WASHINGTON - The owner of a peanut company blamed for a salmonella outbreak has appeared before a House subcommittee, but is refusing to testify... on the same day another death attributed to the outbreak was reported.
Lawmakers ordered Peanut Corporation of America owner Stewart Parnell to appear at the hearing Wednesday. He showed up, but refused to answer questions, invoking his constitutional right not to incriminate himself.
Earlier, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released the company's internal correspondence showing that Parnell was ordering tainted products to be sold even after confirmation of salmonella. Parnell complains in e-mails about losing money and says he's frustrated by the delay in shipping products.
The committee was told today the company discovered the dangerous bacteria at its Georgia plant as far back as 2006.
Darlene Cowart of JLA testing company testified that Peanut Corp. of America contacted her business in November 2006 to help control salmonella discovered in the plant.
Federal health officials earlier said the company's private tests found salmonella a dozen times, dating to June 2007. Cowart's testimony shows the company was dealing with the bacteria problem seven months earlier.
The number of deaths that may be linked to the contaminated food increased to nine on Wednesday after Ohio officials confirmed a death there.
The latest death involved a woman from Medina County, south of Cleveland.
No other details were immediately released.
A previous death linked to the outbreak in Ohio involved an elderly woman from Summit County, which includes Akron.
The Ohio Department of Health is reporting 92 cases linked to the salmonella outbreak, which has sickened 600 people and has led to one of the largest recalls in history with more than 1,800 product pulled.
The cases in Ohio involve people as young as 2 months and as old as 98.
Thursday
July 3rd, 2025
5:57PM
