Richard J. Arsenault of Neblett, Beard & Arsenault in Alexandria, Louisiana, says the latest cases of food poisoning undermine public confidence in our nation's food supply.

Alexandria, La. (PRWEB) May 10, 2010 -- As another outbreak of E. coli spreads across the nation, prompting a multistate recall of lettuce products, a nationally known law firm involved in food safety litigation has called for stricter enforcement of food processing rules and regulations.

“E. coli in any food product is unacceptable, and once again we're seeing an outbreak in a popular and widely distributed food item," said food safety lawyer Richard J. Arsenault, founding partner at Neblett, Beard & Arsenault in Alexandria, Louisiana.

“This type of recall undermines the public’s confidence in our food supply," Arsenault said. "It’s imperative that the safety of our food become a top priority."

On May 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a multistate recall of shredded romaine lettuce sold by Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio. Tests run by the New York State Public Health Laboratory in Albany discovered the presence of the E. coli 0145 in a package of romaine lettuce.

The recalled romaine lettuce was sold to wholesalers, restaurants, delis and institutions under the brand names Freshway and Imperial Sysco in the following states: Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Consumers who purchased romaine lettuce from in-store salad bars and delis including those at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh stores in the states previously listed should throw the product away, according to a recall notice on the FDA site. Bulk, prepackaged romaine or bagged salad mixes containing romaine that were purchased in supermarkets are not included in the recall; Freshway Foods does not produce those products, according to the FDA.

So far, victims of the illnesses are mostly college students in Ohio, Michigan and New York, but the outbreak may expand as the recall spreads public awareness of the hazard. As of May 7, there are 19 individuals that have become ill from E. coli O145 with as many as 10 other illnesses the CDC suspects are linked. Many of the victims have been hospitalized and three of the victims have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life threatening complication. The food safety attorneys at the law offices of Neblett, Beard & Arsenault are currently investigating claims on behalf of E. coli victims who believe their illnesses are part of this multistate outbreak.

Fruits and vegetables, like romaine lettuce, can carry pathogens from the soil or water, or become contaminated during processing. Leafy greens are the produce most often associated with foodborne illness. It is not yet known how the lettuce may have become contaminated with E. coli 0145, but the FDA is investigating a lettuce farm in Yuma, Arizona.

A man who posed as the leader of a British offshoot of al Qaida and called for the deaths of Gordon Brown and Tony Blair has pleaded guilty to a string of terrorist offences.

Ishaq Kanmi, 23, of Blackburn, posted a message on a Jihadi website which declared the Prime Minister and his predecessor would be sought by "martyrdom seekers" if his demands were not met.

Pretending to be Umar Rabie - the head of "al Qaida in Britain" - he issued a two-month deadline in January 2008 calling for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, together with the release of all Muslim captives from Belmarsh Prison.

Kanmi was arrested at Manchester Airport as he waited to board a flight to Finland in August 2008. He had three electronic storage devices in his suitcase and was carrying a mobile phone which all contained terror-related information which he intended to distribute.

It can now be reported that Kanmi was travelling to Helsinki with Abbas Iqbal, 24, one of two brothers who filmed al Qaida-style propaganda in a park in broad daylight and dubbed themselves "The Blackburn Resistance". Iqbal, also from Blackburn, was sentenced to three years in jail at Manchester Crown Court two months ago.

A man imprisoned nearly 10 years for murder was freed after his alleged victim turned up alive, a case that raises concerns about police using torture to extract confessions.

The Higher People's Court in the central province of Henan pronounced Zhao Zuohai, 57, innocent, after the man he was accused of killing, Zhao Zhenshang, returned to their village April 30, the China Daily newspaper reported Monday.

An investigation was under way into the conviction, and Zhao Zuohai will receive about $45,000 in compensation for his wrongful imprisonment, the newspaper reported.

The incident raises concerns about police torture, which Zhao Zuohai's relatives say was used to force him to confess even though he was innocent. Torture is believed to be used widely by police and government officials who rely heavily on coerced confessions to prove criminal cases.

In 1997, Zhao Zhenshang, now 58, disappeared after having an argument with Zhao Zuohai, the report said, citing court documents. The two men are not related.

Zhao Zuohai was arrested in 1999 after a headless body believed to be Zhao Zhenshang was found, the China Daily said. After he went to prison, Zhao Zuohai's wife remarried and her new husband adopted his children.

Zhao Zuohai's relatives say he has scars after being tortured by police into confessing, the China Daily reported.

It takes an average of about 100 days from the time a U.S. Supreme Court justice announces his or her retirement until the Senate confirms a replacement, according to Senate Judiciary Committee.

President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan as successor to the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

While no nomination is guaranteed to be approved by the Senate, Kagan is seen as having a good chance for confirmation. Here is a look at what she faces in the drive to be sworn in.

* In coming days, Kagan will likely have courtesy visits with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. She will also visit with the 12 Democrats and seven Republicans on the Judiciary Committee who will hold the confirmation hearing.

* The 400,000-member American Bar Association, the world's largest voluntary professional association, will conduct its own review of the nominee. The ABA will deem Kagan "well qualified," "qualified" or "unqualified." While the rating will not ensure confirmation or rejection, it is certain to be a factor in Senate consideration.

* The Judiciary Committee will submit a questionnaire to Kagan. Questions will range from age, place of birth and education to net worth, copies of the nominee's public writings and speeches, potential conflicts of interest and if anyone at the White House asked how she might rule. In 2005, the panel complained that President George W. Bush's nominee Harriet Miers had inadequately filled out her questionnaire. She withdrew from consideration.

BUSINESS OPINION: Ireland generates just 1% of European GDP, but is home to three of the 20 biggest law firms, writes JOHN McMANUS

HERE IS a provocative question. Are Arthur Cox and the other big Dublin law firms some sort of homegrown version of Goldman Sachs? Do their activities resonate with those of the Wall Street giant which was so famously described by Rolling Stone Magazine’s Matt Taibbi as a “great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money?”

Well, the big firms certainly seem to share Goldman Sachs’ ability to be on both sides of a deal and not be overly troubled by conflicts of interest. Arthur Cox, it has to be remembered, felt able to advise the Minister for Finance last spring on how to restructure the banks while at the same time being the lawyers of Bank of Ireland and simultaneously working for the private-equity consortium that was engaging with the Government on investing in Bank of Ireland.

What they did was not illegal and something quite different to the allegations being made against Goldman Sachs by the US regulators, but the management of conflicts of interest is central to the criticism being levelled against both organisations.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday that journalists do not have a blanket right to shield confidential sources.

The court ruled 8-1 against the National Post and former reporter Andrew McIntosh, who sought to quash a search warrant issued almost a decade ago in a case dealing with a possibly forged document from a secret source linked to a political scandal.

In finding there is no broad protection for journalists to shield sources, the justices said claims of immunity can be argued on a case-by-case basis.

"The law should and does accept that in some situations the public interest in protecting the secret source from disclosure outweighs other competing public interests — including criminal investigations," Justice Ian Binnie wrote on the court's behalf.

"In those circumstances, the courts will recognize an immunity against disclosure of sources to whom confidentiality has been promised."

But Binnie wrote that in this situation, the needs of a police investigation trumped the right to keep sources confidential.

An attorney is charged with setting a fire at the Martinsburg law firm where she worked in September 2007 and then attempting to set another fire there in April 2008, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records.

Ashley R. Shreve, 28, of 2316 Longboat Court in Richmond, Va., was arrested Wednesday in Richmond by Henrico County (Va.) police, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Lt. B.F. Hall said Thursday.

Shreve is charged with one count each of second-degree arson, attempted arson and terrorist threats, according to warrants issued April 29 by Magistrate Sandra L. Miller, court records show.

Hall said Shreve waived extradition and is expected to be returned to Berkeley County to face the charges in the next few days.

The fire Sept. 20, 2007, at McNeer, Highland, McMunn & Varner L.C., at 275 Aikens Center, caused “thousands of dollars” in damage, possibly between $5,000 and $10,000, Hall said.

Shreve was a resident of Spring Mills in Berkeley County when she worked at the law firm, Hall said.

She no longer works there and moved to the Richmond area after the April 2008 attempted arson, according to police.

The fire was reported at 5:45 a.m. Shreve and another employee were the last two staff members to leave the office the evening before the fire, according to court records.

A box of legal documents in a legal assistant’s office were intentionally set on fire and a box of files that were found under Shreve’s desk also had fire damage, according to court records.