Dive Summary:
- The FDA has yet to file any criminal charges in the deadly Listeria outbreak from Jensen's cantaloupes last year, bringing into question both their departmental transparency and their judicial decision making.
- The FDA actually has a unique judicial position within the US government, being the only agency that can prosecute without demonstrated or even implied intent due to the importance of their work, namely, food safety.
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This judicial allowance makes their recent silence even stranger, however sources close to the agency say they have not stopped pursuing those responsible.
From the article:
"More than a year after the deadly Listeria outbreak that stemmed from Jensen Farm's cantaloupes was first detected, criminal charges have yet to be filed against the company, but the Food and Drug Administration's website says its outbreak investigation is still open. FDA's report was last updated on January 8, 2012 with information provided by the Centers for Disease Control in its final update, which reported a total of 147 illnesses in 28 states, 33 deaths and one miscarriage linked to the outbreak. Since FDA has yet to close the case - or notify the public of any further actions..."
