Category: Department of Justice
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DOJ Warns of Criminal Prosecutions for Food-Safety Lapses
In a recent Associated Press (AP) interview, U.S. Associate Attorney General Stuart Delery warns that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will pursue criminal penalties against companies that sell poisoned food. AP cites the recent prosecution of Peanut Corp. of America executives along with actions against the producers of tainted cantaloupe and eggs as evidence of…
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DOJ Seeks Public Comment on Anheuser-Busch InBev/Grupo Modelo Merger Settlement
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has published the antitrust complaint filed with a proposed final judgment and competitive impact statement, resolving its concerns that the acquisition of Grupo Modelo S.A.B. de C.V. by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV would violate section 7 of the Clayton Act. According to DOJ, the final judgment requires the companies “to divest…
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Anheuser-Busch to Sell Brewery and U.S. Beer Rights to Fend Off DOJ Antitrust Claims
In the wake of an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking to enjoin the acquisition of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo, Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) has reportedly agreed to sell a massive Modelo brewery, including full U.S. rights to the Corona® and Modelo® brands, to Constellation Brands, said to be the world’s…
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Antibiotic Drug Residues in Meat Lead to Consent Decree with DOJ
A federal court in Wisconsin has reportedly approved a consent decree between the U.S. government a Wisconsin livestock operation that allegedly violated federal drug laws by failing to maintain adequate animal treatment records, using new animal drugs illegally and failing to adequately distinguish between medicated and non-medicated animals for sale for use as human food.…
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DOJ Plans to Oppose Counsel Fee Request in African-American Discrimination Suit
According to a press report, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to oppose the request for $90.8 million in attorney’s fees filed by counsel for African-American farmers who sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture for discrimination in the administration of farm loan programs. Additional information about the fee petition appears in Issue 405 of…
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Feds Get Tough on Seafood Producers
The Department of Justice recently took action against seafood producers in Wisconsin and Alabama for products that were either processed in plants lacking Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans or misbranded. In Wisconsin, a U.S. attorney filed a complaint to seize a variety of breaded seafood products in the possession of Soderholm Wholesale…
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Fishy Seafood Labels Result in Felony and Misdemeanor Convictions
According to the Department of Justice, a Massachusetts-based fish packer has been convicted of several criminal charges for falsely labeling packages of frozen fish fillets. A federal jury in Boston found Stephen Delaney guilty of a felony violation of the Lacey Act for falsely labeling $8,000 worth of frozen pollock, a product of China, as…
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DOJ Settles Antitrust Claims Against Dean Foods
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached a settlement with Dean Foods Co. over antitrust concerns about its acquisition of the Foremost Farms USA Coop. Under the agreement, which will be published in the Federal Register for comment and must undergo court approval, Dean will “divest a significant milk processing plant in Waukesha, Wis.,…