(AP) Colo. farmers arrested in fatal listeria outbreak
DENVER
The owners of a Colorado cantaloupe farm have been arrested on charges stemming from a listeria outbreak in 2011 that killed 33 people.
Federal prosecutors say brothers Eric and Ryan Jensen were arrested Thursday on charges of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.
The Jensens’ attorney didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
Prosecutors say the federal Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control determined the Jensens didn’t adequately clean the cantaloupe.
The FDA has said the melons likely were contaminated in Jensen Farms’ packing house. The agency concluded that dirty water on a floor, and old, hard-to-clean equipment probably were to blame.
A number of lawsuits were filed by people who were sickened or who had a family member die after the outbreak.
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