ConAgra Foods said it will pay $11.2 million to settle a federal criminal charge that the company shipped Peter Pan peanut butter tainted with salmonella from a plant in Georgia more than eight years ago.
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That event triggered a massive recall and food-safety investigation after more than 600 people got sick.
"ConAgra Foods announced today a negotiated resolution by a subsidiary, ConAgra Grocery Products Company LLC, with the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia and the Consumer Protection Branch of the Department of Justice.
"The resolution relates to the previously announced investigation into a peanut butter recall that occurred in February 2007, more than eight years ago. Peter Pan peanut butter is safe for consumers to continue to eat," the company said.
"ConAgra Foods immediately and voluntarily recalled its Peter Pan peanut butter in February 2007 once the presence of salmonella was suspected. Peter Pan peanut butter was reintroduced into the marketplace in August 2007 after ConAgra Foods took significant steps to improve the Sylvester, GA., facility where Peter Pan was made, using new knowledge about the potential for salmonella in peanut butter."
Under the terms of a Plea Agreement with the government, ConAgra Grocery Products Company will agree to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor violation of The Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.
If the plea is accepted by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, the government’s investigation into the recall will conclude and ConAgra Grocery Products Company will make payments totaling $11.2 million to the federal government. The expense relating to this payment was accrued during previous periods.
Beginning in 2007, ConAgra Foods reimbursed and compensated impacted consumers and customers, took significant steps to create a state-of-the-art facility in Sylvester, GA, and invested $275 million in quality assurance infrastructure upgrades to enhance food safety practices company-wide. ■