An Antrim County farmer, James Ruster, was sentenced last week for a felony violation of Michigan’s Food Law. It’s the first-ever felony conviction under this law.
The owner of Mitchell Hill Farm pled guilty to willful misbranding and adulteration of food products. He was sentenced to 14 months to four years in prison for producing and selling apple cider that caused an E. coli outbreak.
Jennifer Holton, director of communications for the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, says safety is the priority.
“He showed a blatant neglect not only for the safety of his products but for the overall health of his customers. We are pleased with the outcome,” she says.
In 2012, four people were sent to the hospital, including two children, and are anticipated to have life-long after-effects from the bacterium.
Ruster began serving his sentence immediately after his court appearance. An injunction prohibits him from producing cider.
Holton says the case highlights the need for food producers to follow good practices.
“It certainly is tragic that so many people were impacted by this,” Holton says, “And it really is also unfortunate that it takes a case like this to point out the potential for harm from producing food items in an unsafe manner.”
Mitchell Hill Farm was previously licensed as a maple syrup producer but was not approved to produce apple cider. There have not been any foodborne illnesses associated with cider producers who are licensed.