Trouble for the Dole Food Company processing plant in Springfield began in January of this year when listeria contamination in some of their pre-packaged salads caused illness in at least 19 people in the U.S., killing one Michigan man. 14 people in Canada became ill and 3 deaths there are still under investigation.
Reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have surfaced that indicate the company knew about listeria contamination at its Springfield plant as far back as 2014. Now the U.S. Department of Justice is involved.
Reporter Matt Sanctis with the Springfield News Sun has been following the story and this week he spoke with WYSO’s Jerry Kenney about the latest updates.
Dole recently addressed the released FDA reports on their website. See the full statement below.
At Dole, the safety of the foods we provide to our consumers, and the safety of our employees, are part of the fabric of our company. That’s why we’re concerned about the recent stories in some publications about the FDA’s observation reports.
Those FDA reports deal with issues at our plant that we have corrected. We have been working in collaboration with the FDA and other authorities to implement ongoing improved testing, sanitation and procedure enhancements, which have resulted in the recent reopening of our Springfield salad plant.
We understand that these recent news reports may raise questions among our consumers and customers. They should be assured, however, that we have worked in conjunction with the FDA to address those observations and ensure that Dole products are safe.
Dole has recently been contacted by the Department of Justice in connection with its own investigation, and we will be similarly cooperating with the DOJ to answer questions and address any concerns.
