The owner of the peanut company at the heart of the massive salmonella recall refused to answer any of the lawmakers' questions yesterday about the bacteria-tainted products he defiantly told employees to ship to thousands of manufacturers of cookies, crackers, and ice cream.
"Turn them loose," Parnell had told his plant manager in an internal e-mail disclosed at the House hearing. The e-mail referred to products that once were deemed contaminated but were cleared in a second test last year.
Summoned by congressional subpoena, Parnell repeatedly invoked his right not to incriminate himself at the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on the salmonella outbreak that has sickened some 600 people, may be linked to nine deaths - the latest reported in Ohio yesterday - and resulted in one of the largest product recalls of more than 1,900 items.
After he repeated his statement several times, lawmakers dismissed Parnell from the hearing.
Shortly after his appearance, a lab tester told the panel that the company discovered salmonella at its Blakely, Ga., plant as far back as 2006. Food and Drug Administration officials told lawmakers more federal inspections could have helped prevent the outbreak.
"We appear to have a total systemic breakdown," said Representative Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the committee's investigations subcommittee.
Cookies, candy, crackers, granola bars, and other products made with contaminated peanuts have been shipped to schools, stores, and nursing homes, prompting the massive recall. The government raided the company's Georgia plant on Monday, and Peanut Corp. closed its Plainview, Texas, facility.
The House panel released e-mails obtained by its investigators showing Parnell ordered products identified with salmonella to be shipped and quoting his complaints that tests discovering the contaminated food were "costing us huge $$$$$."
In mid-January, after the national outbreak was tied to his company, Parnell told Food and Drug Administration officials he and his company "desperately at least need to turn the raw peanuts on our floor into money."
