Last year, a disastrous listeria outbreak killed 30 people across the U.S. The dangerous disease was found in cantaloupes which were traced back to the Rocky Ford Growers Association in Colorado. The melons were distributed nationwide, and affected people in many states. Even though the company has had a disastrous year full of lawsuits and hardship, they are now trying to restore their brand.
They are promoting safe handling fruit techniques on social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest. They hope that they will be able to prevent future outbreaks by pouring approximately $800,000 into a prevention system. The farmers say that they want to salvage their crop, even though it was decimated last year during the outbreak. People stopped purchasing the orange melon all over America out of a fear for listeria.
The farmers only planted a portion of their fields this year. In fact, only 30 percent of the farmland at Rocky Ford Growers is being used to produce this fruit. The association is also still dealing with a variety of wrongful death lawsuits, after they were linked with the disease. Listeria is a bacterium that contaminates food. When ingested, it can cause sepsis and meningitis, which both can be fatal. Listeria consumers have a 20 percent fatality rate, so the bacteria should never be taken lightly. It normally affects pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and adults with weakened immune systems due to illnesses like HIV/AIDS.
If you are going to buy cantaloupe this week, watch out for the danger of a disease carrying bacteria inside. If you or a loved one falls ill from bacteria that were in your food, then you may be able to sue the production company. Talk to a lawyer about your particular situation to determine whether or not you should file a claim and seek damages for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other expenses. Talk to someone at the Negroni Law Firm today!