So why was this only discovered after the outbreak that killed nine and sickened 700 with Salmonella?

A federal food safety inspector who investigated a deadly Salmonella outbreak linked to a Georgia peanut plant says the company was “not fit to produce products for human consumption.”

Janet Gray of the Food and Drug Administration testified Wednesday in the federal trial of three people charged with covering up contamination at the Peanut Corp. of America plant, and knowingly shipping infected nuts to customers.

Gray described company records for the jury that showed at least eight times when nuts were shipped after testing positive for Salmonella. And she said equipment at the plant wasn’t cleaned even after the Salmonella showed up.