3 Indicted after Food Infested with Rats

June 18, 2003
By Debbie Howlett, USA TODAY

CHICAGO — Three top executives of a cold-storage company have been indicted for allegedly hiding problems that led the federal government to seize 22 million pounds of rat-infested meat and other food.

The impoundment of contaminated food was the largest ever, authorities said Wednesday. It involves one of the nation's largest meat distributors.

The meat, poultry, butter, cheese and nuts were impounded a year ago at a LaGrou Cold Storage warehouse in Chicago. The food was being stored by more than 100 wholesalers and was meant for sale to restaurants and food retailers throughout the Midwest and the nation.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said the wholesalers were not to blame and were "victims in this." He didn't identify them or say where the food would have been distributed.

Officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration said the rat infestation posed no immediate health risk to consumers. The warehouse has been shut down since a USDA inspection last year.

"We have no reports of anybody taking ill," Fitzgerald said.

The rat infestation at the warehouse was so severe, according to Tuesday's indictment by a federal grand jury, that the three executives met weekly to deal with the problem. They sent employees on regular "rat patrols" to remove rodent droppings and carcasses, according to the indictment. Some of the bills of lading were marked "MM" — for Mickey Mouse — to denote rat-contaminated products.

"It's not carelessness," Fitzgerald said. "It's about greed."

Charged are company president Jack Stewart, sales director Michael Faucher and former warehouse manager David Smith. Each faces four felony counts and could get up to 14 years in prison if convicted. Smith is cooperating with authorities, Fitzgerald said.

Steve Schuldt, chief financial officer for the company's parent, LaGrou Distribution System, declined to comment except to say, "We don't agree with their findings."

Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the government has some responsibility for not catching the problem sooner with more frequent inspections.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-06-18-meat-usat_x.htm