Buona Vita Meat Recalled for Listeria Threat

New Jersey-based Buona Vita Inc. recalled over 300,000 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat meat and poultry products produced in May, reports Reuters. The recalled meat-based products included meatballs, chicken and beef patties, and loafs of chicken and beef.

The health risk has been rated as "high", so you'll want to make sure none of the infected meat is in your home.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service, or FSIS, discovered the possible contamination through testing. The bacteria in question, Listeria, made news last year when more than 30 people died from listeria-ridden cantaloupe from Colorado.

Listeria thrives in low temperatures and the associated illness, listeriosis, has a long incubation period that can last months before symptoms appear in a person that has consumed tainted foods. According to the Centers for Disease Control, symptoms include gastrointestinal side effects, fever and muscle aches, and flu-like symptoms. Rarely, death can result. Older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable.

Buona Vita could have a serious problem on their hands, if the outbreak reaches the levels of last year's cantalope catastrophe. Such an outbreak would almost certainly lead to lawsuits and intense inspections of their facilities and meat production processes.

Even if everything checks out, the theory of res ipsa loquitor could still mean a judgment for hypothetically sick people. The theory means that the negligence is self-evident from the facts and the injuries could not have happened absent negligence.

In short, the argument is that listeria doesn't just pop up in meat. It happens when someone, somewhere, does not follow proper preparation, handling, or storage techniques. Let's hope, for the sake of the consumers and the meat producers, that the outbreak is minimal.

Related Resources:



Consult a Chicago Personal Injury Attorney (FindLaw)

Baby Dies After Taking Contaminated Tylenol; Parents Sue (FindLaw's Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog)

Types of Food Poisoning: Listeria / Listeriosis (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)

Listeria in Cantaloupe: Lawsuit to be Filed (FindLaw's Injured Blog)




The Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog

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