Nestle saw rat droppings at peanut plant

WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- Nestle USA told a congressional panel it decided not to buy from Peanut Corporation of America after finding unsanitary conditions at its U.S. plants.

Nestle said its inspectors saw rat droppings, live beetles, dead insects and the potential for microbial contamination at PCA facilities in Georgia and Texas, The Washington Post reported Friday.

Unlike Nestle, Kellogg and other companies bought products from PCA, which filed for bankruptcy last month after prompting the largest food recall in U.S. history.

Salmonella-contaminated peanut products sold by the company have been blamed for sickening 691 people and may have been a factor in nine deaths, USA Today said.

Kellogg Chief Executive Officer David MacKay, whose company didn't use its own inspectors, testified that Kellogg trusted audits performed by the American Institute of Baking International, the largest food-inspection firm in the country.

The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee had its third hearing Thursday into the scandal surrounding PCA.