PritzkerOlsen, P.A., America’s most experienced Listeria law firm, is actively investigating a Listeria outbreak involving 12 people, including a Michigan resident who died. The outbreak was linked to pre-packaged salads produced by Dole at its Springfield, Ohio processing facility, according to a January 22, 2016, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcement.

Twelve people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from six states since July 5, 2015. Those states include Massachusetts, Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

The link between Dole salad and the illnesses was made by the CDC in January of 2016, when whole genome sequencing (WGS) showed that a Listeria isolate from a Dole brand Field Greens packaged salad from a retail location was highly related genetically to isolates from ill people. This packaged salad was produced at the Springfield, Ohio Dole processing facility.

“If the link to Dole proves to be correct, it represents a possible failure of their food safety systems. Federal law is very clear: the presence of a single Listeria organism is a food product constitutes adulteration,” said Fred Pritzker, a lawyer who represents people sickened by food contaminated with Listeria bacteria.

On January 22, 2016, Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc., announced it is temporarily suspending operations at its Springfield, Ohio production facility, and is voluntarily withdrawing from the market all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at that location. No additional Dole facilities are affected.

Products subject to the voluntary withdrawal are identified with a product code beginning with the letter “A” in the upper right-hand corner of the package. The withdrawn products were sold under the following brands: Dole, Fresh Selections, Simple Truth, Marketside, The Little Salad Bar, and President’s Choice. Other Dole products are not part of this voluntary withdrawal.

PritzkerOlsen, a national food safety law firm, has represented people harmed by Listeria in every major Listeria outbreak for the past 15 years. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of Listeria outbreak victims, including some of the largest recoveries ever obtained.

Listeria cases are personal for PritzkerOlsen. The mother of the Firm’s president, Fred Pritzker, was sickened with Listeria as a result of eating contaminated Italian cheese in an outbreak that occurred a number of years ago.

PritzkerOlsen attorneys Fred Pritzker, Brendan Flaherty and Ryan Osterholm are working on this investigation. They can be contacted regarding a lawsuit for compensation at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or via the law firm’s website, www.pritzkerlaw.com. PritzkerOlsen is a national food safety law firm that represents clients in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits throughout the United States. The firm’s office is centrally located at 45 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, MN.