Nestlé's Inspectors Saw Rat Droppings, Rejected Peanuts

[Robbien]

Source: Washington Post

Nestlé USA, considering whether to buy ingredients from Peanut Corporation of America, twice sent its own inspectors to check out the company. Both times, they rejected the company after finding sanitary problems at its facilities in Georgia and Texas, noting rat droppings, live beetles, dead insects and the potential for microbial contamination.

It proved to be a good call. Today, Peanut Corporation of America stands accused by federal investigators of knowingly selling peanut products contaminated with salmonella bacteria, which triggered a criminal investigation, the largest food recall in American history and an outbreak of illness that has sickened at least 691 people and killed nine since September.

Kellogg and other companies that bought products from Peanut Corporation of America told lawmakers yesterday that unlike Nestlé, they did not perform their own inspections. Instead, they relied on third-party audits common in the U.S. food industry.

David Mackay, Kellogg's chief executive, said his company trusted audits performed by the American Institute of Baking International, the biggest food-inspection firm in the country. The institute conducted scheduled inspections of PCA's facilities and never flagged serious problems. It issued a "certificate of achievement" and a "superior" rating last August, when PCA was getting results from internal laboratory tests that revealed a salmonella problem in its Blakely, Ga., plant, congressional investigators said.

"They gave PCA glowing reviews," Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee said. "The company was selected by PCA, paid by PCA, and realized that if they didn't give PCA a glowing review, they were not going to get hired again. They gave PCA a certificate of achievement," said Waxman, who held up the certificate in one hand and with the other waved a photograph, taken by federal investigators, of dead rodents inside a PCA facility. "How do you have a company that looks like this getting a certificate of achievement? . . . It really makes you think there must be something wrong."



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/19/AR2009031903204.html?hpid=sec-health

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Another Bushie federally funded department who believes corporations rule citizens drool.

[depakid]

1. " It proved to be a good call." ????

That's like saying "we went down to our local daycare center and saw clear evidence of child abuse and pedophilia, so we didn't trust them with our kids."

Those other kids- they're not our responsibility. We "didn't want to get involved," so we didn't report what we saw to the police or the local paper.

[bigworld]

2. My opinion of Nestle

just went up by a notch

[jmowreader]

3. I hope it's not that big of a notch

Couldn't they have called the FDA or the USDA, and reported what they saw?

[rpannier]

4. It would have been nice if they had told someone

But, knowing the last admin, Nestle probably did and the Ag Dept threatened to sue them if they said anything to anyone.

[bigworld]

17. Maybe they couldn't

They contractually may not have been allowed to. Many food companies are insane about secrecy. They may have made Nestle sign a contract before they were even allowed in the plant to inspect that they weren't to divulge information to any outside concern.

There's a national candy plant near my home which, if they have to hire outside workers to fix any machinery, make them sign such a contract.

[No Elephants]

23. Since these conditions threaten health and lives, I cannot see a court enforcing such a

contract. Court do not enforce contracts that violate the public policy of the jurisdiction.

[DBoon]

21. Maybe European-owned companies are more ethical

especially when it comes to basic food safety

[Norrin Radd]

5. Nestlé was concerned because Peanut Corp. wasn't putting

melamine in the peanuts, nor using child labor.

[Critters2]

6. Actually, only one of the many, many pet food products made by Nestle's

was recalled--Mighty Dog dog food. One lot was recalled, and after that they started manufacturing it at their own plant. In terms of the melamine recall, Nestle's record is among the best. That's why my vet stopped prescribing Hill's prescription foods during the recall, and switched all prescriptions to Purina (Nestle). And my cat's flutd pretty much ceased to be when he was switched to Purina.
Lots of companies were putting melamine in their pet foods. Nestle's wasn't one of em.

[Norrin Radd]

7. I meant the contaminated milk.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jBcOXzTW0U4EPshP8Fr50pDpJ-4g

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/379798/1/.html

[Critters2]

8. Oh. Nevermind.

:hi:

[aquart]

10. Chinese made Nestle products.

[Norrin Radd]

12. Your point?

Nestlé:

http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/responsibleshopper/company.cfm?id=269

[murielm99]

14. How is the beagle doing?

Did the vet fix the beagle's health problem?

[Critters2]

27. She's okay. Came home tonight.

She had hemorrhagic enteritis, but seems okay now. Thanks for asking!

How are you? How's the campaign going?

[murielm99]

29. The campaign is doing great.

The St. Patrick's Day parade was fun.

Tim did not get an endorsement from the Daily Herald, but he got a very nice mention: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=279796

He says that some endorsements are coming in the next few days. I think they are union endorsements.

He is working very hard.

The Lisle Twp. Democrats told him that no matter what the outcome, they want him to fill out the paperwork to be on the planning commission. They like him and envision a political future for him. They have helped with some money and foot soldiers, too.

I am doing okay. I am trying to keep things in perspective as far as some of the political infighting goes.

[mantis49]

31. Your cat's what?

"flutd"????????

[Lost in CT]

9. Good for Nestle... seriously that is how real companied do it. nt

[depakid]

13. As in look the other way?

[Lost in CT]

19. Their standards are higher than the government standards...

I'm not sure how it is their responsibility to report that their standards are not being met in a factory.

Realistically I don't see a circumstance where Nestle officially complains to the government about someone they have chosen not to use as a supplier.

[depakid]

30. " I'm not sure how it is their responsibility"

Therein lies the problem.

[LeftyMom]

11. We're in bad shape if NESTLE is looking like a comparatively responsible corporate citizen.

Nestle, ffs.

[Ignis]

22. Seriously.

What's next? Coke and Dole win corporate citizenship awards in Latin America?

Crazy days, indeed.

[exboyfil]

15. It appears this American Institute of Baking International

is as big a whore as the financial rating agencies.

[exboyfil]

16. After reading the article Kellogg's put their name on the line

based on a $1,000 audit???? That doesn't even cover the travel expenses if the inspector had to fly. Did the AIB inspector even show up annually? It appears he/she did once because of the e-mail stream, but???

[willing dwarf]

18. Nestle wouldn't rat out Peanut Corp of America !

Also,don't you they should refer to the American Institue of Baking as having a ratting system from now on.

[Supersedeas]

25. my stomach is turning

[No Elephants]

20. Thanks, Nestle and others, for keeing this quiet until people died. Rats, indeed.

[AndyTiedye]

26. The Real Question is What Killed The Rats?

There must be some really baaaad peanuts in that place.

Found a peanut, found a peanut,
Found a peanut just now,
Just now I found a peanut,
Found a peanut just now.

It was rotten, it was rotten,
It was rotten just now,
Just now it was rotten,
It was rotten just now.

Sold it anyway, Sold it anyway,
Sold it anyway just now,
Just now I sold it anyway,
Sold it anyway just now.

[Kingofalldems]

24. My question: Is peanut butter safe to buy now?

[bigworld]

36. Yes!

Peanut butter is (supposedly) safe to buy - any brand, any type. The culprit in all this was peanut paste, which goes into other products (like crackers, etc).

[Kablooie]

28. Now AIB takes bribes? Don't trust any company whose initials start with "AI".

[surrealAmerican]

32. It's time to investigate these "independent" inspecting companies.

It sounds like the American Institute of Baking International is paid to give only favorable ratings. Are they licensed by anyone?

[pursuit_of_progress]

33. Sickening

The inspectors need to toughen up. I myself buy my son lots of Nestle products. I'll be careful next time.

[BeatleBoot]

34. When will Hersheys Pull Out of Mexico?

Or does Mexico have better food standards than the U.S. ????

[Beetwasher]

35. Now We Know What The "Crunch" In Nestle Crunch Is

n/t

[panzerfaust]

37. ? but kept the rat droppings ??