Overview: ConAgra, Inc Class Action Lawsuit (Peanut Butter)
After the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expressed concerns from reports suggesting a possible link between ConAgra's 2111 coded peanut butter and Salmonella contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began an investigation into the matter. In a multistate case-control study conducted over approximately a 8 day period in February of 2007, a strong link was established with consuming two brands of peanut butter produced by a ConAgra plant in Georgia.
On February 14, 2007 , ConAgra stopped producing peanut butter at the Georgia plant, and issued a recall it's Peter Pan peanut butter products and the Great Value peanut butter products sold through Wal-Mart's retail chains containing peanut butter with 2111 codes sold across the United states.
According to the CDC, an outbreak strain of Salmonella serotype Tennessee was isolated from several opened and unopened jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter, plus from two environmental samples obtained at ConAgra's plant. It is believed that over 600 persons were infected by the strain of Salmonella reported across 47 states.
On February 16, 2007, the first lawsuit in the nation was filed against ConAgra in Waxahachie, Texas. With thousands of potential victims of ConAgra's tainted product, the number of plaintiffs involved made the need for a class-action lawsuit against ConAgra, Inc a more viable and efficient solution to the pending litigation.
On April 9 and 13th of that year, a plant inspection of the facility in Sylvester, Georgia with experts ranging from former FDA inspectors to industrial examined claims by ConAgra that moisture from a leaky roof and faulty sprinkler was the source of the Salmonella bacteria that contaminated peanut butter before it was packaged at ConAgra's plant.
However, it has been reported, that experts found a dead rat, more than 100 rat traps, roaches and bird feathers during the inspection with roaches found crawling on raw peanuts during the inspection of ConAgra's plant.
The ConAgra Class Action lawsuit is still pending in before the Georgia Northern Federal District Court in Rome Georgia entitled Ware et al v. ConAgra Foods, Inc. Cause Number:
Update: April 7, 2007 - ConAgra Launches PR Campaign Just Days Before Attorneys and Experts to Inspect Georgia Plant's Roof
April 7, 2007, Sylvester, Georgia – Statement of Clay Jenkins, first attorney to file suit in ConAgra Case, in response to ConAgra’s announcement that it has just now determined a leaky roof and faulty sprinkler system in its Georgia plant are to blame for the salmonella contamination of peanut butter:
“The timing of the ConAgra announcement is suspicious at best and dishonest at worse. This announcement comes just 4 days , my co-counsels and I along with our experts were scheduled to inspect the roof of ConAgra’s Georgia plant. ConAgra had previously sought to delay discovery until June and focus attention away from the faulty roof and now is engaging in an 11th hour public relations campaign. I wish ConAgra was as concerned with the health of their consumers as they are about their public image.”
Update: March 23, 2007 - Class Action Lawsuit Expanded - Amended Complaint Filed Against ConAgra Foods, Inc. by 32 Consumers in 16 States
The class action lawsuit against ConAgra alleging it produced peanut butter products under the Peter Pan and Great Value Foods contaminated with salmonella sold to consumers across the nation through Wal-Mart and other major retailers' stores has now expanded.
Attorneys representing the parents and children urge people to keep the jars believed to have been contaminated with salmonella (labeled on Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value with product code 2111), because the jar's contents are considered evidence. They clearly marking the peanut butter jar with the words "DO NOT EAT" or "CONTAMINATED." In addition, it is critical to make certain the jar is stored in a safe place out of the reach of children.
ConAgra asked consumers to throw away the Peter Pan and Great Value Peanut Butter jars and to just keep the lid. As a result, it is unknown how much evidence was lost due to ConAgra's request.
The plaintiffs include people, including parents representing their children, across a host of states, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina, Ohio, Washington, and West Virginia.
The class action filed in Rome, Georgia in Federal court is entitled Ware v. ConAgra Foods, Inc.
Updates: February 20, 2007 - National Class Action Lawsuit filed against ConAgra for Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter Salmonella Allegations
A class action lawsuit was filed against ConAgra in the United States Court for the Western District of Washington after thousands of consumers have come forward after the FDA announced that it was investigating ConAgra for salmonella contamination on February 14, 2007.
Attorneys believed that a class action lawsuit was needed due to the thousands of adults and children that may have suffered salmonella poisoning from ConAgra's Peter Pan and Great Value Peanut Butter brands sold across the country with the product code 2111.
Although ConAgra encouraged people to throw away the jars, while keeping the lid with the 2111 product code, attorneys recommend keeping the jar with its contents so it may be tested.
Fever, abdominal cramps, headache, and diarrhea are symptoms consistent with a Salmonella infection of this salmonella outbreak.
RECALL NOTICE: February 14, 2007 - ConAgra Recalling Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter Due to Salmonella Concerns
Through a Press Release, ConAgra the maker of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter sold throughout grocery and retail stores across America, including Wal-Mart, has recalled both brands with the product code 2111 based on concerns of Salmonella contamination.
All varieties of both Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter with the 2111 code (printed on the lid) are recalled.
The recall came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began investigating the salmonella concerns after a statistical report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested there may be a link between the food illness salmonella and the 2111 coded Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter brands.
ConAgra Foods (NYSE:CAG) is one of North America's leading corporations of packaged food companies. It serves grocery stores, restaurants, and other food outlets. Some of its household consumer brands include Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Great Value Peanut Butter, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM.
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