-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Inspectors found mildew on a ceiling and other problems last year at a peanut butter producing plant in Georgia that has been linked to a salmonella outbreak , according to reports released Monday by the state Department of Agriculture . A salmonella outbreak linked to a peanut butter plant has sickened nearly 500 people , the CDC says . But the owner of the Blakely , Georgia , plant -- Virginia-based Peanut Corp. of America -- described the problems as `` relatively minor and for the most part corrected on site . '' PCA this month stopped production at the Blakely plant and launched a nationwide recall of peanut butter and peanut paste made there after July 1 , 2008 . The New York Times reported Monday that Georgia agriculture inspection reports from 2006 and 2007 depicted a series of sanitation lapses in the Blakely plant . Citing an inspection report from August 23 , 2007 , the Times noted at least three incidences in which `` food-contact surfaces '' were `` not properly cleaned and sanitized . '' In an apparent response to the Times article , PCA released a statement saying , `` When the observations were noted during inspections by the Georgia Department of Agriculture , corrective action was taken immediately where possible and subsequently when immediate action was not possible . '' The statement , which PCA sent to CNN accompanied by a copy of a state inspection report from last October , said `` the most recent inspection observations by the state -LSB- the October inspection report -RSB- were relatively minor and for the most part corrected on site . '' In the October 23 , 2008 report , an inspector said she found `` mildew and possibly some static dust on ceiling of butter storage room . '' The report did not specify the amount of mildew . The report continued with the notation , `` Correct By : 11/05/2008 , '' but the report did not indicate whether any action was taken or whether a follow-up inspection occurred . Moisture was blamed for an unrelated salmonella outbreak two years ago . That outbreak was traced to a different Georgia peanut processing plant . A June 2008 inspection of PCA 's Blakely plant found violations including dust buildup on a fan in the butter room , and `` possible metal flakes from metal scrubber which is used to clean outside of equipment , '' according to an inspection report . The report did not indicate where the flakes were found . PCA has said that the peanut butter and peanut paste made at the Blakely plant were sold in bulk to manufacturers , and that the recall does not involve any peanut butter jars sold directly to consumers . However , more than 125 products that include peanut butter or peanut paste , including Trader Joe 's celery with peanut butter packs and nutrition bars from Clif Bar , NutriSystem and Luna , have been recalled in connection with the PCA 's recall . See a list of recalled products The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has counted nearly 500 cases of salmonella illnesses in 43 states from the most recent outbreak , and says the bacterial infection might have contributed to seven deaths . The American Peanut Council has a list of peanut products that are not affected by the recall .