Plant that produced recalled peanut butter to remain closed
/ WNWO Newsfile
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Under a food and safety law signed by President Barack Obama in early 2011, the Food and Drug Administration, in the first ever use of it's new power, is keeping one company shuttered.
The first to feel the FDA's new authority is Sunland Inc. The New Mexico peanut butter plant had repeated food safety violations over several years and now they are forced to halt operations at the facilities that may be producing unsafe food.
On Monday, the FDA suspended the registration of Sunland Inc., the country's largest organic peanut butter processor. FDA officials found salmonella all over Sunland Inc.'s processing plant after 41 people in 20 states, most of them children, were sickened by peanut butter manufactured at the plant and sold at Trader Joe's grocery chain. The company had announced plans to reopen its peanut processing facility Today (Tuesday.)
On November 15th Sunland Inc. released a statement on it's website stating in part: Sunland, Inc. continues to cooperate openly with FDA to address matters related to the recent recall of its products and the inspection of its manufacturing facilities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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