On June 22, the American consumer products group Sara Lee pleaded guilty in federal court for selling hot dogs and meats in 1998 that were contaminated with bacteria that led to 15 deaths, reports the Financial Times. Sara Lee will pay the maximum fine of US$200,000 and donate US$3m for food safety research at Michigan State University. In addition, it agreed to settle a related civil suit with the US government for about US$1.2m, regarding similar meat sold to the Department of Defence. The Center for Disease Control linked the meats from Sara Lee to illnesses caused by the bacterium listeria: 15 deaths, six miscarriages and at least 100 illnesses nationwide from listeriosis, which mostly affects the elderly, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems. Sara Lee recalled 15m pounds of meat starting in December 1998 because of the outbreak. Prosecutors said that investigations showed no evidence that Sara Lee had "knowingly" sold bad meat to the public, attempted to cover up evidence and that its recall response was timely. Source: Financial Times
