DSHS Takes Over PCA-Plainview Recall

The Texas Department of State Health Services has taken over the recall of products shipped from Peanut Corporation of America's Plainview plant after getting no response from the company to a recall order issued by DSHS last Thursday.

Manufacturers, distributors and retailers believed to have received products from the company in 2008 are being notified of the recall by DSHS food safety personnel and asked to take appropriate action to protect consumers. DSHS is hoping to find additional customer lists from prior years in the company's records.

On Feb. 12 DSHS ordered PCA-Plainview to recall all products after a DSHS inspector found dead rodents, rodent excrement and bird feathers in a crawl space and an unsealed air handling system that was pulling debris from the crawl space into production areas of the plant. The recall applies to products shipped from the company since it opened in March 2005.

Some companies that had received products from PCA-Plainview have already issued recall notices as a result of news media coverage of the recall order. Notices are posted online at www.fda.gov. Consumers are advised to watch for additional notices. Companies that may have received peanut products from PCA-Plainview are advised to contact their immediate suppliers for more information.

PCA is being notified of the latest DSHS action in a letter from DSHS Commissioner David Lakey, M.D., to Stewart Parnell, director of Plainview Peanut Co., LLC. The letter says that DSHS will seek payment from PCA for the cost of doing the recall.