Peanut plant hopes to survive recall

PORTALES, N.M. (KRQE) - Problems continue at a New Mexico peanut plant linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak. The plant has been closed for weeks, and the recall of products continues to expand.
     
The company vice president spoke with KRQE News 13 about how this is affecting employees, and what this means for the company.

The Sunland peanut butter and peanut processing plant in Portales remains shut down.

"We felt it best to just stop everything at this point until we have been able to methodically go through and completely understand what the data has provided," Vice President Katalin Coburn of Sunland Inc. said.

Dozens of peanut butter brands sold at stores like Costo, Trader Joe's, Target and Sprouts have been pulled from store shelves.
 
Now, raw, roasted, roasted and salted in-shell peanuts produced in the processing facility have been recalled as well.

Although Coburn concedes the recall has been very costly for the company, she said no employees have been laid off. The people that worked in areas that are now shut down are helping with the cleanup process, she said.

"The next step is to get the plants operational and have everything signed off on, and then the new production products will get into the market place," said Coburn.

Coburn said the Food and Drug Administration has completed its investigation, but data are still being analyzed.
     
She confirmed inspectors found salmonella bacteria on some surfaces at the plant and said they're working to find out what type of bacteria it is.
     
The cleanup involves breaking down equipment and putting it back together.
     
The recall has all been voluntary, Coburn added, and they're hopeful to get back on their feet.  

"As you can see and hear, harvest continues, the crop looks beautiful, so we are very much looking forward to the restart of operations and getting Valencia products back in the market place," said Coburn.

When asked if the business will survive, Coburn nodded, "That is the plan, yes."

So far 35 people in 19 states have gotten salmonella poisoning traced to the peanut butter. So far, there have been no salmonella cases linked to peanut butter in New Mexico.
     
Sunland officials could not give a time frame on when they think they'll be fully operational.