Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Tag: E. coli

  • Companies Settle Dispute over Responsibility for 2008 E. Coli-Tainted Beef Recall

    Nebraska Beef Ltd. has reportedly agreed to settle its lawsuit against Meyer Natural Foods LLC, and a federal court in Nebraska has apparently ordered the parties to file a motion to dismiss by April 25, 2011. Nebraska Beef recalled about 7 million pounds of beef in a 2008 E. coli outbreak linked to some 76…

  • E. Coli-Tainted Spinach Suit Settled

    A Utah woman who claims that E. coli-tainted spinach caused her irritable bowel syndrome and subsequent chronic incapacitation has reportedly settled her lawsuit against three California-based companies. Chelsey Macey, 26, and her husband were seeking damages in excess of $5 million. A jury awarded the couple that amount in compensatory damages, but before it could…

  • TFAH Releases 2010 Agroterrorism Report

    Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have issued their eighth annual report, Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, which warns that financial woes threaten recent gains made in public health protection. According to a December 14, 2010, TFAH press release, no state scored lower than five…

  • Cases Recently Decided—Exploding Snails, State Alcohol Beverage Laws, E. ColiTainted Meat Outbreak

    According to a news source, a small claims court in California has exonerated two seafood restaurant supervisors for alleged negligence in the case of the exploding escargot. More details about the case appear in Issue 373 of this Update. In a two-page ruling, the court apparently determined, “There was absolutely no evidence whatsoever on what caused…

  • NRC Report Finds Little Benefit to Additional Meat Testing

    A recent National Research Council (NRC) report has apparently found no scientific evidence to support “more stringent testing of meat purchased through the government’s ground beef purchase program,” which distributes products to the National School Lunch Program and other public outlets. According to a December 9, 2010, National Academies press release, the U.S. Department of…

  • Federal Legislation Would Strengthen Food Safety Measures Regarding E. Coli

    Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has introduced a bill (H.R. 6024) that would require stricter testing procedures designed to eradicate “the dangerous Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria” from meat and meat-processing facilities. The E. coli Traceability and Eradication Act would also establish a tracking procedure to enable the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement faster recalls. According…

  • Raw Milk Dairy Challenges Restrictions on Sales in Wisconsin

    A Wisconsin organic farm was reportedly scheduled to argue in court this week that state restrictions on the sale of raw milk do not apply where the sales are made to consumers who are part owners of the farm. While the legislature recently attempted to change a law that regulators contend allows incidental raw milk…

  • Master Recommends Denying Class Certification Motion in Ground Beef E. Coli Case

    A federal magistrate in New York has recommended that the district court deny the class certification motion filed by plaintiffs who allege either personal or economic injury from the purchase of frozen ground beef products purportedly tainted with E. coli. Patton v. Topps Meat Co., No. 07-654 (W.D.N.Y., recommendation entered May 27, 2010). The defendants include…