On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, chose to stop the operations at an organic peanut butter plant in New Mexico until a contamination issue could be handled properly.
Sunland Inc. closed its New Mexico-based processing plant in September when a salmonella outbreak was recorded across the United States. According to reports, 41 individuals in 20 states became sick after ingesting the organic peanut butter. Most of the people who were poisoned by salmonella were young children. The contaminated peanut butter was primarily sold through Trader Joe’s chains throughout the country.
After the salmonella reports were recorded, the FDA conducted an investigation into the processing plant. The findings of the investigation indicated that salmonella was detected in 28 different locations at the plant. Sunland Inc. voluntarily closed the plant in order to address the contamination issue. The company was planning on reopening its plant on Tuesday in hopes of selling its products before the new year.
Instead, on Monday the FDA revoked Sunland Inc.’s registration, therefore making it illegal to manufacture or distribute any food. Sunland’s officials have stated that they are cooperating with FDA regulators, and remain optimistic about opening the plant in the near future. The defective products that were produced by the plant were manufactured as early as 2010, and included organic as well as non-organic nut-based butters.