The FDA has updated its investigation and criminal charges against Roos Foods Inc. in association with the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to the company's cheeses. On Friday, January 22, 2016, the Department of Justice filed criminal information in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, charging the company with "the distribution of adulterated cheese in interstate commerce." The company has signed a plea agreement in which it has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Roos and its principals, Ana A. Roos and Virginia Mejia, agreed to a proposed consent decree of permanent injunction. A multistate outbreak of listeriosis linked to Hispanic-style cheese products made and distributed by Roos Foods of Kenton, … [Read more...]
Wyoming’s Ag-Gag Law Dealt Serious Blow
Food Poisoning Bulletin has been reporting about so-called "ag gag" laws for years. These laws are intended to prevent whistleblowers from reporting on animal abuse at factory farms, and levy penalties against those who go undercover to film problems at these facilities. A federal judge, last week, noted "serious concerns and questions" about the constitutionality of Wyoming's data trespass laws in an order released about a lawsuit against that state and refused to strike claims against the law. These laws criminalize undercover reporting on farms and in slaughterhouses that reveal animal abuse, food safety violations, and violations of food worker health and safety laws. Center for Food Safety and other groups have sued Wyoming over this law, claiming that the laws punish communication … [Read more...]
Crab Products Seized for Possible Listeria Monocytogenes Bacteria
The United States Department of Justice seized about 5,000 cases of frozen, processed crab products manufactured by Rome Packing Company because the seafood may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. The government alleges that Rome prepared, packed, and processed Jonah Crab products in a facility contaminated with the pathogenic bacteria. According to court documents, the FDA inspected Rome's facility on six different occasions and found that the facility's cooking process did not adequately control temperatures to prevent bacterial growth. Environmental swab samples collected from three areas of the facility allegedly tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. And poor sanitary practices and conditions in the facility may have caused cross-contamination … [Read more...]
Stewart Parnell Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison
Former Peanut Corporation of America executive 61-year-old Stewart Parnell has been sentenced to 28 years in prison after being convicted of multiple felonies related to a deadly nationwide Salmonella outbreak. His brother, Michael Parnell, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. That outbreak killed nine people and sickened at least 714 others in 46 states and Canada. This is the most serious punishment given to a food producer in a foodborne outbreak case. Parnell was convicted of knowingly shipping contaminated product and of falsifying records and lab reports on his products. Most corporations are hit with civil lawsuits after food poisoning outbreaks. Parnell apologized to those sickened in the outbreak and to the families of those killed. Parnell did face up to 803 years in prison … [Read more...]
Revisiting the Peanut Corporation of American Salmonella Outbreak
Three executives of the former Peanut Corporation of America are to be sentenced this week for illnesses and deaths in the huge Salmonella outbreak in 2008-2009 linked to their peanut butter products. Stewart Parnell was convicted of 68 felony counts, including "conscious or reckless risk of death or serious bodily injury", conspiracy to engage in mail and wire fraud, and introduction of adulterated and misbranded food into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead. His brother Michael Parnell was convicted of 30 felony counts, and Mary Wilkerson, plant manager, was found guilty of obstruction of justice. Both brothers could go to prison for the rest of their lives on these convictions, and will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge W. Louis Sands. That deadly … [Read more...]
North Carolina Seafood Processor Sentenced
Alphin Brothers Inc.,a seafood processor and wholesale distributor in North Carolina, was sentenced this month in federal court for falsely labeling imported shrimp. An employee purchased shrimp on the company's behalf and directed employees to falsely label farm-raised imported shrimp as a wild-caught product of the U.S. This mislabeled product was sold by Alphin Brothers to customers in Louisiana through interstate commerce. The facility was ordered to pay a criminal fine of $100,000 and to forfeit about 21,450 pounds of shrimp. The company will also serve three years of probation. And they must implement a training program to educate employees on federal labeling requirements and laws. Those federal laws require seafood retailers to provide consumers notice of the country of … [Read more...]
Judge Strikes Down Idaho’s Ag-Gag Law
The Ag-Gag law in Idaho, which was passed in 2014, has been struck down as unconstitutional by U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill. The state has not decided if it will appeal this decision. This is the first time an ag-gag statute has been struck down by a federal court. The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) brought a case against the state in April 2015. The law was passed after the animal rights group Mercy for Animals shot an undercover video showing workers abusing milk cows at the Dry Creek Dairy in Hansen, Idaho. ALDF alleged that the bill "has both the purpose and effect of stifling public debate about modern agriculture." The law criminalizes all employment-based undercover investigations and criminalizes investigative journalism,whistleblowing by employees, or other … [Read more...]
Industry Appealing Court Decision Affirming GMO Labeling
Center for Food Safety says that the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) is appealing the federal court decision made two weeks ago affirming the constitutionality of Vermont's GMO labeling law. Act 120 was signed into law in May of 2014. The state has declared that Act 120's GMO disclosure requirement is "reasonable related to the State's substantial interests, under Zauderer, Act 120s GE disclosure requirement is constitutional." The ruling also denied plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction, granted the state of Vermont's Motion to Dismiss on several grounds, and ruled that plaintiffs were likely to prevail on Act 120's prohibition on labeling GE food as "natural". The law is scheduled to go into effect in July 2016. George Kimbrell, senior attorney at Center for Food … [Read more...]
Judge Signs Injunction Against Wholesome Soy
U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel for the Northern District of Illinois signed a consent decree of permanent injunction against Wholesome Soy Products and their owners. The owners, Paul and Julia Trinh, signed the document on April 5, 2015. The decree prevents them from distributing adulterated mung bean and soybean sprouts. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer of the Justice Department's Civil Division said in a statement, "we must work to ensure that the food we buy from store shelves is safe and produced under sanitary conditions. The Department of Justice will continue to work with our partners at FDA to accomplish that goal." Wholesome Soy products are linked to a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak this past fall. Five people were sickened, and two … [Read more...]
Decosters Sentenced to Jail in 2010 Salmonella Egg Outbreak
The owners of Quality Egg LLC, dba Wright County Egg, which produced eggs linked to a massive Salmonella outbreak in 201o, are going to face jail time for their role. Jack DeCoster and Peter DeCoster are going to serve three months in prison for introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce. The DeCosters both pleaded guilty last year. After the jail time, they will serve a year of probation and must pay $100,000 each. Quality Egg must pay $6.79 million and was placed on probation for three years. The sentence was handed down April 13, 2015 in Sioux City, Iowa by U.S. District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett in the Northern District of Iowa. That outbreak sickened almost 2,000 people across the United States. More than 500,000,000 eggs were recalled nationwide as a result of this … [Read more...]
