05:03 PM EDT, 07/10/2024 (MT Newswires) -- PepsiCo ( PEP ) knew about salmonella contamination long before shutting down its Quaker Oats facility in Danville, Illinois, last month amid a recall of millions of snack bars it produced, the US Food and Drug Administration said in a warning letter to the food and beverage company made public Tuesday.

PepsiCo ( PEP ) began the recall and suspended production in mid-December after a granola bar made at the Danville plant tested positive for a strain of salmonella. The recall soon expanded to include all ready-to-eat bars, snacks and cereals produced in the plant, the FDA said in the June 12 letter.

The health regulator said PepsiCo ( PEP ) had identified the same salmonella strain that triggered the recall as far back as 2020. The strain was found in more than a dozen environmental samples gathered from various locations at the plant since June 2022, the agency said, asserting the company should have "developed [its] corrective actions accordingly."

PepsiCo ( PEP ) did not respond to a message from MT Newswires on Wednesday seeking comment and additional details about the recall and the FDA assertions.

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