ConAgra salmonella case nearing end a decade after outbreak

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – ConAgra Foods appears close to settling a federal criminal case stemming from a salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds of Americans who ate tainted Peter Pan peanut butter nearly a decade ago.

It’s been more than 14 months since federal prosecutors in Georgia announced ConAgra had agreed to pay $11.2 million and plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of shipping adulterated food. The Justice Department says the sum includes an $8 million fine – the largest in a U.S. food safety case.

The plea deal still needs to be finalized before a U.S. District Court judge. A conference to schedule a plea hearing has been set for Thursday.

The charge came years after investigators linked 626 salmonella cases in 2006 and 2007 to peanut butter produced in Sylvester, Georgia.

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