Georgia House Adopts Food Safety Changes After Peanut Outbreak

The Georgia House unanimously adopted changes to the state’s food safety guidelines in the wake of a deadly salmonella outbreak to a Georgia plant.

The chamber voted to allow county health officials to report possible violations of safety rules to state and federal agencies. State Rep. Terry England, R-Auburn, said it allows the state to deputize local inspectors to get “another set of eyes” on food plants across the state.

The proposal now goes to the Senate. That chamber passed a separate measure last month to require food plants to report the results of tests that reveal contamination to state officials.

The outbreak was traced to the Peanut Corp. of America plant in Blakely, Ga. It may have caused nine deaths.