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

Raw milk products produced by Organic Pastures of Fresno County, California are the subject of a recall and quarantine order announced by California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Whiteford.

Under the recall, all Organic Pastures raw dairy products with the exception of cheese aged a minimum of 60 days are to be pulled immediately from retail shelves and consumers are strongly urged to dispose of any products remaining in their refrigerators. Until further notice, Organic Pastures may not produce raw milk products for the retail market. The order also affects Organic Pastures raw butter, raw cream, raw colostrum, and a raw product labeled “Qephor.”

The quarantine order came following a notification from the California Department of Public Health of a cluster of five children who were infected, from August through October, with the same strain of E. coli O157:H7. These children are residents of Contra Costa, Kings, Sacramento, and San Diego counties. Interviews with the families indicate that the only common reported food exposure is unpasteurized (raw) milk from Organic Pastures dairy. Three of the five children were hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that may lead to kidney failure. There have been no deaths.

Evidence Implicating Organic Pastures

While laboratory samples of Organic Pastures raw milk have not detected E. coli 0157:H7 contamination, epidemiologic data collected by the California Department of Public Health link the illnesses with Organic Pastures raw milk. Surveys indicate that only about three percent of the public report drinking raw milk in any given week so finding 100% of these children drank raw milk and the absence of other common foods or animal exposures indicates the Organic Pastures raw milk is the likely source of their infection.This is epidemiological evidence that can be used in a lawsuit against Organic Pastures to recover medical expenses, lost income and compensation for pain and suffering.

Contact Attorney Fred Pritzker and his E. coli litigation team for a free consultation.

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A Central Texas E. coli outbreak may have been caused by food served at Jason’s Deli in Killeen, Texas. Epidemiological evidence points to guacamole used as spread for the "California Club" sandwich at the deli as the most likely source of the outbreak, according to News Channel 25.

Channel 25 reports that investigators “concluded that the guacamole was likely contaminated on-site, possibly by an object or employee during the food preparation stage.” If a restaurant food handler has E. coli, the bacteria can be transmitted to others if food is contaminated with the food handler’s feces (poop). Two simple measures can prevent this: 1) adequate hand washing and 2) sending home food handlers who are sick with gastrointestinal illness involving vomiting or diarrhea.

Here are the basics of the outbreak as reported by Channel 25:

A report of five confirmed cases of E. coli stemming from an undisclosed Killeen restaurant left many Central Texans demanding to know exactly where the contamination came from.

The cases date back to April 2011, when at least 11 people became sick after eating at a local restaurant.  Doctors confirmed five of them had a strain of the bacteria Escherichia coli (O157:H7) that has been known to result in hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially fatal complication that can lead to kidney failure. Two were hospitalized.

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Minnesota agriculture officials this week confiscated about 400 gallons of raw milk that a Gibbon farmer delivered to a house in a suburb of Minneapolis where customers were waiting to pick up their orders, according to search warrant documents obtained by Minnesota Public Radio. No charges were filed, but the action appears to be part of an ongoing state investigation that began this summer with an outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 that public health investigators linked to the Hartmann farm in Gibbon. The farm has been under state orders to stop selling raw, unpasteurized milk.

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Bonnie and Anthony Wilson of Vancouver, Washington, have bravely shared the story of their 4-year-old son's E. coli death in the hopes of sparing anyone else the same tragedy.

Ronan Allen "Ro-Ro" Wilson was an exhuberant, healthy boy who had overcome serious health challenges in his first few years of life only to fall victim to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 at a family daycare. Ronan and others  were sickened before the faciility was shut down. In all, 13 people became infected.

Clark County Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick  told the Portland Oregonian newspaper that he is certain the outbreak spread inside the daycare from fecal-oral transmission during person to person contact.

He said he and his team made the right  decisions while investigating the outbreak, but he expects to have more discussions with colleagues about whether the state of Washington should retool protocols to be more aggressive in responding to E. coli outbreaks. Ronan's death occurred a mere 10 days after his mother first took him to see a pediatrician on March 29.

According to the story written by reporter Katy Muldoon, here is the sequence of events:

• Despite Mrs. Wilson telling the doctor that a child at Ronan's daycare had been hospitalized with an infection of E. coli O157:H7, the physician said Ronan's symptoms didn't fit that diagnosis and sent him home. 
• At home, the boy's condition appeared to improve the next day, but by evening he felt sick again. When his health worsened on April 1, he went to the clinic and then to the hospital, where he became violently ill. His diarrhea and vomit turned bloody and his stomach became distended.
• Ronan's infection spread fast. By April 4, the infection had moved beyond his colon and kidneys to his brain, damaging his thalmus and causing swelling. Ronan was rendered unconscious and he was breathing with a respirator. The brain infection worsened.
• On the evening of April 8, Ronan died. Friends and family -- including 7-year-old brother Gavin -- had been able to say their good-byes.

One week after Ronan's funeral, the Wilsons told their story:

"They want others to know the loving, curious, ambitious child they lost and to learn from their experience. They don't want another family to ever endure what they did.''

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 A Colorado prison with approximately 500 inmates is responding to an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 13 inmates, three of whom have had their illnesses confirmed through testing.

The Colorado Department of Corrections announced the Four Mile Prison E. coli outbreak in Canon City, saying the state health department is investigating. Kitchens at the prison have been inspected and checked off as sanitary.

Health investigators reportedly are still looking for the source of the outbreak. Meanwhile the Department of Corrections said it is "taking all precautions and working closely with CDPHE to restrict the spread of the bacteria." 

E. coli O157:H7 infections cause prolonged painful diarrhea that often turns bloody, severe abdominal cramps and fever. In 5 to 15 percent of cases, patients develop a life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremia or an associated disease known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).

Besides commonly shutting down a person's kidneys, these illness can have other serious effects including brain injury, heart problems, stroke, convulsions, coma, paralysis and other nervous system disorders.

For answers to legal questions about compensation for E. coli O157:H7 outbreak injuries, call national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning.

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Public health officials in Washtenaw County, Michigan, around Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, are actively investigating an outbreak of food poisoning thought to be caused by E. coli.

The Michigan E. coli outbreak currently includes 10 cases, but other probable cases also are under investigation. The announcement comes from Dr. Diana Torres-Burgo, medical director for Washtenaw County Public Health.

Dr. Torres-Burgo said investigators are doing everything they can to find the source of the Washtenaw County outbreak. Victims have experience abdominal cramping followed by diarrhea that progressively worsens and often turns bloody. Ill persons have not experience fever, she said.

Anyone with similar symptoms should seek medical attention immediately and ask to be tested for E. coli poisoning. For answers to legal questions about the Michigan outbreak, call national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

A lawyer with years of experience representing E. coli O157:H7 victims will provide you with a free case consultation and encourage you to report your illness to the county if you haven't done so already. Public reporting is important to help prevent more people from getting sick.

E. coli O157:H7 infection is especially dangerous for young children, older adults and people who have weakened immune systems. In five to 15 percent of cases, patients develop hemolytic uremic syndrome or an associated illness known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). These conditions are life-threatening and often leave victims with long-term medical conditions that can be disabling.

Michigan authorities in Washtenaw County are still searching for the source of this outbreak. While contaminated ground beef is the leading cause of E. coli outbreaks, many other foods or water also are capable of carrying the pathogen.

Pritzker Olsen is starting to collect information for its own investigation of the outbreak around Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. If you have information about the possible cause of these illnesses, please contact us.

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USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has developed a new test for E. coli O157:H7 and the powerful toxin that the pathogen emits -- a breakthrough for health inspectors and the food industry that could be commercialized within a few years.

The test engineered by an ARS research unit in Albany, New York, has a two-in-one component that will replace the need currently for separate tests on the E. coli O157:H7 organism and the Shiga-toxin it produces. The bug and the toxin can be found in food separately.

According to a recent New York Times account of the testing advance, the new instrument will greatly speed results. Instead of the current standard of waiting one week, results would be delivered in less than 24 hours.

Contaminated ground beef is the leading cause of E. coli outbreaks, but J. Mark Carter, leader of the ARS research group, told the Times that the new test could have applications on lettuce and other vegetables.

More work is required on the development, hence the wait for market delivery.

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Huntington Meat Packing Inc. of Montebello, California, is under criminal investigation and the probe has led to the recall of 4.9 million pounds of beef and veal products made over the past year.

Less than a month ago, an E. coli O157:H7 beef problem at Huntington prompted the recall of 864,000 pounds of patties and bulk ground beef products. No illnesses have been directly linked to the company's recalled meat, but this second recall is for operating under insanitary conditions.

A USDA press release says the violation and recall stem from a criminal investigation of the California meat packer by the Office of Inspector General with assistance from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Details of  the criminal probe were not disclosed.

"The products are adulterated because the company made the products under insanitary conditions failing to take the steps it had determined were necessary to produce safe products,'' the press release said.

Each packing plant or processor is required to have a HAACP plan that describes the process controls needed to prevent food safety hazards and create a safe and wholesome product. "The investigation has uncovered evidence to show that the food safety records of the establishment cannot be relied upon to document compliance with the requirements,'' the press release.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen, which represents consumers in food poisoning claims, is monitoring the investigation of Huntington Meat Packing. For answers to legal questions about victims' rights in foodborne illness cases, call us at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our contact form on the side of this Web page.

The recalled beef and veal products from Huntington were produced from January 22, 2009, to January 4, 2010 and were sold to distribution centers, hotels and restaurants in California. Here is the list of products subject to recall. They all are marked with USDA establishment number EST 17967. 

• 10 lb. boxes of "IMPERIAL MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF PATTY"
• 10 lb. boxes of "El Rancho MEAT & PROVISION ALL BEEF PATTIES"
• 20 lb. boxes of "IMPERIAL MEAT CO. GROUND BEEF PATTY"
• 50 lb. boxes of "HUNTINGTON MEATS GROUND BEEF"
• 50 lb. boxes of " HUNTINGTON MEAT PKG. INC. BEEF GROUND FOR FURTHER PROCESSING"
• 50 lb. boxes of "BEEF BURRITO FILLING MIX"
• 50 lb. boxes of "HUNTINGTON MEAT PKG. INC. DICED BEEF"
• 50 lb. boxes of "HUNTINGTON MEAT PKG. INC. SLICED BEEF"
• 10 lb. boxes of "Huntington Meat VEAL PATTY"
• 10 lb. boxes of "Imperial Meat VEAL PATTY"
• 10 lb. boxes of "El Rancho VEAL PATTY"
• 20 lb. boxes of "Huntington Meat VEAL PATTY"
• 20 lb. boxes of "Imperial Meat VEAL PATTY"
• 20 lb. boxes of "El Rancho VEAL PATTY"

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The regional newspaper The Province reports this week on NASA technology that is being adapted to monitor refrigerator temperatures in key venues, including villages that will house athletes. Two years ago at the Beijing Olympic Games, several members of the U.S. Olympic team were sickened by food-borne illness in China just days before they were due to compete.

"The system will certainly detect common bad practices, such as walk-in refrigerator doors that are blocked open to receive large food deliveries. But it will also root out problems that are harder to detect such as bad seals, failing compressors and faulty thermometers,'' The Province reported.

• VCH will employ 75 field officers equipped with WiFi electronic tablets during the Games to provide 18-hour-a-day testing of food service facilities.
• Two intensive sweeps are planned, one for the week prior to the Games opening and another partway through.
• Stepped up enforcement for non-Games restaurants have been underway for seven months.

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The Oklahoma Department of Health will do more testing to determine the type of E. coli bacteria found in water wells around Locust Grove, the location of an E. coli 0111 outbreak last year that killed a man and sickened 313 others.

Health officials have known since the outbreak occurred in August 2008 that the E. coli was spread by Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, but no one has ever pinpointed the cause. The issue arose again in mid-February when Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson issued a report saying that chicken manure spread in area fields was the possible source of the problem.

In conjunction with the report, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality tested water wells within a five-mile radius of the restaurant. The results showed 17 of 59 water wells contained  E. coli.

Leslea Bennett-Webb, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, that Health Department officials will conduct additional tests in an effort to find the cause of the E. coli contamination. At this point, the state doesn't even know what type of E. coli was found in the wells. Bennett-Webb said "we're going to be looking for 0111."

The region around Locust Grove is known for poultry production, but industry officials have repeatedly said there is no link between the spreading of chicken litter on area pastures and the presence of E. coli in well water supplies.

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