Food Safety
Food Safety for the Peanut Industry
Until the spring of 2006, peanut butter was considered a no-risk food product as far as food borne illness is concerned, because of its very low moisture content. However, that changed in May 2006 when cases of Salmonella illness began occurring from eating Peter Pan Peanut Butter manufactured at the Con Agra plant in Sylvester, Georgia. Since that time more than 400 individuals nationwide have developed Salmonella food poisoning. Georgia's peanut industry has been significantly tarnished in the public's eye. At a American Peanut Council workshop in Atlanta on Food Safety in Peanut Products, a motion was made to develop and implement appropriate food safety training for the entire peanut industry, including growers, buying-point operators, shellers, transporters and manufacturers. To teach peanut growers and handlers how to employ intervention strategies to document the safety of their products, the Extension Food Science Outreach Program has teamed up with a peanut industry consultant to design and deliver food safety workshops based on HACCP principles and tailored to peanut industry processes. The goal is to develop a practical instrument that can be taken back to their operation and be implemented immediately. The first series of programs focused on peanut growers and shellers, then shifted to manufacturers of peanut butter and the confectionery, baking and snack food industries. (2007)
Sources
| Name | Department | |
| William Hurst | bhurst@uga.edu | Food Science and Technology |
| John Beasley | jbeasley@uga.edu | Crop and Soil Sciences |
| Karina Martino | kgmart@uga.edu | Food Science and Technology |