Senate Judiciary Chair Wants Answers About Peanut Corp. Investigation

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has requested that Attorney General Eric Holder
provide an update on the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the
2009 Salmonella outbreak involving contaminated peanuts from Peanut Corp.
of America (PCA) facilities. As Leahy reminds Holder in his February 22, 2011,
letter, the outbreak was linked to the deaths of nine people and purportedly
sickened more than 700 others. He also cites his previous request that
the department conduct “a full criminal investigation into this matter.” PCA
declared bankruptcy in 2009, and neither its former CEO nor other executives
have been charged to date.

According to Leahy, “Given the PCA investigation, the pistachio recall, and
last summer’s salmonella outbreak from eggs, my concerns remain that
wrongdoers are disregarding the health and safety of American consumers
by choosing to sell contaminated products. I hope that there has been a
thorough criminal investigation into PCA’s conduct at the least, and that
if appropriate, criminal charges are aggressively pursued.” Leahy also asks
Holder to determine whether “the Justice Department needs any additional
[legal] tools to protect the American people.” See FoodNavigator-USA.com,
February 24, 2011.