US food giant ConAgra Foods has resumed production of Banquet brand and private-label pot pies following the product recall last month.
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The company said that shipments to retail customers are expected to begin in December; while consumers can expect to see Banquet and store-brand pot pies in retail stores in January.
ConAgra recalled the pies produced at its plant in Marshall on 11 October after concerns were raised over salmonella contamination and misleading microwave cooking instructions.
ConAgra said that environmental testing of the Marshall pot pie production area had shown no traces of salmonella. However, Conagra added that based on the state findings from finished product testing, the specific salmonella strain appears to be isolated to Banquet turkey pot pies produced on 13 July, 2007, and 31 July, 2007.
ConAgra said it had boosted protocols for its ready-to-cook manufacturing plants, and redesigned easy-to-follow cooking instructions are also in place to reduce potential confusion regarding cooking times.
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By GlobalData“We apologise to any consumer who became ill from eating any of our pot pies,” said Gary Rodkin, ConAgra CEO “We’ve strengthened processes and testing within our plants and for our suppliers, and we have revised the product cooking instructions to make certain we minimise any potential for a future issue.”
The company said it expects to incur US$30m in costs related to the recall, most of which will be recorded in the fiscal second quarter.
It added that it expects stronger-than-planned earnings from its trading and merchandising group to offset those costs.
