Peanut Producers Brace For Salmonella Impact
By: Allison Morrison
Updated: February 11, 2009
Nearly 600 people have reportedly been sickened by salmonella linked to PCA's Georgia plant.
So, West Texas peanut producers are bracing for the potential economic impact of the salmonella problem.
The peanut industry, especially here in Texas, is feeling the pinch after the FDA found PCA was allowing salmonella contaminated peanut products into the food supply.
Lindsay West with the Peanut Producer Board says the wrong doing of one company is hurting everyone in the industry, especially the farmers.
Since the salmonella outbreak in PCA's Georgia plant, food manufacturers have seen a dramatic drop in peanut butter consumption, even though a majority of peanut butter products were not recalled.
Now, the willingness of food manufacturers to contract normal amounts of peanuts from producers is dropping.
"Not only are we coming off a fairly difficult year last year because of drought because of high input prices, it was tough for them to make profit last year, they were kind of looking into this year to be a good year and now that we have this issue on our hands, that's basically not the peanut farmers fault, you know it's an outside source that's causing a headache for them," West says.
This couldn't come at a worse time for farmers.
This is the time of year when shellers are contracting producers needs for this growing season and they may not be asking for the amount they usually do.
