Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Tag: pathogen

  • New Study Allegedly Links Food Animals to Human UTIs

    A recent study has reportedly suggested that some food animals, and chickens in particular, are “likely” reservoirs for the extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) implicated in community-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs) among humans. Catherine Racicot Bergeron, et al., “Chicken Reservoirs for Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli in Humans, Canada,” Emerging Infectious Diseases, March 2012. According to…

  • Tomato Grower’s Negligence Claims from 2008 Recall Survive Motion to Dismiss

    A federal court in South Carolina has reportedly determined that a tomato grower seeking damages from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allegedly caused by a 2008 tomato recall that followed a Salmonella outbreak which was ultimately found not to be linked to contaminated tomatoes, may pursue negligence claims against the agency. Williams Farms…

  • U.S. Study Identifies Livestock-Associated MRSA in Retail Pork

    U.S. researchers have reportedly discovered methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in retail pork samples “at a higher rate than previously identified,” raising questions about the organism’s “overall ecology and transmission” in the food supply. Ashley O’Brien, et al., “MRSA in Conventional and Alternative Retail Pork Products,” PLoS One, January 2012. Conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade…

  • Federal Court Dismisses Challenge to USDA Almond Pasteurization Rule

    A federal court in the District of Columbia has determined that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had the authority to and properly promulgated a rule “requiring that almonds produced domestically be pasteurized or chemically treated against bacteria.” Koretoff v. Vilsack, No. 08-1558 (D.D.C., decided January 18, 2012). So ruling, the court granted USDA’s motion…

  • House Committee Completes Investigative Report on Tainted Cantaloupe

    The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s report on the 2011 Listeria outbreak that was traced to cantaloupes grown and processed at Jensen Farms in Colorado has identified a number of problems that led to the “deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in over 25 years.” The bipartisan investigation found that a third-party auditing company (i) gave the farm…

  • Contaminated Cantaloupe Plaintiff Sues Food Safety Auditor and Others

    A Nebraska resident alleging that his consumption of Listeria-contaminated cantaloupe grown by Jensen Farms in Colorado caused his infection and subsequent hospitalization, has filed a personal injury action against the grower, distributor, retailer, and the company hired by the grower to conduct a food safety audit before the outbreak. Braddock v. Jensen Farms, No. 11-402…

  • First Wave of Settlement Checks Distributed in Salmonella-Tainted Egg Outbreak

    Attorneys involved in the settlement of injury claims linked to Salmonella-contaminated eggs traced to Wright County Egg in Iowa have reportedly told the Associated Press that the first checks, issued by the egg producer’s insurer, are on their way to the first of dozens of individuals sickened during the 2010 outbreak. Among the first wave…

  • California Food Safety Officials Recall Raw Milk for E. Coli

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has issued a statewide recall and quarantine order for raw or unpasteurized milk products implicated in five cases of E. coli O157:H7. According to CDFA, the recall includes raw milk, raw butter, raw cream, raw colostrum, and a raw product called “Qephor” produced by Fresno-based Organic Pastures…