Date: 10/29/2010
Contact: Thomas J. Bondurant, Jr. - Partner
Phone: 540.983.9389
E-mail: tom_bondurant@gentrylocke.com
Food Safety News interviewed Virginia attorney Tom Bondurant in an article entitled "Food Industry May Face More Criminal Charges" on October 29,1010.
Bondurant, a Federal Prosecutor for 30 years in the Western District of Virginia before joining Gentry Locke, was interviewed following a presentation he made before an audience of food safety experts at the American Conference Institute's 4th National Forum on Foodborne Illness Litigation in Chicago on October 28, 2010.
Following is are exerpts from the article, found online here or at the Related Outside Link below:
According to a leading criminal defense attorney, the food industry may be about to face a substantial increase in criminal investigations related to food recalls and outbreaks.
"There's a tremendous pressure on the FDA to increase the criminal prosecutions of foodborne illness cases. In fact, the office of criminal investigation at FDA has increased by 73 percent in the last couple of years," said Thomas J. Bondurant Jr.
"The explosion of food recalls is the perfect climate for the explosion of criminal prosecutions," added Bondurant. "In 2006, there were about 200 recalls. In 2008, there were about 305. In 2009, there were 500, and as of September 1st of this year there were 684 food recalls."