The first known charges ever brought under a state “ag-gag” law were dismissed Tuesday in Utah. The would-be offender was 25-year-old Amy Meyer who last Feb. 8 was using her cellphone camera to film the Dale T. Smith and Sons Meat Packing Co. in Draper, Utah from public sidewalks. Meyer said she began using her… Continue Reading
Opinion
More than one drought may be over in the heartland of America. Yes, there’s been enough snow and rain to drastically reduce the drought’s footprint on the land of the Southeast and West. But there is also a sign another drought may have ended, that’s the one where food industry executives skate after they’ve poisoned… Continue Reading
UPDATE: U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Q. Langstaff late Friday denied Stewart Parnell’s request to have his U.S. Passport returned, Without a hearing, the Judge said the Court is sympathetic with Parnell’s desire to pursue employment opportunities involving foreign travel, but said conditions of his release are already the “least restrictive necessary” to ensure his future… Continue Reading
Vernon Hershberger’s religious beliefs do not provide any resolution to the legal consequences he must face for operating a food establishment without a license, operating as an unlicensed milk producer, operating a dairy plant without a license and violating a product hold order. The Wisconsin raw milk dairy farmer therefore will proceed to a long-delayed… Continue Reading
ALBANY, GA – U.S. District Court Judge W. Louis Sands on Tuesday approved a schedule for discovery and heard arguments over whether or not former Peanut Corporation of America CEO Stewart Parnell’s co-counsel should remain his lawyer even though concerns have been raised about conflicts of interest. Ironing out such details will set the stage… Continue Reading
The criminal jury trial for former Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) executives should start on Oct. 7, according to an agreement by attorneys involved in the case. Picking the start date for the federal criminal trial is one of several important logistical decisions that U.S. District Court Judge W. Louis Sands is expected to make… Continue Reading
Stewart Parnell, the former chief executive officer of the now defunct Peanut Corporation of American who is facing trial on a long list of criminal charges related to an outbreak of foodborne illness five years ago, wants his passport back. Parnell, 58, of Lynchburg, VA gave up his U.S. passport on Feb. 28 as a… Continue Reading
Update (April 10, 11:30 a.m. PST): In a press release emailed to Food Safety News, Chung’s announced that the court has allowed the company to resume production on its non-seafood products, including its chicken, pork and vegetable egg rolls. According to Chung’s, the court order noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was satisfied with Chung’s production… Continue Reading
Two patrons sickened with E. coli at Ambassel Restaurant in Seattle filed a lawsuit against the restaurant on Thursday. Both are represented by food safety law firm Marler Clark, which underwrites Food Safety News. Plaintiffs Sarah Schacht and Alison Cardinal ate at Ambassel on February 8 and 15, respectively. They fell ill with symptoms of E…. Continue Reading
The parties suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its failure to meet several deadlines laid out in the Food Safety Modernization Act got discouraging news at a hearing last week when a federal judge said she might not be able to make FDA quicken its pace. The case was filed last August in… Continue Reading
The parents of an 11-year-old girl sickened in the Salmonella outbreak that affected schoolchildren in Chicago’s northern suburbs have filed suit against organic foods company considered responsible for the outbreak. Stacey Wescott and Brian Peterson of Elgin, Illinois filed a case against OrganicLife Thursday in Cook County District Court seeking damages following the illness of… Continue Reading