmers, already suffering from low prices due to the 2008 bumper crop and the deepening economic crisis.Georgia’s peanut farmers in their ‘darkest year’ , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 6, 2009State’s farmers take early blow , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 8, 2009Nation's peanut growers reeling from outbreak, Associated Press, February 16, 2009 Losses to the U.S. peanut industry because of this outbreak were estimated to be $1 billion.Reuters Recall costs peanut industry $1 billion, Reuters, March 1outbreak strain of Salmonella.

2009 investigations Georgia Journalistic Following initial reporting of the contamination's source, reporters and investigators began taking a careful look at the sites run by PCA. The Washington Post reported on February 14, 2009, the view of David Brooks, a buyer for a snack company that had visited PCA facilities in the mid-1980s (when PCA was under Hugh Parnell's control), that "everybody in the peanut industry" in the states involved (Georgia, Virginia, and Texas) knew of the serious sanitation issues associated with PCA; Brooks went on to state that PCA was "a time bomb waiting to go off".

Former employees interviewed by the Chicago Tribune stated that conditions in the plant were "filthy and nasty", and that they would never eat the peanut butter or allow their children to eat it. One employee remembered seeing a family of baby mice in a tote of peanuts, and others recalled having to step over standing water inside the building after heavy rain.Inside 'nasty' nut processor - Ex-employees say rodents, roaches and mold commonplace , Chicago Tribune, February 3, 2009 Another former employee told CBS News that he saw a rat dry-roasting in a peanut area.Worker: I Saw Rat Roasting In Peanut Plant, CBS News, February 3, 2009 Another told ABC News that workers had no idea the company had positive Salmonella tests because "that information is not for the average employee to see".Lawmakers Examine Peanut Recall , ABC News, February 11, 2009

Food and Drug Administration Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors reported, following a two-week inspection of the Blakely, Georgia, plant in January 2009, that the company had information that its peanut-butter products were tainted with Salmonella, but shipped them anyway after "retesting" them. This occurred at least 12 times in 2007 and 2008.Federal Inspectional Report , Form 483 issued by Food and Drug Administration, January 28, 2009, and amendmentGov't launches criminal probe in peanut recall, Associated Press, January 30, 2009FDA: Peanut Plant Knowingly Shipped Contaminated Products, Fox News, January 29, 2009FDA: Peanut processor found Salmonella, shipped anyway , USA Today, January 27, 2009Peanut Company Knew Its Plant Was Contaminated With Salmonella , U.S. News & World Report, January 28, 2009 FDA inspectors also found mold growing on the plant's ceiling and walls, foot-long gaps in its roof, dead insects near peanuts, and holes in the plant big enough for rodents to enter. Inspectors found that the company also did not clean its equipment after finding contamination, and did not properly segregate raw and finished products.Salmonella Was Found at Peanut Plant Before , The New York Times, January 28, 2009FDA report finds multiple problems at peanut plant, Associated Press, January 28, 2009 In 2007, the company shipped chopped peanuts on two occasions even after Salmonella was confirmed by private lab tests.Products shipped even when they failed , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 7, 2009 The company had previously refused to divulge production test records until federal officials invoked the food safety provisions of a federal antiterrorism law (the 2002 Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness Response Act).Lawmakers: Food safety fixes need push from Obama, Associated Press, February 6, 2009 As a result of this refusal and the incident in general, the Georgia State Senate passed a bill requiring peanut product manufacturers to report any contamination within 24 hours, failing which felony charges would result.Georgia Lawmakers Take First Step in Toughening Law , WRCB-TV, February 19, 2009

On February 6, 2009, the FDA reported that the company shipped tainted products under three conditions: (1) without retesting, (2) before the retest results came back from an outside company, and (3) after a second test showed no bacterial contamination.FDA: Peanut plant knew product was tainted with Salmonella , CNN, February 6, 2009 In all three cases, the initial positive result means that the product should have been destroyed.Obama Faults FDA on Food Safety , The Washington Post, February 3, 2009

Documents released February 11 by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee showed that the company shipped products to customers even before receiving results of Salmonella tests, and selectively chose laboratories to mask contamination.Peanut Company Sent Products Before Test Results , The New York Times, February 11, 2009.Peanut Corp. Ignored Salmonella Findings, Labs Say , Bloomberg, February 11, 2009

Texas