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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDepartment of Justice Opens Criminal Investigation of Blue Bell
This is the entire article.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened an investigation into Blue Bell Creameries, CBS News reported Tuesday. Attorneys from DOJs Consumer Protection Branch, the same unit that prosecuted Peanut Corporation of America executives, was reported to be in charge of the probe. The investigation is being lead by Patrick Hearn, the USAA who prosecuted the executives of the Peanut Corporation of America.
Blue Bell earlier this year was linked to a Listeria outbreak that resulted in three deaths. The company shutdown all three of its production facilities and recalled its regionally popular ice cream. It has only recently been returning to the market on a staged basis.
The food safety investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found Blue Bells Listeria contamination was reported to company officials as early as 2013 along with other in-plant sanitation problems, including water getting into production facilities.
The challenge for the federal criminal investigation is to determine what Bell Blue executives actually knew and when they knew it. Stewart Parnell, PCAs executive officer, sent emails with orders to just ship em when he knew peanut products were contaminated with Salmonella. Parnell was sentenced to 28 years in prison, and his peanut broker brother was sentenced to 20 years.
Blue Bell has not responded to reports of the criminal inquiry. Blue Bell manufactures ice cream in as many as 60 flavors in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Gothmog
(145,291 posts)I am somewhat confused by the people who are willing to trust BB without a clean bill of health or good explanation as to what happened in Brenham
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)When it was widely reported they covered up the problem for years before being caught, I lost my appetite for their HFCS ice cream.
now when i really really have to have ice cream for apple pie dessert, we get a pint of Haagen Daz.
I am quite pleased they are getting attention from the Justice Dept. and can only hope that in the last year of Obama's Admin, maybe justice will prevail.
Warpy
(111,267 posts)It's too bad, that buggy ice cream was really good.
The people responsible for covering up the problem instead of taking care of it should do jail time. Fines just won't do.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)They used tanker trucks to transport raw milk to their pasteurizer, and then tanker trucks to transport the now-pasteurized milk to the factory.
A bit before the outbreak that caused the recall, they decided to save money by using the same trucks for both tasks. Without cleaning the tanks after the raw milk loads.
The question becomes whether a low-level manager will be sacrificed for his "Brilliant cost savings"....errr...."Not following the values of our company" or if upper management will actually receive some blame.
Skittles
(153,164 posts)the poor dears
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)Let the investigation take it's course. If there was wrongdoing it should be prosecuted, if not the company and it's officials should be cleared.
Omaha Steve
(99,653 posts)K&R!
OS