Food Poisoning Law Blog : Food Poisoning Lawyer & Attorney : PritzkerLaw : Food Safety, Outbreaks & Recalls

In 2008, large-scale corporate farms and centralized production facilities continued to play a major role in America's E. coli problem.

But by far the largest E. coli outbreak of the year was centered at a lone family restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma.

The Country Cottage Restaurant outbreak started August. 15. By the time it was over, 341 people were sickened with E. coli O111 infections, 72 persons were hospitalized and one 26-year-old man, a gospel singer, was dead.

Fred Pritzker, a Minneapolis lawyer whose law firm is nationally recognized in the area of foodborne illness litigation, said that when taken all together, 2008 was a year in which America's deadly E. coli threat showed no signs of slowing down from a dangerous pace set in 2007.

Pritzker said the variety and number of serious outbreaks was due in large part to a failure of regulation. He also said it's easy to gloss over the problem if you don't see the individual suffering inflicted during and long after outbreaks.

"The agony and the suffering of these individuals is dramatic and significant,'' he said.

With hope for greater food safety in 2009, here's a listing by Pritzker Law of five major E. coli outbreaks in 2008: 

• Country Cottage Restaurant. The outbreak was linked in August to contamination by E. coli O111. A total of 341 outbreak-related cases were reported, 56 cases were in children, 72 persons were hospitalized and one died. The restaurant was shut down and reopened in late November under an agreement with health officials. While no single food item was found to be the source, officials believe several different foods became contaminated with the bacteria.
• Nebraska Beef Ltd. In late June, the Omaha company recalled 5.3 million pounds of trimmings for ground beef. Health officials linked the product to 49 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in seven states. About a month later, the same slaughterhouse recalled another 1.2 million pounds of meat linked to 31 confirmed E. coli O157:H7 cases in 12 states. Much of the recalled meat was supplied through the Kroger grocery chain, but the tainted beef also turned up elsewhere. At the Barbecue Pit in Moultrie, Georgia, there were at least eight confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7. In four of those illnesses, victims suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication that can lead to kidney failure.
• Goshen Boy Scout Reservation. Health officials this summer confirmed 25 cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection among attendees at a Boy Scout camp in Goshen, Virginia. The cases were matched through molecular fingerprinting and linked to frozen ground beef from California-based S&S Foods. S&S recalled about 153,630 pounds of ground beef products.
• Aunt Mid's Iceberg Lettuce. Michigan officials confirmed that bagged iceberg lettuce was the common source of illness in a September-October outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections that included 38 cases in Michigan, nine in Illinois and three in Ontario. At least 21 of those who were sickened spent time in the hospital. The outbreak strain of E. coli was never found at Aunt Mid's processing plant and investigators could never say if the lettuce became contaminated at the plant or in California, where it was grown. Aunt Mid's lettuce was associated with E. coli infections at the Lenawee County Jail, two Illinois restaurants and Michigan State University.
• Vermont Ground Beef. In September,Vermont Livestock Slaughter and Processing Co. in Ferrisburg, Vermont, recalled 2,758 pounds of ground beef products that had been distributed to restaurants in the state. The recall was prompted by an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. At least 10 people were sickened, including one who was hospitalized. An investigation by state and federal health officials found that the recalled beef may have caused the illnesses.

Pritzker Law & Associates, P.A. is one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of E. coli poisoning and other foodborne illnesses. For more information, visit http://www.pritzkerlaw.com or contact Fred Pritzker at (612) 338-0202. Pritzker Law has offices at Plaza VII, Suite 2950, 45 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402  

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The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), with the aid of 3 CDC staff, interviewed an additional 310 people over the weekend who ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK, from August 15 through August 17.  Over 200 people who ate at the restaurant on these dates contracted E. coli 0111 infections.  One 26-year-old man, a gospel singer, died and several children developed hemolytic uremic syndrome and are on dialysis.

So far more than 1,300 persons who ate at the restaurant have been interviewed as part of the OSDH investigation. The OSDH is interviewing both those who became sick as well as those who did not after eating at the Country Cottage in an attempt to identify the distinction between what might have been a popular food choice versus a valid association with food selection and illness.

The OSDH and the CDC are doing an epidemiological analysis of the interview data. In addition to studying the possible association of illness to specific food items, the OSDH has conducted environmental sampling of food preparation and serving surfaces at the restaurant, as well as some food sampling. Laboratory results are still pending on environmental and food samples.

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Many of the persons who were hospitalized as a result of the Oklahoma E. coli O111 outbreak have recovered and are being released from area hospitals. State health officials believe the total number of persons hospitalized at the peak of the outbreak exceeded 50; about 27 are currently hospitalized.

At least 206 persons have become sick as a result of the outbreak including 149 adults, 53 children, and four whose ages have not yet been confirmed. Cases range in age from 2 months to 88 years. One person has died.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) investigation is focused on the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK. Most of the people who became ill reported eating at the restaurant from Aug. 15 through Aug. 23. The 26-year-old man who died in this outbreak also reportedly ate at the Country Cottage before becoming ill. 

Health officials have not found the source of the outbreak.  As OSDH officials continue their investigation of this outbreak, they are sampling and testing food preparation and serving surfaces in the Country Cottage restaurant for any E. coli 0111 contamination. They are also still interviewing people who may have eaten at the restaurant from Aug. 15 through Aug. 23.

OSDH did not find E. coli in the restaurant's well water, which means the source of the outbreak was most likely a food item.

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The Oklahoma State Department of Health has issued an update regarding the E. coli outbreak that has been linked to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma. According to the update:

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has narrowed the focus of its investigation into a severe diarrheal outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK. The OSDH is trying to determine how food served at the restaurant might have become contaminated. The restaurant continues to remain closed while the outbreak investigation continues.

Yesterday the OSDH confirmed that this is an Oklahoma E. coli outbreak. One man has died, four children have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (three of them are on dialysis and fighting to recover), at least 50 people have been hospitalized and at least 23 others have been sickened but not hospitalized.

The OSDH is trying to determine how food served at the restaurant might have become contaminated.  Contact our law firm regarding restaurant liability: 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or email attorney Fred Pritzker, managing partner for our E. coli litigation practice.

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The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) published a press release today regarding the outbreak of diarrheal illness that has been associated with the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK.  The following is the press release: 

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is investigating an outbreak of severe diarrheal illness among residents of several northeastern Oklahoma communities. At least 14 cases have been hospitalized and 20 or more potential cases are under investigation. One person has died.

Disease investigators from the OSDH, Tulsa Health Department, and several northeastern Oklahoma county health departments are looking at all likely sources, including restaurants and specific food sources. Early investigation indicates a large number of persons who became ill ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK. The restaurant is working closely with the OSDH to assist in the investigation. No source has been identified.

State public health laboratory officials are conducting confirmatory testing of specimens to try to determine the diagnosis.

Persons who have become ill are from a number of communities including Bixby, Pryor, Sand Springs, Locust Grove, Broken Arrow, Peggs, Tulsa, and McAlester.

Signs and symptoms of these cases include diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and severe abdominal cramping. Fever is generally mild to absent. Persons who believe they have symptoms of this illness should contact their health care provider immediately.

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