New Law Blogs

Listeria Sandwich Maker Fisher Rex May Have Closed

By PritzkerLaw

 A family owned sandwich maker from Raleigh, North Carolina, has stopped production and may have shut down -- at least temporarily -- in the wake of a  Listeria monocytogenes finding by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Fisher Rex Sandwich Co. makes the pre-packaged sandwiches for the regional convenience store industry and for vending machines -- a family business since 1928.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published the Fisher Rex recall announcement this week, saying that any sandwich with a 7-digit code, starting with numerals 01, was subject to recall. Sandwiches with five-digit codes were said to be OK. 

The press release said production had ceased while the company worked with health investigators to determine the source of the contamination.

Now Raleigh-Durham television station WRAL is reporting that Fisher Rex is closing, laying off 40 workers.  

Listeriosis, the disease that comes with infection by Listeria, is particularly dangerous for pregnant women, the elderly, young children and people who have weakened immune systems, including some cancer patients. In a Listeria outbreak in Canada last year linked to deli meat made in Toronto, 22 people died.

Pregnant women are more likely to contract Listeriosis and it can cause miscarriage or stillbirth.

Public health officials are warning people in the Raleigh Durham area to look for Listeria symptoms, which may include flu-like fever and muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Other symptoms may include stiff neck, headache, loss of balance, confusion or convulsions.

Contact a physician if you or someone close to you is sick with these symptoms after eating a Fisher Rex sandwich. To protect your legal rights, contact a Listeria lawyer at national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. We are one of the few firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and have collected millions for victims of food poisoning.

For a free case consultation, contact us at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free), or complete our online contact and information form . Foodborne illness is preventable and Pritzker Olsen has been a consistent voice for extensive reform of the U.S. food safety system, including more inspections of commercial food plants.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on October 15, 2009 (boomark / email).