The US Food and Drug Administration is joining with the Justice Department in a criminal investigation of Peanut Corp of America, whose plant caused an outbreak of salmonella that has sickened more than 500 people and may have killed eight.
The FDA's Dr Stephen Sundlof said the agency would help investigate criminal allegations in the outbreak, traced to a single Blakely, Georgia, peanut plant that has been closed.
State and federal health officials have said they have found widespread contamination at the plant and evidence that plant management knowingly shipped salmonella-tainted products.
Peanut Corp of America earlier this week expanded the recall to include all products made at the plant since Jan. 1, 2007. FDA officials told reporters in a telephone briefing that the expansion involves 350 newly added customers of PCA. The prior recall involved 77 customers of the company.
FDA officials said there is still no evidence that the major national peanut butter brands are contaminated. But it cannot guarantee the safety of all forms of "boutique" peanut butter, such as peanut butters ground in stores.
Reuters