Hollister
– The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday it would not
file charges related to the 2006 E. coli outbreak after finishing
its investigation.
Hollister – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday it would not file charges related to the 2006 E. coli outbreak after finishing its investigation.
The outbreak, which sickened 204 people and killed three, has been linked to spinach packaged at Natural Selection Foods’ San Juan Bautista facility. Investigators also found the exact strain that caused the outbreak in cow and pig feces and water in San Benito County’s Paicines Ranch.
In October 2006, federal agents executed search warrants in the offices of Natural Selection Foods and Salinas-based Growers Express. At the time, U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan said federal agents were investigating allegations that growers or distributors might not have taken all necessary steps to keep the spinach safe.
In a statement released Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Scott N. Schools said the federal investigation involved searching a number of fields in Santa Clara, Monterey and San Benito counties.
“After a thorough and wide-ranging investigation, we have determined that federal criminal charges are not warranted in this matter,” Schools said. “I thank both companies for their cooperation in this investigation.”
Natural Selection spokeswoman Samantha Cabaluna also released a statement calling the U.S. Attorney’s decision “the right move.”
“Since the outbreak last year, Natural Selection Foods has led the industry in implementing the most aggressive food safety practices, as evidenced by our advanced testing procedures intended to detect pathogen contamination at every stage from seed to harvest, and through processing in our facilities,” Cabaluna said.
