DOJ investigating Dole after listeria outbreak

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is conducting its own investigation on a multi-state listeria outbreak linked to a processing facility in Springfield, Ohio, Dole recently said in a statement.

Dole said it had been contacted by the DOJ and will be “cooperating with the DOJ to answer questions and address any concerns.”

FDA and Centers for Disease Control recently completed their investigation, which began in September, of Dole’s plant in Springfield. Dole stopped all production at that facility in January after the packaged salads produced there were linked to the listeria outbreak.

Limited production at the Springfield plant resumed on April 21.

Reuters reports an FDA inspection report “showed that Dole’s tests of surfaces at the plant came back positive for listeria on nine separate occasions in 2014 and 2015.”

In its statement regarding FDA’s report, Dole said: “Those FDA reports deal with issues at our plant that we have corrected. We have been working in collaboration with the FDA and other authorities to implement ongoing improved testing, sanitation and procedure enhancements, which have resulted in the recent reopening of our Springfield salad plant.”