Listeria Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark Law Firm : Listeria Blog

Bill Marler, writing for his Marler Blog, recently did a good wrapup on "Listeria in the News."  You might have seenn it there, if not we are providing it here.

Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) is a foodborne disease-causing bacteria; the disease is called listeriosis. Listeria can invade the body through a normal and intact gastrointestinal tract. Once in the body, Listeria can travel through the blood stream but the bacteria are often found inside cells. Listeria also produces toxins that damage cells. Listeria invades and grows best in the central nervous system among immune compromised persons, causing meningitis and/or encephalitis (brain infection). In pregnant women, the fetus can become infected, leading to spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, or sepsis (blood infection) in infancy.

Approximately 2,500 cases of listeriosis are estimated to occur in the U.S. each year. About 200 in every 1000 cases result in death. Certain groups of individuals are at greater risk for listeriosis, including pregnant women (and their unborn children) and immunocompromised persons. Among infants, listeriosis occurs when the infection is transmitted from the mother, either through the placenta or during the birthing process. These host factors, along with the amount of bacteria ingested and the virulence of the strain, determine the risk of disease. Human cases of listeriosis are, for the most part, sporadic and treatable. Nonetheless, Listeria remains an important threat to public health, especially among those most susceptible to this disease.

Company recalls Langostinos after possible Listeria contamination

A Boston seafood company has issued a voluntary recall of its cooked langostinos because of possible listeria contamination. The recalled "Icybay Cooked Langostinos" from Slade Gorton & Company were sold in one pound packages to retailers in Massachusetts and Maryland and in five pound packages to wholesalers in 19 states.

Agriculture officials issue raw milk warning

Raw milk bought from Fisher's Dairy farm in Portersville in Butler County should be discarded immediately because it might be contaminated, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said today. The dairy was selling the milk without a permit and state inspectors found that it tested positive for listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can be deadly, agriculture secretary Dennis Wolff said.

Frozen chicken meals shipped to California recalled for Listeria

Inovata Foods, an Edmonton, Alberta firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 3,780 pounds of frozen chicken entrées that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced. The following product is subject to recall: 12-ounce packages of “Discover Cuisine ™ Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice. Each package bears the Canadian establishment number “Est. 302” inside the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mark of inspection as well as a “Best By” date of “12 18 08.”

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The Vermont Legislature has opted NOT to expand the sale of raw milk by its loud and active small dairy farmers.   Had the dairy farmers expressed just a tad bit more concern for the harm raw milk might do to consumers, they might have done better with lawmakers.  Take for example this quote from  Amy Shollenberger is the executive director of Rural Vermont, a Montpelier-based nonprofit organization, and lobbyist for the dairy farmers:

"Listeria is everywhere. People get listeria from drinking tap water," Shollenberger says. "If you follow their logic, you wouldn't be able to consume anything safely unless it was cooked."

That's about as good as telling the Legislature that "Sh*t Happens!"  

Peter Hirschfeld, writing for the Vermont Press Bureau,  did a fine wrap up on Vermont's legislative battle over raw milk.  Here's his summary of the action:

On Thursday, lawmakers squashed a bill that would have allowed farmers to sell unlimited quantities of unpasteurized milk. Supporters of the bill called it a watershed measure that would have bolstered local economies and significantly improved prospects for small- and mid-size dairy operations in the state.

But public health officials and the Agency of Agriculture worried about bacterial outbreaks that could accompany increased raw milk consumption.

Citing concerns over how raw-milk dealers would be certified, licensed and regulated, the House Agriculture Committee had struck the bill down, replacing it with legislation that will increase the limit from 25 to 50 quarts a day. The Legislature also told Agency of Agriculture officials to lift the advertising ban, saying the state lacks the statutory authority to impose it.

For now, farmers like Elliot will have to delay their plans to develop retail raw-milk businesses. But the Legislature is likely to reconsider the original proposal next year. And the increase in the sales limit, supporters says, is an important step toward the potential windfall that awaits small farms seeking to profit from the purported demand for raw milk in the state.

There's more here.

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The United States Department of Agriculture has found a way to get "downer" cows, BSE, and E.coli out of the news.   They are doing it with back-to-back-to-back-to-back recalls due to listeria.

Here goes the list, all issued between March 2-4, 2008 of products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocygenes:

• Meijer Distribution Center, a Grand Rapids, Mich. firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 2,184 pounds of frozen chicken entrées..
• Costco Wholesale, an Issaquah, Wash. firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 10,368 pounds of frozen chicken Entrées.
• Inovata Foods, an Edmonton, Alberta firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 3,780 pounds of frozen chicken Entrées.
• Gourmet Boutique, L.L.C., a Jamaica, N.Y., firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 6,970 pounds of meat and poultry products.

That adds up to 23,302 pounds of meat and chicken products.  That's far short of the 143.3 million pounds of beef on the recall list from the Chino slaughterhouse.  However, unlike the big recall, these are Class 1 recalls with high risk to public health.

So far, there have been no reports of illnesses linked to any of the four recalls.  All were prompted by tests conducted by the Food Safety & Inspection Service.

For the precise product descriptions and codes, go to USDA's Open Federal Cases file.  It can be found here.

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You can say a lot of things about our friends at the United States Department of Agriculture, but one thing you cannot say is that they do not work weekends.

Another weekend has brought another recall annoucement, this one involving a frozen Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice product that may be contimainted with listeria.   Here's the official word:

Meijer Distribution Center, a Grand Rapids, Mich. firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 2,184 pounds of frozen chicken entrées that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The following product is subject to recall: [View Label]

12-ounce packages of “Discover Cuisine ™ Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice.” Each package bears the Canadian establishment number “Est. 302” inside the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mark of inspection as well as a “Best By” date of “12 18 08.”

The frozen chicken entrées were produced on Oct. 18, 2007, and were sent to distributors and retail establishments in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

The problem was discovered through FSIS microbiological sampling. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product. 

Get it all from USDA here.

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