Listeria

Listeria is a very serious foodborne disease which can lead to high fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness and nausea. It can be fatal, particularly to infants, the elderly and individuals with weak immune systems. Pregnant women who contract listeria food poisoning can experience miscarriages and stillbirths. The Center for Disease Control estimates that food contamination causes 76 million illnesses, 325,00 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths each year. Yet the USDA does not have the authority to order recalls, issue civil fines against plant operators, close plants or disclose to the public which retailers received the contaminated products. Since 1998 the industry has been, for all intents and purposes, self-regulated. Since that time the number of recalls per year has tripled from 44 to 118.

If you believe you or a family member may have been affected by this outbreak, contact Belluck & Fox to learn about your legal rights. We provide personal legal representation to individuals who have suffered serious injuries from unsafe food and other defective products. We file individual actions on behalf of each client to make sure you receive the personal attention your case deserves.

We represent vicitms of listeria and will provide you with a fast evaluation of your case by one of our attorneys.

Timeline and History of Listeria Contamination and Food Product Safety

1929	First human case of listeria monocytogenes documented.
Early 1980's	Listeria monocytogenes associated with foodborne transmision. By 1986 listeria infection accounts for 1850 cases and 425 deaths per year in the United States.
January 21, 1999	The National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals, the union representing meat inspectors, blasts the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point ( HACCP) program, as too lax in permitting the industry to regulate itself. The program permits a company to reprocess and resell contaminated meat. An inspector reports finding evidence of diesel fuel and shards of metal on meat in a Georgia plant. She also reported finding maggots in a product that was returned to the plant under HACCP , reprocessed and shipped back out to the consumer. A spokesperson for the Government Accountability Project referred to HACCP as "yanking the referees from the football field."
January 6, 2003	Obstetrician/Gynecologist Constance Bohon, M.D., advises pregnant women that it is no longer just soft cheeses that should be avoided but also deli meat. She advises that if pregnant women feel compelled to eat deli meat they should cook it to the point that it is "steaming."
January 25,2003	The Bush Administration proposes boosting the federal government's food safety budget by 5.3 percent in the wake of the two major meat recalls in 2002. This would add 80 inspectors to monitor plants in the $100 billion meat and poultry industry.
February 17, 2003	Research indicates that adding oregano extract to ready-to-eat meat products significantly slows the growth of listeria. Also, dipping products in a calcium sulfate solution, then packaging and refrigerating the products for three months, was shown to reduce listeria levels to a non-detectable amount, according to research at Texas A&M University.
March 15, 2003	President Bush opposes legislation that would force meat companies to disclose which stores received possibly tainted meat during an outbreak. The American Meat Institute agrees, stating that it is sufficient to disclose the product codes to the public during an outbreak. To date, Wampler has never disclosed to the public its list of stores receiving and selling the contaminated products to the public.
May 23, 2003	May 23, 2003 Senator Charles Schumer urges the Department of Agriculture to register all meat manufactured in the United States from the time of slaughter to the time it reaches the stores. This tracking system would enable the government to quickly find and pull any contaminated products that were the subject of a recall.

Recent News

May 11, 2006, CentreDaily.com - Woman wins $3 million in listeria suit

For more information on listeria, view the following sites:

National Library of Medicine Food Safety Page
USDA Food Safety Page
Center for Science in The Public Interest