Lettuce reminds us of ... Blue Bell?

For years, there were signs that the bacteria could be a problem. Listeria was on surfaces in the plant. The company kept producing, and people got sick. Now there’s a criminal investigation.

You’d be forgiven for thinking we’re back on the Blue Bell beat. But we’re talking about a plant that bags fresh salad, and it’s 1,000 miles away.

Food safety lawyer Bill Marler just posted FDA documents, r eceived through a Freedom of Information Act request, detailing problems at Dole Fresh Vegetables in Springfield, Ohio.

The similarities are uncanny.

As far back as 2013, Blue Bell was finding bacteria of the genus Listeria in places like floors, catwalks and cleaning tubs. That discovery was a good indicator that listeria monocytogenes, or LM, the species that makes people sick, could be present. Blue Bell had positive listeria findings from at least 11 swabs of plant surfaces between March 2013 and November 2014.

Each time, it vigorously cleaned the area, and moved on without testing the equipment that touches the ice cream. At the same time, Blue Bell had prob- lems with the layout of its plants, with condensation dripping all over the place. After federal officials linked an illness outbreak to Blue Bell in 2015, they tested the company’s food processing equipment and found LM.

At Dole, the company found listeria species in nine swabs from non-foodprocessing surfaces from March 2014 to January 2015. A plant quality-assurance manager told the FDA that Dole doesn’t test for listeria on food-contact surfaces.

At the same time, Dole had problems with food residues stuck on equipment, and holes in floors and doors that could allow pests to enter. After an outbreak linked illnesses to Dole in January, the FDA found LM on equipment throughout a salad processing line but, notably, not on the raw materials coming into the plant.

Criminal investigators are looking at both companies, because selling tainted food is a misdemeanor, regardless of intent. In the worst cases, where managers knew they were selling bad food, they’ve gotten prison time.

Dole said Friday that the problems were addressed.