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The Peanut Corporation of America is a large, family owned corporation based in Lynchburg , Virginia . It is in the news lately because its peanut product manufacturing plant in Blakely , Georgia has been confirmed to have sent out Salmonella-contaminated food products across the U.S. since 2007. The resulting Salmonella poisoning has sickened some 19,000 people and caused the deaths of at least eight individuals in the U.S. Children account for approximately half of the affected patients.
The Peanut Corporation of America 's Blakely plant was recently found to have shocking lapses in food safety procedures and policies. According to federal investigators — who obtained Peanut Corporation of America internal records by invoking a bioterrorism law — the plant's staff had found Salmonella bacteria at the plant 12 times since 2007.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), already known to be significantly short of funds and staff, has been facing its own criticism regarding the Peanut Corporation of America failings, which allegedly include the following at the Georgia plant:
The FDA said, Feb. 6, that the Peanut Corporation of America plant had repeatedly shipped out its peanut products after the products tested positive for Salmonella. Inspections of the Blakely plant were the responsibility of the state of Georgia 's relevant agency, under contract with the FDA; however, Georgia has about 60 inspectors responsible for monitoring 16,000 food handling businesses.
The Blakely plant was closed Jan. 16, and the Peanut Corporation of America is now under criminal investigation. As of Feb. 9, the FBI is assisting the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations in its investigation of the Peanut Corporation of America , with personnel from the FDA and FBI on-site at the Blakely plant.
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