What Became of Criminal Probe at CA Meatpacker?
It was little more than a year ago when the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of more than 4.9 million pounds of beef and veal by Huntington Meat Packing Inc. of Montebello, California. The recall was based on evidence collected in an “ongoing criminal investigation.”
Since that time, there have been no announcements of any charges against the company and we must assume that the investigation is either still going on or that the company has been cleared. The announcement of a criminal probe is rare in FSIS press releases and authorities never expounded on reasons why the investigation was taking place — except to say records of food safety practices were not reliable.
The beef and veal recall also was unusual because there was no pathogen announced as the reason for the recall. Most beef recalls are due to positive test results for E. coli O157:H7 or other Shiga toxin-producing types of E. coli. Rather, FSIS inspectors found that the products were recalled because they were not made according to the company’s food safety plan. “The products are adulterated because the company made the products under insanitary conditions failing to take the steps it had determined were necessary to produce safe products,” FSIS said in last February’s news release.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was at the forefront of the investigation, with assistance from FSIS. “The investigation has uncovered evidence to show that the food safety records of the establishment cannot be relied upon to document compliance with the requirements,” the press release said.
Walmart and BJ’s Wholesale Club on Lebanon Bologna Recall Retail Distribution List
Today the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an arm of the USDA, put up the retail distribution list for the recall of Seltzer’s Lebanon Bologna issued by Palmyra Bologna Company, a Pennsylvania processor. The recall was prompted by an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to the bologna that has sickened at least 14 people in 5 states: Maryland (3 cases), New Jersey (2 cases), North Carolina (1 case), Ohio (2 cases) and Pennsylvania (6 cases).
Below is the Seltzer’s bologna recall retail distribution list
New Jersey – NJ
Walmart – undisclosed locations in New Jersey
BJ’s Wholesale Club
1910 Deptford Center Rd.
Deptford, New Jersey
BJ’s Wholesale Club
152 Route 73
Voorhees, New Jersey
North Carolina – NC
BJ’s Wholesale Club
2370 Walnut St.
Cary, North Carolina
Pennsylvania – PA
Walmart – undisclosed locations in Pennsylvania
BJ’s Wholesale Club
1785 Airport Rd. South
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Maryland -MD
Walmart – undisclosed locations in Maryland
Note from the FSIS regarding this retail distribution list: “FSIS has reason to believe that the above retail location(s) received various sizes of Seltzer’s Beef Lebanon Bologna that have been recalled by Palmyra Bologna Company, Inc. This list may not include all retail locations that have received the recalled product or may include retail locations that did not actually receive the recalled product.”
We posted on this blog about grocery store liability yesterday: Bologna E. coli: Attorneys Investigate Grocery Store Liability. The same information is true for stores like Walmart and BJ’s Wholesale Club that sell grocery items and have delis.
Contact our E. coli lawyers for a free consultation: 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our contact form for review by our attorneys.
Food Safety Budget Greatly Expanded at FDA
Food safety and nutrition spending would increase by $324 million at the Food and Drug Administration in the next fiscal year under the proposed budget of the Obama administration. FDA’s “Transforming Food Safety and Nutrition” initiative is the biggest of four “critical initiatives and increases” in the budget proposal.
FDA said in a press release that the food safety and nutrition upgrade goes with a $4.3 billion overall request that reflects a 33 percent increase from the fiscal 2010 enacted budget. The agency said it will establish a prevention-focused food safety system and leverage the valuable work of FDA’s state and local food safety partners. “The result will be a stronger, more reliable food safety system to protect American consumers,” the FDA press release said.
The increase will help FDA begin to implement the landmark Food Safety Modernization Act signed by the president last month. Already the agency has taken steps to sharpen its role in detecting outbreaks of E. coli and other foodborne illness.
E. coli 045 Wisconsin Meat Market Outbreak
Seven E coli O45 illnesses in Wisconsin and Michigan are linked to ready-to-eat smoked meat from a Wausau, Wisconsin, meat market, according to the Marathon County Health Department. The health agency has warned customers of Zillman Meat Market not to consume smoked meat products produced between September 30 and December 23, 2010, because they may be contaminated with E. coli 045, a potentially deadly human pathogen.
Most recently it was reported that three people from Michigan who shared smoked meat products from Zillman’s butcher shop became ill with E. coli 045 infections. The health department said the investigation is continuing. So far,
wild bear and venison processed at Zillman Meat Market have tested positive for E. coli O45. This bacterium is one of the six most common non-O157 Shiga toxin–producing types of E coli that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists as pathogenic to humans. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently considering whether to regulate certain non-O157 STECs in beef products.
Law firm Pritzker Olsen has years of direct experience representing victims of non-O157 E. coli outbreaks. An E. coli attorney for the firm is conducting his own investigation of the Zillman outbreak. Meanwhile, the firm is accepting cases. Free consultations are available by calling 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing our contact form. Our law firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness and we have collected millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning around the country.
E. coli in Lake Bemidji Infects Three Minnesotans
The Minnesota Department of Health has linked three E. coli illness cases to the beach at Diamond Point Park in Bemidji.
All three of those who became ill from E. coli O157:H7 were hospitalized, and one person developed life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
HUS attacks a person’s red blood cells and can lead to kidney failure, heart problems, anemia, brain injury, paralysis, stroke and other serious health consequences. A state health department spokesman said the beach remained closed Friday as a precaution but could reopen this weekend.
The people became ill July 12 and July 13. All three went swimming at the beach sometime from July 8-11.
