A US federal investigation into the cantaloupe-borne Listeria outbreak that killed 30 people has found the farm that produced them had ignored government safety guidelines.
The outbreak, which took place between September and December, was the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in the US in over 25 years. As well as the deaths, 146 people became ill and a pregnant woman miscarried.
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A bipartisan report by the US House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee, published Tuesday (10 January) states that Jensen Farms in Colorado had not followed guidance by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
FDA officials who visited Jensen Farms’ facility stated that the outbreak could have been prevented if Jensen Farms had maintained its facilities in accordance with existing FDA guidance.
They found 13 samples of Listeria monocytogenes obtained from processing equipment and cantaloupes and cited several deficiencies in Jensen Farms’ facility, such as dirty water pooling around the food processing equipment, inappropriate food processing equipment which was difficult to clean and no antimicrobial solution in the water used to wash the cantaloupes.
The congressional report notes that Bio Food Safety, a subcontractor for Primus Labs, a third party food safety auditor, which was hired by Jensen Farms, gave the facility a 96% rating, “despite finding several major and minor deficiencies”. Bio Food said the audits only deducted from the score if a method or technique was inconsistent with FDA regulations, but not if FDA guidance was not being followed.
