Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Listeria,Our Blog,Outbreaks & Recalls on April 16, 2026
Ocean Group, Inc. also known as Ocean Fresh, Inc. has been issued a serious U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notice. An FDA Warning Letter. This action is reserved for major issues uncovered in facility inspections and requires a prompt resolution or corrective action plan response. Otherwise, the agency can implement enforcement activities up to or including product seizure, involuntary recall, and closure.
Why was Ocean Group issued this FDA Warning Letter and what does it mean for seafood lovers?
Here’s what we know so far!
According to the public document, the FDA Warning Letter issued to Ocean Group, Inc. CEO “Mr. Kim” is in response to inspections where “FDA investigators found significant violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 123 (21 CFR Part 123).”
Additionally, environmental swabs in the Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Dallas, Texas facilities tested positive for the human pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes.
Based on the inspections and analytical results for samples collected at the facilities, the FDA “determined that the ready-to-eat (RTE) salmon and tuna processed in these three facilities are adulterated,” in that they were “prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth or rendered injurious to health.”
As for the raw fish or fishery products, absence of a compliant HACCP for those products renders them adulterated as well.
A long-term persistence of Listeria monocytogenes at three Ocean Group facilities indicates inadequate sanitation procedures and pathogen control measures. Even worse, the same strain being found in multiple Ocean Group facilities indicates an even bigger problem.
These same strains (genetically similar) of Listeria monocytogenes have been found in sick patient samples as early as 2017 and in food samples as early as 2008.
Germs are everywhere. So why is Listeria in drains and on cutting boards such a big deal? When it comes to Listeria, there are some serious potential consequences.
Listeria monocytogenes is the bacteria responsible for listeriosis. This serious infection is often associated with contaminated food.
The CDC estimates that around 1,600 people become sick with listeriosis each year. About 260 of those die from the illness.
Listeria bacteria pose additional concern due to their complicated range of symptoms. It affects people who are pregnant differently than those who are not. Each with their own significant complications.
Since Listeria infections generally cause intestinal illness, let’s start there.
One of the most common symptom profiles of Listeria illness involves intestinal illness. Intestinal illness occurs when the bacteria affect the digestive system.
Common symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea beginning within 24 hours of consuming something contaminated with Listeria bacteria. These symptoms are often resolved within three days.
Most people with intestinal Listeria illness do not require medical intervention or antibiotic treatment. Plenty of rest, fluids, and treating the symptoms is your best bet.
Intestinal Listeria illness can evolve to a more invasive illness. This is where things diverge in pregnant and non-pregnant people.
Listeria bacteria cause invasive illness when they leave the digestive system and enter other parts of the body. Invasive listeriosis affects pregnant people and non-pregnant people in different ways. For both categories, invasive illness symptoms usually begin about two weeks after exposure.
While personal symptoms of invasive listeriosis are milder in pregnant people, the impact on the pregnancy poses potentially serious consequences. Someone who is pregnant and experiencing invasive listeriosis may have fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, listeriosis during pregnancy can lead to still birth, premature delivery, miscarriage, or life-threatening infection in the newborn.
Those who are not pregnant have a higher risk of serious illness or death. Invasive listeriosis in non-pregnant people often includes headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Some may also experience fever and/or muscle aches. This infection can be serious or even life-threatening. 1 in 20 nonpregnant people with invasive listeriosis will die from their illness.
Persistent Listeria found across multiple facilities in many patient samples across nearly a two decades is a really big deal. It is no surprise that the FDA has escalated this to a Warning Letter after these samples came to light in 2025.
But Listeria is not the only concern. Multiple deficiencies in each facility’s Seafood HACCP are also on the table.
Deficiencies were identified in all facilities.
Some of the big ones include:
Among others.
Ocean Group, LLC distributes seafood from their four facilities across the United States. Both fresh and frozen products make their way into restaurant and food service facilities and into the refrigerators, freezers, and ultimately tables at home kitchens.
Insanitary processing, poor prevention practices, and links to previous foodborne illness are concerning.
So, what can you, as a consumer, do to protect yourself?
Pay attention to product recalls. Foodsafety.gov is a great resource for up to date food recalls. Never eat recalled food. Even if it looks or smells normal. If you have consumed recalled food, it is a good idea to package up the product in case it is needed for traceback investigation purposes and monitor for symptoms. If you begin experiencing symptoms, reach out to your health care provider or report your illness to your local health department right away.
Never consume raw or undercooked seafood. All seafood can potentially carry germs that cause human illness. Follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart to ensure food is cooked to a hot enough temperature to kill harmful germs. Fish should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature (measured with an instant read food thermometer at the thickest part) of 145 °F.
If you believe you have become sick from eating potentially contaminated seafood, it is a good idea to get advice from an experienced food poisoning lawyer. A food poisoning lawyer can help answer your questions, help you get resources, and represent you as needed.
If you have fallen sick with a Listeria infection from Ocean Group, Inc seafood products or other contaminated food, you may be eligible for legal compensation.
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has helped many families with cases just like yours help hold accountable those responsible for foodborne illnesses. When a company becomes negligent, people become sick.
Call (833) 330-3663 or submit your information on the online submission form for a free consultation.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)