ConAgra Grocery Products has recently been hit with the largest food safety-related fine to ever be passed down by the US Department of Justice. The American-based company has been forced to pay a criminal fine of $8 million US dollars and has to further forfeit an additional $3.2 million in assets. The case has sent shudders through the food industry, sending a strong message that any breaches of food safety will not be tolerated.
The outbreak that brought down ConAgra
The case goes all the way back to 2007, when an ongoing outbreak of salmonella throughout the US was traced back to peanut butter products that were being produced at ConAgra’s Georgia plant. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention identified over 700 incidents of disease that were linked to the outbreak, dating back to August 2006. Thousands of other cases were presumed to have gone unreported, and there were no reported deaths.
Investigation reveals long-term contamination scandal
After the February 2007 outbreaks were linked to the Peter Pan and private label peanut butter brands, Con Agra voluntarily terminated all production at the effected plant. They also issued a recall for all peanut butter products dating back to January 2004. It was revealed that the company was aware of the salmonella contamination from as early as October 2004 but did nothing to address it.
CDC identifies multiple causes of the outbreak
There were multiple reasons cited for the outbreak, and during the investigation a number of employees identified several contributing factors. They pointed to an old peanut roaster that did not uniformly heat raw products, a storm damaged sugar silo, a leaky roof and airflow that allowed potential contaminants to move around the plant. The company had addressed some of these issues but not all of them – it was only after the 2006-7 outbreaks that all were finally rectified.
ConAgra forced to pay the biggest fine in history
All of this context is what eventually forced ConAgra into its plea agreement with the US federal court. The company pleaded guilty to violating the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, admitting that it knowingly introduced the effected peanut butter brands into interstate commerce during the salmonella outbreak. This was a costly error, and they are now in possession of the dubious claim to fame as the company who were forced to pay the largest food-safety fine in history. Many in the industry will now look to this example and learn from their mistakes.
Don't become that company. We have an easy to read and implement'Food Industry Colour Coding Guide'to help you avoid cross contamination and allergens. Download your copy today.
