Close to 200 victims of the Salmonella serotype Tennessee outbreak that ended in early 2007 are in line for restitution when ConAgra Grocery Products Co. appears in federal court for sentencing. Credit for finding so many documented victims of a nearly decade-old outbreak goes to federal Judge W. Louis Sands,
Continue Reading Year-long hunt finds almost 200 Peter Pan, Great Value victims
Former Top U.S. Organic Peanut Butter Plant Now Stands Idle
Before the foodborne disease outbreak two years ago that spread Salmonella Bredeney infections to 20 states, Portales, NM, could brag about Sunland Inc. being the nation’s largest producer of organic peanut butter. Now in bankruptcy, Sunland was forced in April to sell the plant responsible for those bragging rights for
Continue Reading Former Top U.S. Organic Peanut Butter Plant Now Stands Idle
Second Auction for Sunland Plant Brings In Almost $6 Million More for Creditors
Sunland Inc.’s peanut-processing plant at Portales, NM, has been sold to Canada’s Golden Boy Foods, a move that could restart a facility closed after a 2012 Salmonella outbreak that sickened 46 people in 20 states. Golden Boy’s winning bid came Wednesday at the second court-ordered auction held in the past
Continue Reading Second Auction for Sunland Plant Brings In Almost $6 Million More for Creditors
Sunland Organic Peanut Butter Plant to be Auctioned on Thursday
What began 18 months ago with the recall of organic peanut butter involved in a Salmonella outbreak will end later this week when the shuttered Sunland Inc. processing plant goes on the auction block. In September 2012, when Trader Joe’s recalled its Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter, manufactured in Portales,
Continue Reading Sunland Organic Peanut Butter Plant to be Auctioned on Thursday
Costco Getting Back Peanuts Purchased for Sunland
Costco Wholesale Corp.’s attempt is moving forward to keep millions of dollars in peanuts from being included in the liquidation of Sunland, Inc., once the largest organic peanut butter processor in the U.S. The Issaquah, WA-based corporate giant found peanuts it was acquiring to help Sunland locked up when the
Continue Reading Costco Getting Back Peanuts Purchased for Sunland
Costco Played Major Role in Bankruptcy of Nation's Largest Organic Peanut Butter Maker
Federal court records show that the Oct. 8 bankruptcy filing by the nation’s largest organic peanut butter processor was sparked by Issaquah, WA-based Costco, a membership-based warehouse club, when it unilaterally terminated a deal it had with Portales, NM-based Sunland, Inc. It’s left a side dispute for the U.S. Bankruptcy
Continue Reading Costco Played Major Role in Bankruptcy of Nation's Largest Organic Peanut Butter Maker
Former PCA Manager Running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner
Kenneth Kendrick, whose warnings went unheeded about the potential for contamination at peanut processing plants in Plainview, TX, and Portales, NM, has filed papers to become the Texas Green Party candidate for Agriculture Commissioner for the Lone Star State. Kendrick once worked for the now-defunct Peanut Corporation of America, which
Continue Reading Former PCA Manager Running for Texas Agriculture Commissioner
Sunland's Creditors Invited to Nov. 12 Meeting in Roswell, NM
The nation’s largest organic peanut butter company and the first food business to ever lose its federal registration during an outbreak of foodborne illness now finds itself in Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Sunland, Inc.’s financial meltdown has left the remote eastern New Mexico town of Portales in mourning over the loss
Continue Reading Sunland's Creditors Invited to Nov. 12 Meeting in Roswell, NM
Shelling at Sunland OK’d: Processing Could Soon Follow
In what is being called a Christmas gift, shelling of this year’s crop of Valencia peanuts can begin tomorrow in Portales, NM. Sunland Inc., the nation’s largest processor of organic peanuts, won permission to resume its shelling operations in a Dec. 22 agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Continue Reading Shelling at Sunland OK’d: Processing Could Soon Follow
Letter From The Editor: When the Thrill is Gone
People in Portales, NM are beginning to fear the nation’s largest organic peanut butter plant might not have a future in their community. Their politicians are beating their drums about saving the plant and saving the jobs that go with it. The fear may be justified. A food safety crisis
Continue Reading Letter From The Editor: When the Thrill is Gone