Blakely plant got good reviews from firm it hired

Washington — As federal legislators prepared to revamp the nation’s food-safety system, they examined the cozy relationship between food inspectors and the companies they inspect — exemplified by the company linked to the salmonella outbreak — at a congressional hearing Thursday.

Legislators expressed outrage when it was revealed inspectors that were hired and paid by Peanut Corp. of America notified the company in advance when they were coming, told them to prepare for inspections and then gave its plants glowing reviews.

• For all the latest developments on the peanut crisis and the salmonella outbreak, with an updated list of recalled items, plus background on the scare, go to the AJC's special report: ajc.com/peanuts.

Peanut Corp. is at the center of a nationwide outbreak that has sickened nearly 700 people and is being blamed for at least nine deaths.

U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat and chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, asked CEOs of companies such as Kellogg Co. and King Nut Co. why they didn’t send their own inspectors to check out Peanut Corp.’s plants, instead of relying on inspectors such as AIB.

“When you look at Kellogg … we have 3,000 ingredients and 1,000 suppliers,” answered Kellogg CEO David Mackay. “I think it’s common industry practice to use a third party.”

AIB — also known as the American Institute of Baking — is a commonly used third-party food company inspector in America, Mackay said.

AIB issued a statement Thursday saying that while its inspection of Peanut Corp. included the review of written records and policies and a visual assessment of plant conditions, it did not test for food contamination.

The owner of King Nut Co., said his company could do little more than rely on Peanut Corp. to supply safe products. Peanut Corp. manufactured peanut butter under the King Nut name that was sold to nursing homes and other organizations nationwide.

But according to documents from congressional investigators, Nestle North America rejected Peanut Corp.’s South Georgia plant as a supplier in 2002 after Nestle inspected the plant and found rodent droppings and dead bugs in the plant. In January 2006, Nestle also rejected the company’s Plainview, Texas, plant.

Asked by Waxman whether Kellogg was “sloppy” because it didn’t similarly use its own inspectors, Mackay said no.

“We were dealing with an unethical and dishonest supplier,” the Kellogg CEO said.

The committee also released a Jan. 7 email exchange between peanut Corp. owner Stewart Parnell and Joe Valenza, a vice president at King Nut.

In his email, Parnell discusses a news article on the salmonella outbreak investigation, and said, “Joe, I’m sure it’s something we did.”

Valenza wrote that he planned to recall all of the peanut butter.

Parnell responded: “Now my heart is really in my throat … I think I’m going to church tonight.”