It wasn’t until July 15 last year that the company issued a
major recall of its salads.
Four people died and 30 were stricken by the exact same
genetic strain of Listeria monocytogenes as was identified in the Springfield
facility.
Yet lawyers for the company are denying that their salad was
responsible for infecting the woman who died.
They say the bacteria could have come into the salad after
it left the plant in Springfield.
Sure, it could have. But did it?
Lawyers for the woman who died obtained records from the
U.S. government which reveal that there was Listeria monocytogenes in the plant
between March, 2014, and December, 2015.
But Dole did not perform whole genome sequencing. That’s
what was used by investigators to trace illnesses to Dole’s salad, prompting
the recall.
The plant was shut down for thorough cleaning and
disinfection.
Do these Dole people dream about their profit and loss statements and simply ignore deaths and illnesses? Seems likely.
