Kellogg scrutinizes food suppliers due to peanut recall

— -- A previous version of this story should have said that the auditor was paid for by Peanut Corp. of America.

The auditor, paid for by Peanut Corp. of America, checked PCA's Blakely, Ga., plant in 2007 and 2008 and gave it superior ratings both times, says Kris Charles, Kellogg spokeswoman.

"That's frightening," says Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia.

Like dozens of food companies caught in the recall, Kellogg obtained ingredients from the Peanut Corp. plant linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 550 people and may have contributed to eight deaths.

The audit, which Kellogg requires for ingredient suppliers, checked PCA's compliance with good manufacturing, sanitation and other practices, Kellogg says. The audit was paid for by PCA.

The Food and Drug Administration inspected the plant last month, after the outbreak was detected, and reported serious deficiencies. They included poor cleaning and manufacturing checks, and poor design protection against cross-contamination. The plant also shipped products that tested positive for salmonella and then negative. The FDA says the products should not have been shipped.

PCA disputes the findings. It faces a federal criminal investigation.

"Had we known of the issues cited (by the FDA), we would have discontinued the relationship with PCA," Charles said in an e-mail.

Kellogg's auditor, the American Institute of Baking, says a superior rating doesn't mean that auditors didn't find problems. President Jim Munyon says he considers the audits Kellogg's property and wouldn't say what the audits found or whether the inspections were announced. He did say that AIB wouldn't see internal test results unless PCA shared them. "They show us only what they want to show us," he says.