When it comes to the production of meat, the things industry can’t see are the things industry fears the most. Lurking somewhere in the darkest corner of a hotbox, on a carcass in the silent throes of a sales cooler, or in a case-ready package of beef patties being staged for delivery, there are a few colonies of pathogenic bacteria waiting patiently for their chance to wreak havoc in our business and lives.
For more than a decade, our firm has worked closely helping the meat industry with crisis management, regulatory response and complex litigation following large-scale outbreaks and recalls. The unfortunate reality from a business perspective is that, in a disturbing number of instances, when outbreaks and recalls occur, the companies that are involved cease to exist.