Opinion ID: 381814
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Flour: Manufacturing And Delivery To Mobile

Text: 13 Seven flour mills scattered throughout the Midwest manufactured the flour involved in this case. 8 Because of a strike at ADM's largest mill, four of the seven were independent mills subcontracted by ADM to provide large portions of the flour. 9 The remaining three mills were of course ADM owned and operated. 14 In each of the mills, a number of sieves having various degrees of fineness are part of the production process. The very last step in that process takes the flour through a rebolt sifter, which is usually clothed with a fabric sieve fine enough to remove even the microscopic eggs of flour beetles. Thereafter, the flour is packed for shipment. Sometimes there is little or no delay between manufacturing and packing the flour. At other times, however, the flour is stored in bins for a substantial period prior to packing. Sanitation programs, including inspection of the flour and plant fumigation, are also a part of the production process of each plant. During the relevant period, however, the record discloses that the programs and their implementation varied amongst the mills. For example, the three ADM mills tested the flour far more frequently than did three out of four of the independent mills. 15 Packing the flour in cotton bags does not ensure freedom from external insect contamination. Adult flour beetles are capable of entering a cotton bag through the seams, and if present in large numbers are likely to do so. In addition, flour beetle larvae which happen to hatch near the surface of a cotton bag can work their way through the weave. If this occurs, the larvae will eventually mature into adult beetles, which may produce more eggs and internally infest the bags of flour. Of course, flour beetles can also get out of bags which they have infested, crawl or fly to other bags, and infest those. Consequently, the mills took a number of precautions against insect infestation even after the flour was packed and during its shipment by railcar to Mobile. The railcars, for example, were generally inspected, cleaned, fumigated, and lined with paper. 16 The flour involved in this case was shipped from the mills to Mobile by railcar during a period from early August to early October 1974. As the flour reached Mobile, it was taken from the railcars, put on pallets, and stored in waterfront warehouses operated by the Alabama State Docks Department. Checkers from the State Docks and from Stevenson's local agent, Page & Jones, Inc., observed the external appearance of the flour as it was unloaded. The State Docks then issued receipts noting the flour's apparent condition, which were signed by Page & Jones checkers. Except for some wet, torn, and damaged bags, no insect contamination was noticed outside of the bags during unloading. However no internal inspection or sampling was made at this point for the presence of infestation . . . . 449 F.Supp. at 92.