In February 2007, the Center for Disease Control confirmed the presence of the dangerous germ salmonella in recalled peanut butter sold under the Wal-Mart Stores house brand Great Value. ConAgra Foods Inc. had recalled all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter made at its Sylvester, Ga., plant after federal health officials linked the product to a salmonella outbreak that had sickened at least 329 people from 41 states. [USA Today, 2/23/07]  
   
Wal-Mart Adopts New Food Safety Standards [Dow Jones Newswire via Wall Street Journal]
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation's largest grocery chain, is adopting new global safety standards for its private label and other foods at a time when analysts say consumers are more concerned than ever about food safety.

Wal-Mart says food suppliers to meet GFSI standards [Reuters]
Under the GFSI program, producers of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club private label and other foods sold in the United States must be audited by independently trained, approved and licensed auditors who are experts in their industry, the retailer said.

Wal-Mart toughens food rules [Associated Press via Los Angeles Times]
Analysts said the move could give Wal-Mart a pro-safety image boost that would help its grocery business, already one of its strongest sales areas along with home electronics, pharmacy and the health and beauty aisles.

Wal-Mart adopts global certification process for food
[Phoenix Journal of Business]
"We are taking this additional step to ensure the integrity of our products throughout the entire food supply chain," said J.P. Suarez, WalMart's senior vice president and chief compliance officer and a board member of the Global Food Safety Initiative. "We encourage other U.S. retailers to follow our lead and to also endorse these standards.