Three lawsuits have been filed against Bidart Brothers, the apple supplier who has been fingered by the FDA and CDC as the source of the Listeria outbreak linked to caramel apples..
3 Lawsuits
- A mother and baby from New Mexico. The mother had eaten a packaged caramel apple while pregnant. Her baby was born prematurely and had a Listeria infection. The baby was in the hospital for 4 weeks.
- A woman from California who developed Listeria meningitis (brain infection).
- A family whose loved one died in the outbreak.
Listeriosis is a serious illness resulting from consumption of food contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most virulent and deadly foodborne pathogens with a fatality rate of over twenty percent. Virtually all people who contract listeriosis require hospitalization. Those who are elderly, immune-compromised, or pregnant are particularly vulnerable.
Listeria monocytogenes tends to thrive in food processing environments, particularly in floor drains and other cool damp areas. Moreover, Listeria monocytogenes can easily be transferred from one area of a processing facility to another through, for example, simple touching of equipment, water, mist, workers’ clothing, shoes and hands. In contrast to most other harmful bacteria, it will grow slowly on foods stored in a refrigerator, and freezing has very little detrimental effect on the organism.
These characteristics render processed ready-to-eat food products particularly susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
Food processors are charged with keeping their facilities clean and pathogen free. When that does not happen, they are liable, meaning they are legally responsible for paying anyone who is sickened by tainted food from the plant.