According to Listeria lawyer Ron Simon, the listeria lawyer who filed the wrongful death listeria lawsuit in the Boar’s Head meat listeria outbreak that killed Gunter Morgenstein, tragedy has struck yet again. Mr. Morgenstein survived the Holocaust only to pass after consuming a liverwurst sandwich. His tragic death has received significant media attention showing what a wonderful man he was, and how tragic this was for his family. Now, another “vulnerable” member of society has passed – this time a small child. According to reports by the CDC, in November 2024, a listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat meat and poultry products from Yu Shang Food, Inc., based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, resulted in the tragic death of a California infant and sickened ten others across four states.
“Out thoughts and prayers go out to the grieving parents,” says Simon, “and rest assured, we will find out what went wrong.”
The affected products, including chicken feet, duck neck, beef shank, and pork hock, were distributed nationwide and sold online. The contamination was identified in October during routine testing, leading to a recall of over 72,000 pounds of these items.
Of the eleven individuals affected, nine required hospitalization. Notably, a pregnant woman in California contracted listeriosis, resulting in the death of one of her twins. “These cases could not be more maddening,” says Listeria Lawyer Ron Simon, “in part because we know they were preventable.” In fact, in each listeria lawsuit he brings, it soon becomes evident how far the companies involved let down their guard and allowed listeria contamination into their facilities. “At present, we are only just understanding, for example, how bad the Jarret Facility at Boar’s Head, where the manufactured the deadly liverwurst, really was. And we have only just begun to investigate.”
This case underscores the severe risks listeria poses to vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can thrive in refrigerated environments, making ready-to-eat products particularly susceptible to contamination. Symptoms of listeriosis can range from mild, such as fever and muscle aches, to severe, including headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. The onset of symptoms can vary widely, appearing within a few hours to up to three months after consuming contaminated food.
This outbreak highlights the critical importance of stringent food safety protocols in the production and handling of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. Consumers are advised to check their refrigerators and freezers for any recalled Yu Shang Food products and to discard or return them to the place of purchase. Additionally, it’s essential to clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that may have come into contact with these products to prevent further contamination.
The CDC and USDA continue to monitor the situation closely, emphasizing the need for ongoing vigilance in food safety practices to protect public health.
