DeLauro Wants to Crack Peanut Butter Scandal

As we stay away from anything that has even touched a peanut, a Connecticut Congresswoman is going after a Georgia peanut facility accused of shipping out lots of salmonella-tainted sandwich spread.

The issue: Peanut Corporation of America knowingly shipped out contaminated peanut butter more than a dozen times in the past two years, according to report in the Washington Post.

The salmonella outbreak involving peanut butter products has been linked to eight deaths and has sickened approximately 500 people across the country, including eight people in Connecticut.

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., is calling for a federal probe of possible criminal violations at a the peanut facility. DeLauro oversees FDA funding.

"The actions by the Peanut Corporation of America can only be described as reprehensible and criminal. Not only did this company knowingly sell tainted products, it shopped for a laboratory that would provide the acceptable results they were seeking. This behavior represents the worst of our current food safety regulatory system," DeLauro said in a news release posted on her Web site.

DeLauro will contact the Department of Justice to request a full investigation into the corporation.

The outbreak has spurred one of the largest product recalls ever.

What to know more about the recall? Read more here
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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