USDA FSIS Proposes to Declare Salmonella an Adulterant in Breaded Stuffed Raw Chicken Products
Analyzing the Growing Complexity of Food Law, Industry Advances and the Road Ahead Under a New Administration
Case Involving Burger King Employee Spitting in Officer’s Burger Goes Before WA Supreme Court
A salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds brought the largest criminal penalty ever imposed following a criminal conviction in a food safety case. Our Food & Beverage and White Collar, Government & Internal Investigations...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating companies that produce and sell poppy seeds due to growing concerns over contamination with a controlled substance. In doing so, it is collaborating with the Drug...more
On May 1, 2020, Blue Bell Creameries L.P. (Blue Bell) agreed to plead guilty to charges that it distributed contaminated ice cream products that were linked to a 2015 listeriosis outbreak. The Blue Bell outbreak made...more
Over the past couple of blog posts, we have considered the guilty pleas by Blue Bell Creameries to charges that they distributed adulterated ice cream products and paid a criminal fine and forfeiture amount totaling $17.25...more
In an important set of criminal prosecutions for food safety violations, the Justice Department recently announced resolutions with Blue Bell Creameries and Chipotle Mexican Grill....more
Monday, we considered the guilty pleas by Blue Bell Creameries to charges that they distributed adulterated ice cream products and pay a criminal fine and forfeiture amount totaling $17.25 million. According to the Department...more
May 4th is universally recognized (at least in the universe I inhabit) as Star Wars Day. According to Wikipedia, “May 4 is called Star Wars Day because of the popularity of a common pun spoken on this day. Since the phrase...more
J.Crew filed for bankruptcy protection; the company’s lenders have agreed to “convert $1.65 billion . . . into equity.” Neiman Marcus Group Inc. and J.C. Penney are also on the bankruptcy path, already entering talks with...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - House Passes Cannabis Banking Bill - The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the SAFE Banking Act, which allows financial-service firms to work with “cannabis-related...more
Executive Summary: The most important Park doctrine case in over forty years may be heading to the Supreme Court – but not if the federal government has its way. The Responsible Corporate Officer doctrine (“RCO doctrine”),...more
In an important decision, on July 6, 2016, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the prison sentences imposed on Jack DeCoster, and his son, Peter, under the “responsible corporate officer” doctrine (aka Park doctrine)...more
Over the last ten to twenty years, we have witnessed the expansion of federal criminal prosecution of health and safety matters. Environmental and food and drug regulatory enforcement has been supplemented by aggressive...more
The former CEO of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), has been sentenced to an unprecedented 28 years for his role in the 2008-09 Salmonella outbreak linked to the deaths of nine people and more than 700 illnesses. While it...more
On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Bennett in Sioux City, Iowa, sentenced Austin (Jack) DeCoster and his son Peter to three months in jail for their role in selling contaminated food across state lines. Their company,...more