ConAgra to re-open peanut butter plant

Posted on August 6, 2007 by Food Poisoning Attorney

ConAgra announced today that the company will re-open the plant where Salmonella-contaminated peanut butter was produced.  The plant was closed in February after it was identified as the source of a Salmonella outbreak that had sickened hundreds of people who ate contaminated Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter.  From Forbes.com:

The Omaha-based company said it was planning to reopen its Sylvester, Ga., plant after spending at least $15 million on renovations that include repairing the roof, installing new equipment and creating a design to better separate raw materials and the finished product.

"Right now we're in the final stages of getting everything ready to produce Peter Pan peanut butter there," said Stephanie Childs, a company spokeswoman.

The plant was shut down in February after health officials linked the Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter to a salmonella outbreak. More than 600 people in 47 states reported becoming ill, and the company faces lawsuits in several states.

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Salmonella peanut butter numbers updated

Posted on June 1, 2007 by Food Poisoning Lawyer

Josh Funk reported for the Associated Press on the CDC's latest update on the number of people confirmed ill with Salmonella infections after eating contaminated Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter produced by ConAgra:

The number of people sickened since August by peanut butter tainted with salmonella has grown by more than 200, according to a new federal report.

The outbreak, first reported in February, now includes 628 cases in 47 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. It is the first update on the number of cases linked to the outbreak since early March, when officials said 425 cases had been confirmed in 44 states.

ConAgra Foods Inc. recalled all its peanut butter after government investigators linked the bacteria outbreak to the Omaha-based company's Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter.

Thousands of people became ill with symptoms of Salmonella infections after eating the peanut butter, but did not seek medical treatment, or were never confirmed as being part of the outbreak through laboratory testing.  Marler Clark has been contacted by nearly 5,000 people who were part of the outbreak.

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