Salmonella Update: Peanut Paranoia

The Salmonella outbreak investigation has left me baffled, with non-matching strains of Salmonella and only one unopened tub of contaminated peanut butter identified. But recent reports of the poor sanitary measures taken at the peanut plant are making me sick to my stomach.

The latest count is over 500 infected with Salmonella enterica, serovar typhimurium, (a.k.a. Salmonella typhimurium) across 43 states (plus one in Canada), and 8 deaths linked to the infection.

On January 12, Minnesota health authorities found the same strain (Typhimurium) in an open tub of King Nut peanut butter in a nursing home where three patients were infected.

On January 16, the Typhimurium strain was found in an unopened tub of King Nut peanut butter in Connecticut.

Between January 9 and January 27, the FDA conducted a thorough inspection of the Blakely, Georgia peanut processing plant run by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), where the batch of tainted King Nut peanut butter was produced.

In the meantime, the plant has shut down all production, and hundreds of peanut-containing products have been recalled, comprising one of the largest food recalls in FDA history.

According to the FDA's inspection report, two strains of Salmonella, serovars Senftenberg and Mbandaka, were found in the Blakely plant. But the Typhimurium strain has not been found yet. Both Senftenberg and Mbandaka are strains that can cause gastrointestinal diseases, but neither have been associated with the current Salmonella outbreak. Baffling? Yes.

Nonetheless, the inspection report has revealed some pretty nasty goings-on at the plant, making me wary of peanut products in general (even sans Salmonella). Here's what they found:

1. PCA's private laboratory testing showed that the Typhimurium strain was found in a batch of peanut paste manufactured on September 26, 2008. Their "retest" of the product showed that it was "negative", and the batch was shipped. According to Michael Rogers, director of Field Investigations at the FDA, in yesterday's teleconference with the media, "I can tell you that the practice of initially obtaining a positive sample at a place in the facility related to a product where it shouldn’t be there. And then subsequently obtaining a negative result, absences of any study or steps to mitigate those two conflicting results is not a common industry practice and it's something we take very seriously."
2. Since January, 2008, there were 12 incidences in which Salmonella was found in various batches of peanut products produced at the plant. All were "retested" and found "negative" by the plant.
3. After the initial finding of Typhimurium contamination, equipment were not cleaned.
4. Records detailing roasting methods (which should normally kill Salmonella) were inadequate.
5. Batches of raw, unroasted (potentially contaminated) peanuts were stored next to roasted (theoretically decontaminated) peanuts. These peanuts were stored within 3 to 15 feet of where the Senftenberg and Mbandaka serovars were found.
6. Mold contamination was found in cooling units located above batches of peanuts. Water was dripping from these units.
7. Rain water leaked over production/packaging rooms that contained batches of peanuts.
8. The peanut butter room's sink was used for both washing hands and washing mops.

9. Live and dead roaches were found in the plant's washroom, next to the production/packaging areas.

In addition to these, various other sanitary issues were cited, all of which make me a bit queasy, even without having sampled the peanut butter. So even if they never find the Typhimurium strain at the Blakely plant, I'm still planning to avoid peanut products.