FBI raids peanut butter plant suspected in outbreak

* Peanut Corporation of America plant is accused of knowingly
shipping tainted goods
* Those goods are linked to nearly 600 illnesses, including eight
deaths, in 43 states
* The outbreak has led to one of the largest food recalls in U.S.
history

(CNN) -- FBI agents Monday raided a rural Georgia peanut butter plant
suspected as the source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak, a CNN
affiliate reported.

The Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Georgia, was sealed
off by federal authorities Monday morning, WABL reported.

The company is accused of knowingly shipping tainted products now linked
to nearly 600 illnesses, including eight deaths, in 43 states. The
recent outbreak has led to one of the largest food recalls in U.S.
history, encompassing more than 1,000 products.

The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations
launched a probe of the company on January 30.

Previously, the Peanut Corporation of America had said said it shipped
products only after subsequent tests came back negative for salmonella.

Representatives from the company have not returned repeated calls from CNN.

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This case gets more interesting every day. In China, the owners of the
company would have been tried, convicted and executed by now. I think
there will be significant fall-out for the food industry from this bit
of corporate malfeasance.