Tag: salmonella
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Defense Counsel Cross-Examine Peanut Corp. Plant Manager
Attorneys representing the former Peanut Corp. of America owner and employees charged with conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice and other counts involving the distribution of adulterated or misbranded food that allegedly led to a deadly Salmonella outbreak, had their opportunity on August 19, 2014, to cross-examine the company’s Blakely, Georgia, plant manager,…
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Witness Testifies About Sampling Fraud in Prosecution of Peanut Corp. Executives
As the criminal prosecution of Peanut Corp. of America executives continues into its second week, the former south Georgia peanut-processing plant manager reportedly admitted lying to federal investigators about positive tests for Salmonella in company products and the frequency of testing “to play damage control, [and in an effort] to protect the company.” According to…
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FDA Issues Report on Antimicrobial Resistance
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released an executive report summarizing the data collected by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) since 1996. Implemented by FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NARMS tracks antibiotic resistance in foodborne bacteria, focusing on antibiotics “that are considered…
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Jurors Seated, Tainted Peanut Outbreak Trial Begins
While a number of jurors were dismissed because a two-month trial would create hardships for them, a 12-member jury and six alternates were selected on July 31, 2014, and opening statements began the next day in the criminal prosecution of former Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) owner Stewart Parnell, his brother Michael Parnell and the…
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USDA Rejects Petition Seeking Adulterant Designation for ABR Salmonella
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has denied the May 2011 petition filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) seeking an interpretive rule declaring certain antibiotic-resistant (ABR) strains of Salmonella to be adulterants when found in raw ground meat and raw ground poultry. Additional information…
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New Poultry Inspection Rules Require Proactive Pathogen Reduction, Set Maximum Line Speeds
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a final rule amending poultry slaughter regulations and establishing a new poultry inspection system (NPIS) for young chicken and turkey slaughter establishments. Part of USDA’s response to a presidential executive order (E.O. 13563) asking agencies to review and improve existing regulations,…
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Trial Delayed for Former Peanut Corp. Officials
A federal court in Georgia has delayed until July 28, 2014, the criminal proceedings against Stewart Parnell, former owner of the Peanut Corp. of America, which was implicated in a 2008-2009 nationwide Salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds and led to at least nine deaths. United States v. Parnell, No. 13-cr-12 (M.D. Ga., order entered July 11, 2014).…
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Pre-Trial Rulings Mount in Peanut Corp. CEO Criminal Proceeding
A federal court in Georgia has entered a number of orders in criminal proceedings, expected to go to trial July 14, 2014, against the former owner of the Peanut Corp. of America, implicated in a 2008-2009 nationwide Salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds and led to at least nine deaths; among the orders was one denying…