FBI raids peanut firm's Bedford County headquarters

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Peanut company and its president keeping a low profile - Feb. 7, 2009

Federal agents on Monday raided the Bedford County headquarters of Peanut Corp. of America, linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak that has prompted one of the largest product recalls in U.S. history.

The FBI executed search warrants at both the headquarters and a peanut processing plant in Blakely, Ga., according to a senior congressional aide with knowledge of the raids. The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The plant has been identified as the source of the salmonella that has sickened hundreds and killed as many as eight people. Atlanta television station WSB's cameras captured FBI agents entering the Georgia plant and leaving with boxes and other material.

The company's headquarters are in the back of the home of company president Stewart Parnell, tucked away near the end of Lynchburg's Wiggington Road just over the city line in Bedford County.

The office has only a few employees. Parnell has kept a low profile in the wake of the salmonella outbreak and subsequent investigation, repeatedly denying requests for interviews. Public relations officials hired by the company last month have said little, and the company’s Web site, which once boasted of Peanut Corp.’s history and gave details about its operations, has been deleted except for one page with a few press releases.

Earlier Monday, Agent Gregory Jones in Atlanta said the FBI had joined the investigation into the outbreak. The FBI didn't immediately return a message left seeking further comment on the raid Monday night.

The House Energy and Commerce investigations subcommittee, which also is investigating how tainted peanuts got into the food supply, has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday. The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., has called a meeting on Tuesday to issue a subpoena for Parnell, who has indicated he will not otherwise appear at Wednesday's hearing, the congressional source said.

Monday's searches come three days after Food and Drug Administration investigators said Peanut Corp. knowingly shipped salmonella-laced products from its Georgia plant after tests showed the products were contaminated. Federal law forbids producing or shipping foods under conditions that could make it harmful to consumers' health.

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation and more than 1,550 products have been recalled.

This is not the first time Peanut Corporation of America has been accused of shipping contaminated products. According to documents filed in Bedford County Circuit Court, the Food and Drug Administration cited PCA in 1990 for shipping peanut products containing aflatoxins, which are toxic compounds produced by a mold that can grow on food. The finding resulted in a recall and at least one lawsuit against PCA.