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Texas Calls for Recall of all Peanut Corporation of America Products Shipped from Plainview, Texas Plant

By PritzkerLaw

A state health department has taken a firm stand against Peanut Corporation of America (pay attention FDA, and you might learn something). From a press release issued today by the Texas Department of State Health Services:

The Texas Department of State Health Services today ordered Peanut Corporation of America to recall all products ever shipped from its Plainview plant. The order was issued after dead rodents, rodent excrement and bird feathers were discovered yesterday in a crawl space above a production area during an in-depth DSHS inspection.

The inspection also found that the plant’s air handling system was not completely sealed and was pulling debris from the infested crawl space into production areas of the plant resulting in the adulteration of exposed food products.

DSHS also ordered the plant, which began operations in March 2005, to stop producing and distributing food products.  Though plant officials voluntarily stopped operations Monday night, the DSHS order prohibits the plant from reopening without DSHS approval.

State law allows DSHS to issue such orders when conditions exist that pose “... an immediate and serious threat to human life or health.”

Laboratory tests are being done on food and environmental samples from the plant, but DSHS officials said today’s orders are not contingent on finding Salmonella or other illness-causing organisms.

The orders were signed by DSHS Commissioner David Lakey, M.D.

Our only line of defense against companies like Peanut Corporation of America seems to be state departments of health.  The FDA has consistently put profits ahead of food safety.

We welcome your comments.  Do you think that the FDA is protecting your family from dangerous food products?

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on February 12, 2009 (boomark / email).