Stiff Sentences to 3 Convicts in US Over Peanut Salmonella Outbreak

The accused sought to deceive their customers by shipping salmonella-positive peanut products before the results of microbiological testing were received.

A salmonella outbreak in United States in 2009 infected 22,000 people and lead to nine deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics. Three people convicted over this nationwide salmonella outbreak have been sentenced to tough sentences of up to 28 years in prison, revealed the US Justice Department.

Two ex-officials and a broker for the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) were imprisoned for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud consumers about peanut health risks. Expert evidence at their trial suggested tainted food led to the salmonella outbreak. that

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A justice department statement said, "They sought to deceive their customers by shipping salmonella-positive peanut products before the results of microbiological testing were received and falsifying microbiological test results."

Acting Associate Attorney General Stuart Delery said, "Americans should be able to trust that the food we buy for ourselves and our families is safe."

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said, "Today's sentencing sends a powerful message to officials in the food industry that they stand in a special position of trust with the American consumer, and those who put profit above the welfare of their customers and knowingly sell contaminated food will face serious consequences."

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Source-AFP

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