May 20, 2013
More fallout from the salmonella investigation at a Blakely, Georgia peanut company.
Company e-mails show the owner urged workers to ship tainted products.
Those e-mails were obtained by a House Committee investigating the salmonella outbreak.
Internal e-mails indicate the owner of Peanut Corporation of America urged workers at his manufacturing facility to ship tainted products, after receiving test results identifying salmonella contamination.
The company e-mails, obtained by House Committee investigators, shows Stewart Parnell allegedly ordered shipments of bacteria- tainted product because he was worried about lost sales.
Parnell took the Fifth Amendment in an appearance
before the congressional panel.
In Wednesday's grilling by the congressional panel, the FDA was also criticized for not doing more, and so was the Georgia Department of Agriculture, who said the plant was clean.
Now reports show salmonella was present.
Here's a sample of the questioning on Capitol Hill:
Congresswoman: "Did you ask if there had been any laboratory tests?"
Georgia Dept. of Agriculture representative: "There's no evidence on our inspection report that we asked, but that is something that the company does not have to supply to the state."
Congresswoman: "Do you ask though?"
Georgia Dept. of Ag. representative: "I can't say in this particular incident if we asked or not."
The outbreak is thought to have caused 600 illnesses and eight deaths nationwide.
The House Energy and Commerce panel also heard from victims' relatives.
One man, whose 72-year-old mother died after eating peanut butter, says he wants to see ``jail time'' for those responsible.
More than 1,900 products have been pulled, making this one of the largest recalls in history.
For more information on the recall, go to the FDA's website:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html
