Tag: pathogen
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Peanut Butter Defendant Seeks Dismissal of Punitive Damage Claim and Transfer of Some Plaintiffs’ Claims
ConAgra Foods, Inc. has asked a multidistrict litigation (MDL) court to sever and transfer the claims of some of the plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit in October 2009 against the company arising out of the purported Salmonella contamination of its peanut butter. In re: ConAgra Peanut Butter Prods. Liab. Litig., MDL No. 1845 (N.D. Ga.,…
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First Lawsuits Filed in Latest E. Coli Outbreaks Involving Ground Beef
Plaintiffs’ lawyer William Marler has reportedly begun filing lawsuits on behalf of families allegedly sickened in an E. coli outbreak linked to fresh ground beef processed by Fairbank Farms, which has recalled nearly 546,000 pounds of the product, mostly from retail outlets on the Atlantic coast and in the Northeast. According to news sources, two…
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Federal Agencies to Collaborate on Improving Traceability System
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service, (FSIS) will convene a joint meeting to address ways of enhancing current product tracing systems for food intended for humans and animals. FDA and FSIS reportedly intend for the December 9-10, 2009, event to stimulate ideas on improving their ability…
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EU Rebuffs United States in WTO Poultry Dispute
The European Union has reportedly blocked a U.S. request that the World Trade Organization (WTO) settle a dispute over a ban on American poultry imports. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative apparently asked for the ruling after industry groups criticized the scientific evidence behind an EU regulation prohibiting the pathogen-reduction treatments used in U.S.…
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E. Coli Plaintiffs Seek to Certify Two Classes
Plaintiffs who brought personal and economic injury claims against Topps Meat Co. for an E. coli outbreak that led to the recall of more than 20 million pounds of ground beef in 2007 have filed a motion for class certification. Patton v. Topps Meat Co., No. 07-654 (W.D.N.Y., motion filed October 15, 2009). While the proposed…
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Michael Moss, “E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection,” The New York Times, October 4, 2009
One hundred three years after Upton Sinclair published his meatpacking industry exposé, The New York Times has published an article explaining how current food safety standards may be responsible for the 16 E. coli-tainted beef outbreaks that have occurred over the past three years. Revealing how failure to test all the scraps and trimmings and…
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Class Action Alleges Hazardous Preparation Instructions on Frozen Pot Pies
California residents have filed a putative class action against Pinnacle Foods Group, LLC in federal court, alleging that its frozen food products, if prepared as directed, will not “reach the ‘kill step’ temperature necessary to destroy dangerous bacteria.” Meaunrit v. The Pinnacle Foods Group, LLC, No. 09-4555 (N.D. Cal., filed September 28, 2009). They also claim…
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Plaintiffs Blame Fatal Botulism Case on Faulty Food Processing Equipment
The representatives of a man who died of botulism have filed a lawsuit in federal court against Malo, Inc. and Massmann Enterprises, Inc., claiming that the companies responsible for maintaining food canning equipment at a Atlanta, Georgia, facility failed to warn owner Bumble Bee Foods, LLC about a leaky water valve . Caffrey et al.…