Dive Brief:
- William B. Aossey Jr., founder of Midamar Corp., received a two-year federal prison sentence followed by three years of supervised probation.
- The judge also ordered Aossey to pay a $60,000 fine and $1,500 special assessment.
- Aossey was convicted of removing USDA establishment numbers on beef produced at unapproved plants and exporting the mislabeled beef to other countries to fulfill Halal beef orders.
Dive Insight:
The sentence demonstrates the realities food and beverage manufacturers face today when it comes to food safety, as the Department of Justice said it would handle these infractions more severely.
One of the most recent high-profile food safety sentencings was for the Peanut Corporation of America salmonella outbreak case. Brothers Stewart and Michael Parnell received federal prison sentences of 28 years and 20 years, respectively. In that case, the food safety infraction led to nine deaths and sickened more than 700.
In the Quality Egg salmonella outbreak case, Jack DeCoster, owner, and his son Peter DeCoster, COO, were both sentenced to serve three months in federal prison, one year of supervised release, and pay a fine of $100,000. That case involved approximately 1,939 reported consumer illnesses in multiple states, but the sentencing varies drastically from that of the Parnells' sentences.