ATLANTA (AP) Food manufacturers would have to perform ``regular testing'' to ensure food safety and requires companies to report any tests that show contamination within one business day under a proposal by a Republican lawmaker.

State Sen. John Bulloch, who chairs Georgia's Senate Agriculture Committee, said his measure also would give state inspectors access to test result records.

Few states, if any, require food manufacturers to alert state and federal inspectors to the results of their internal tests.

That issue came to light this month after the Peanut Corp. of America processor was linked to a salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds and may have contributed to eight deaths.

Federal officials say the company's records show that peanut butter had tested positive for salmonella at least 12 times in 2007 and 2008 but was distributed after it was retested and cleared.