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

Update: Since this post was first written, the number of confirmed cases of E. coli O157 reported in this outbreak has risen from 3 to 5..

Five confirmed cases of E. coli O157  and 4 probable cases have been linked to ground beef processed and distributed by McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC., a North Branch, Michigan, company.  Those sickened live in the following Michigan counties: Lapeer County, Genesee County, Isabella County, and Sanilac County.

Six of the people sickened were hospitalized. E. coli can cause severe dehydration, colitis, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and other serious medical problems. We have had clients who were hospitalized for months.

Illness onset dates range from July 18-30. Those affected range in age from 15-88.

Michigan health officials informed the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the outbreak on August 4. Epidemiological evidence quickly pointed to McNees ground beef as the source.

In response to this outbreak, McNees Meats recalled approximately 360 pounds of ground beef product products.

The products subject to recall include:

• 36 - 10 lb. Bags of “McNees Ground Beef Bulk.”

Each clear plastic bag bears establish number “EST. 33971” within the USDA mark of inspection. The products subject to recall were produced on July 15, and July 21, 2011, and sold to restaurants in Armada, Lapeer and North Branch, Mich. The products were also sold from a retail establishment owned by McNees Meats and Wholesale, LLC.

Our E. coli food poisoning attorneys are available for a free consultation regarding a lawsuit against McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC.

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 In 1994, the USDA declared E. coli O157:H7 an adulterant in raw hamburger and the sale of raw ground beef known to contain this pathogen was prohibited.

To this day various studies have shown that eating undercooked hamburgers is a major risk factor for sporadic E. coli infections and outbreaks of the disease.

At home, the best way to protect against hamburger E. coli infection is to cook the burgers until a digital read-out thermometer shows they have reached 160 degrees at their core.

When you can't use a thermometer or you are eating out, studies have show that you can still decrease your risk of hamburger E. coli  by ensuring that the inside of the hamburger is not pink. Because ground beef sometimes turns brown prematurely, hamburger that is not pink on the inside may still not be adequately cooked.

Going from research, if you are eating a hamburger outside your home, you reduce your chance of getting hamburger E. coli poisoning if the meal is from a fast food restaurant chain where cooking temperature often is automated.

E. coli O157:H7 is a pathogen that colonizes in the intestines of cattle without harming them. At slaughter, the bacteria can contaminate muscle meat, sometimes from a nicked intestine or during the removal of the animal's hide, which can be smeared with feces.

O157:H7 is a strain of E. coli that produces large quantities of a potent toxin that forms in humans and causes severe damage to the lining of the intestine. The disease produced by the bacteria is called Hemorrhagic Colitis and it can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in young children.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 70,000 Americans each year are infected with E. coli O157:H7, many of whom are hospitalized. HUS or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) develop in five to 15 percent of cases. A person of any age can develop these complications, but children are most susceptible to HUS.

Besides kidney failure, HUS can lead to clotting, heart problems, central nervous system interruption, coma, stroke, brain damage and paralysis.

If you or a loved one has experienced an E. coli infection or HUS-TTP, you may be part of an outbreak that is being tracked by public health officials.

For answers to legal questions about compensation for illness, call food poisoning law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

A hamburger E. coli lawyer at our firm can provide you with a free case consultation and guide you through the legal system if we accept your case. We currently represent HUS victims of ground beef E. coli outbreaks and are involved in practically every major outbreak of foodbone illness.

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Health officials have named the two Cleveland area restaurants that were investigated as part of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak , that hospitalized two people, sickened a third and may be linked to the death of a 7-year-old Cleveland girl.

Matt Carroll, director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health, told the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper that the two eateries investigated by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service were the VFW Hall in North Olmsted and Deekers Side Tracks, a sports bar and dance club in Mentor.

The newspaper said health officials removed beef burgers from the two establishments, prompting Thursday's recall of 48 tons of frozen hamburger patties and refrigerated ground beef by Valley Meats LLC of Coal Valley, Ill.

The company has said its products were sold to restaurants and other foodservice accounts, not retail stores. The recalled meat, produced March 10, was sold to distributors in 11 states. The E. coli exposures happened in April. All of the hamburger meat recalled was sold in 10-pound, 20-pound and 40-pound packages stamped with USDA Establishment Number 5712.

Test results are expected next week to determine if the 7-year-old girl who died Sunday of an E. coli O157:H7 was sickened by the same strain of the micro-organism as the three others who were made ill. The two who were hospitalized have recovered from their original symptoms.

The little girl who died was a student at Westpark Comunity Elementary School in Cleveland. School Principal Macey Baldizzi said in a statement Friday, "I want to thank all our Westpark Community Elementary families for supporting the school and being so very respectful of our one family during their time of loss. The family deserves privacy, and they deserve the time to grieve."

National food poisoning law firmPritzker Olsen Attorney issued a pair of press releases Friday calling for Congress to act on a proposed food safety bill that would improve meat inspection and strengthen regulations to help keep deadly pathogens out of the U.S. food supply. The firm also called on Valley Meats LLC and any restaurants involved in the outbreak to pay medical bills, lost wages and other expenses for families who have suffered.

Pritzker Olsen has years of experience representing E. coli victims and their families. The firm has recovered millions of dollars for its food poisoning clients and is dedicated to educating the public about food safety issues. For more information, call the firm to speak to an E. coli lawyer at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation. 

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