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

A Minnesota egg Salmonella outbreak has sickened at least six people and led to an investigation linking the illnesses to Larry Schultz Organic Farm, which supplies Byerly's, Lund's and Kowalski's grocery chains in the Twin Cities with natural organic shell eggs.

A joint press release from state agriculture and health officials said the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis was traced back to Larry Schultz Organic Farm of Owatonna, where environmental testing confirmed the presence of Salmonella Enteritidis. Larry Schultz Organic Farm has issued a voluntary recall of products, (see below.) 

The Minnesota egg outbreak victims became ill between August 12 and September 24. The illnesses occurred in both children and adults, and all are residents of the seven-county metropolitan area. Three of the case patients were hospitalized but have since recovered. Five of the six cases have reported eating eggs from the Larry Schultz Organic Farm purchased at grocery stores or co-ops. 

Eggs affected by this recall were distributed to restaurants, grocery stores, food wholesalers and foodservice companies in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. If you or a loved one is part of this outbreak, contact national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. Free case consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or leave your contact information online and a lawyer will respond to you.

MN Organic Egg Recall for Lund's, Byerly's, Kowalski's and Larry Schultz Organic Farm. 

• 1)  Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label    Extra large Cartoned     On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the carton.
• (if the carton has a plant number or any addtional numbers or letters it is not part of the recall)  If the carton has a "Sell by" date it is NOT recalled 
• 2)   Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label        Large Cartoned        On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the carton.
• 3)   Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label     Jumbo Cartoned   On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the carton. 
• 4)  Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label        Medium Cartoned On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the case.
• (if the case has a plant number on the label they are not part of the recall)  If the case has a "Sell by" date it is NOT recalled. 
• 5)  Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label        Jumbo Bulk        On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the case.
• (if the case has a plant number on the label they are not part of the recall)  If the case has a "Sell by" date it is NOT recalled.
• 6)  Lunds & Byerly's  Label   Large Cartoned    On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"     Lunds & Byerly's  Label   Extra Large Cartoned    On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12" 
• 8)  Lunds & Byerly's  Label   Large Cartoned 6-packs   On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12" 
•  9) Kowalski’s Organic Egg Label On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"

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The FDA found that an Ohio egg processor shipped 798 cases of eggs to market three days after the company's own tests showed Salmonella Enteritidis contamination, according to an FDA warning letter written to the firm's CEO last week.

The food safety hazard was created in October 2010 by Ohio Fresh Eggs LLC of Johnstown, Ohio. The company initiated a recall on November 5 after the Salmonella-positive egg tests were uncovered by the FDA during a review of company records. The records review was ordered after 13 FDA environmental samples from four egg layer sites at the company were confirmed positive for Salmonella Enteritidis.

"We found that you have serious deviations'' from federal regulations established to prevent Salmonella Enteritidis in shell egg production and storage, said the warning letter to Ohio Fresh Eggs CEO John Glessner. No illnesses were reported as a result of the problem.

A copy of the warning letter to Ohio Fresh Eggs was obtained by national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. The firm represents victims of the 2010 Salmonella Enteriditis outbreak linked to Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, both of Iowa. In that outbreak, more than 1,900 people were sickened around the country from contaminated eggs. If you have questions about Salmonella egg lawsuits, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our contact form.

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Following last year's egg Salmonella outbreak , which sickened nearly 2,000 people around the country from May through November, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set out to inspect 600 facilities where 80 percent of the nation's egg supply originates.

Through December, FDA had inspected 35 egg farms in Ohio, Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah and Washington. They were chosen because they had been associated with previous outbreaks or had a history of poor compliance. Nine separate companies operate the 35 farms. 

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Wright County Egg LLC, one of two Iowa egg producers deemed at fault for this year's massive egg Salmonella outbreak, has received FDA approval to resume shipping shell eggs directly to consumers. Since the August shutdown of normal operations at Wright County Egg, Salmonella egg litigation has cropped up in several states based on government findings confirming a link with the multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis.

FDA's concurrence for the resumption of normal marketing extends only to eggs from two hen houses on one of six farms operated by Wright County Egg. The other company linked to the outbreak, Hillandale Farms of Iowa, was previously cleared to resume sale of shell eggs to consumers.

“During the outbreak, I said that FDA would not agree to the sale of eggs to consumers from Wright County Egg until we had confidence that they could be shipped and consumed safely,” FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg said in a news release.  “After four months of intensive work by the company and oversight, testing, and inspections by FDA, I am satisfied that time has come.” 

FDA said its decision is based on the agency’s verification that the company has taken corrective measures in these two hen houses to address dirty egg laying environments, contaminated young chickens, contaminated feed and rodents.

FDA said it will continue to conduct environmental and egg sampling and will conduct periodic inspections to verify the safety measures in place.  Corrective actions continue to be implemented for Wright County Egg’s remaining houses.

Meanwhile, national food safety lawyers at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., continue to accept new cases from families and individuals sickened in the outbreak. Our firm has filed a Salmonella egg lawsuit against Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms on behalf of victims of this outbreak in an attempt to recover medical expenses, lost wages, travel expense and compensation for pain and suffering. To discuss your case with a Salmonella egg lawyer at the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete the electronic contact form on the side of this Web page. A lawyer will respond to you.

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An egg Salmonella threat has been documented in an expose' on abuse and conditions inside a factory farm owned by a leading egg producer, the Humane Society of the United States said in a press release.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the organization, called on the egg industry to embrace cage-free housing systems. Taking proper care of laying hens is an important way to safeguard our food supply. His comments stem from an undercover video project that captured animal abuses and filth in a caged hen facility. The documentary comes on the heels of a major Salmonella egg outbreak and recall involving two Iowa egg producers that were later found to be in violation of food safety rules.

Hillandale Farms of Iowa and Wright County Egg, also of Iowa, recalled 550 million eggs after investigators associated a major Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak with shell eggs from the two companies. Around the country more than 1,800 people were sickened in the outbreak, prompting more than one Salmonella egg lawsuit. Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is continuing to accept additional cases from individuals affected by the outbreak and free consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

According to the Humane Society press release,  a Humane Society investigator worked inside a factory egg farm in Texas recently for 28 days and documented multiple abuses and food safety threats, including:

• Birds trapped in cage wires, unable to reach food or water. Cage wires can trap hens' wings, necks, legs and feet, causing other birds to trample the weakened animals, usually resulting in a slow, painful death.
• Abandoned hens. Live birds were roaming outside their cages, some falling into manure pits.
• Injuries. Birds had bloody feet and broken legs from cage wires.
• Overcrowding injuries.  multiple birds crammed into one cage, giving each hen only 67 square inches of cage space—less than a sheet of paper on which to live for more than a year.
• Eggs covered in blood and feces. 

Every one of the last ten published studies comparing cage to cage-free systems found higher Salmonella rates in cage systems, including a 2010 study that found 20 times greater odds of Salmonella infection in caged flocks, the Humane Society said. Click here to see the Humane Society video.

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A Salmonella egg test result has prompted the recall of 24,000 dozen eggs by the country's largest maker of shell eggs: Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods Inc.

Published by Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recall applies to eggs supplied to Cal-Maine by Ohio Fresh Eggs of Croton, Ohio. An FDA sample test found Salmonella Enteritidis -- the same type of Salmonella in eggs that sickened more than 1,800 Americans earlier this year in an outbreak linked to two Iowa egg producers.

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The egg Salmonella outbreak that has spawned multiple egg lawsuits will reach its six month next week with an official illness count that has surpassed 1,800.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the outbreak has spanned the summer and fall, with confirmed Salmonella Enteritidis cases peaking in July. No deaths have been reported. 

From May 1 to October 15, public health officials in 11 states since have identified 29 restaurants or event clusters where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain has eaten. Data from these investigations and from site inspections have identified Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa as the sources of this outbreak. Both companies face an egg lawsuit from Salmonella attorneys at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., one of the country's leading food safety law firms.

An online egg lawsuit claims center has been established at PritzkerOlsen for members of the public who have been victimized in this outbreak with Salmonella Enteritidis infection matching the outbreak strain. Click here to reach the Salmonella outbreak claims center or call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE).

Based on loads of information gathered by inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it appears to the CDC that  Salmonella persisted in the environment at the two plants, including feed, which resulted in the contamination of eggs. Uncontrolled manure piles, mice, wild birds and food safety violations by workers were among the problems documented by inspectors.

PritzkerOlsen sent its own team to the Iowa egg manufacturers for an inspection. The egg lawsuit team collected evidence captured on video of some of the problems. Hillandale has been cleared to sell shell eggs again, but FDA inspectors have not been satisfied with progress at Wright County Egg and the plant is still under restrictions.

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One of two Iowa egg producers implicated in the multi-state Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that sickened more than 1,600 people from May to September has been warned by the Food and Drug Administration to take "prompt corrective action'' to clean up or face sanctions.

The actions against Quality Egg LLC of Galt, Iowa, could include, but are not limited to, seizure and/or injunction. Quality Egg is parent company of Wright County Egg.

Salmonella lawsuit attorneys from PritzkerOlsen, P.A., observed some of the conditions cited in the FDA letter on a recent inspection tour and actually filmed live mice in the facilities. The firm has filed an egg lawsuit against Quality Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa in connection with the outbreak that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described as the largest Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak on record. If you or a loved one is a victim of this outbreak and need legal representation, call our office at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

The FDA warning letter states: "You should take prompt and aggressive actions to eliminate the Salmonella Enteritidis contamination and the observations described in this letter. Failure to take prompt corrective action may result in regulatory action being initiated by the Food and Drug Administration without further notice.''

Quality Egg initially was tied to the outbreak when FDA laboratory analysis of feed samples at the company proved positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella. The FDA letter said the company's eggs are still being packed or held under insanitary conditions "whereby they may have become contaminated with filth or... injurious to health.''

The letter states the company has failed to eliminate rodent harborages, wild birds in barns and pigeon roosts. The company also has failed to properly eliminate all sources of water in its manure pits and has failed to ensure that Salmonella is not introduced into or among poultry houses. Uncaged birds, for example, were using manure pits to access the egg laying areas and live maggots were observed.

Meanwhile, the FDA is allowing Hillandale Farms of Iowa to start shipping shell eggs again after a successful followup to violations found at inspection. Hillandale was the other company implicated by federal health officials in the outbreak.

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Egg lawsuit attorneys Brendan Flaherty and Ryan Osterholm hired a poultry processing and products microbiology expert to accompany them in the inspection of the egg production facilities at Hillandale Farms in New Hampton, Iowa and Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa, on September 30 and October 5, respectively.

Hillandale Farms and Wright County Egg facilities were at the center of a nationwide Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that started in May and continued through September. In August, the two Iowa egg producers recalled more than 500 million eggs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1,600 illnesses have been documented and many more went unreported.

FDA inspectors found such unsanitary conditions as: live mice in chicken barns, numerous live and dead flies, manure piles up to eight feet high, uncaged hens tracking manure throughout the facilities and workers violating food safe practices. Last year, PritzkerOlsen also attended inspections of the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA)  facilities as part of their litigation in the 2008-2009 Salmonella peanut product outbreak. The firm represents the families of three victims who died in that outbreak--more than any law firm involved in the PCA litigation. That case recently settled for $12 million.

"Seeing firsthand the conditions that led to our clients' illnesses allows us to prove their cases and see that they are compensated for the physical, emotional and financial hardships the contaminated eggs caused them,'' Flaherty said.

In the Salmonella egg outbreak, PritzkerOlsen filed the first egg lawsuit in Minnesota on behalf of a woman sickened in June after eating at Mi Rancho, a Bemidji restaurant that served eggs purchased from Hillandale Farms. The case was filed in Beltrami County District Court (no. 04-CV-10-3168). PritzkerOlsen continues to take on new cases related to this outbreak at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

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The Salmonella egg outbreak that has sickened at least 1,600 Americans since May has put an egg facility inspection program run by the Food and Drug Administration under a spotlight.

                 The FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Foods, Michael Taylor said this week in a letter to the New York Times that the anti-Salmonella inspection program is on track. "In response to the Salmonella outbreak that led to the recall of more than 500 million eggs, the agency will inspect all 600 of the nation’s largest egg producers by the end of 2011,'' Taylor said.  These inspections have already begun, starting with facilities considered at highest risk because of past problems, he said.

The Times ran a story last week noting gaffes in the FDA's egg facility inspection training program. A top FDA egg expert broke a basic biosecurity rule by parking her van near a henhouse where she was giving a training session in Pennsylvania. It was called to her attention but she then repeated the act at another training session, where she became argumentative. The issue with vehicles is that they can track manure on roads too close to where eggs are laid.

The FDA confirmed to the Times that the person involved in the incidents was removed from the inspection program and that the program is on track. Said Taylor: "The agency is committed to ensuring the safety of the nation's egg supply.''

Meanwhile, an egg class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of victims across the country. To contact an egg Salmonella lawyer, call national Salmonella law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. We represent those sickened with Salmonella Enteritidis associated with shell eggs from Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa.

Two attorneys from our firm and an investigator have returned from a court-approved inspection of the Iowa egg plants and information garnered in our investigation is bolstering an egg lawsuit that our firm filed soon after the outbreak was revealed. Families who are looking for assistance can go to our online Salmonella egg claim center for more information and details about the outbreak and how to recover money as compensation for medical expenses, pain, suffering and other harms caused by this contamination. 

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Egg lawsuit attorneys from PritzkerOlsen, P.A., will inspect the facilities of Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms this week to bolster Salmonella egg litigation on behalf of outbreak victims nationwide. The lawyers’ on-site investigation comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found a shocking list of unsafe conditions including uncaged hens on overflowing piles of manure.

Attorneys Brendan Flaherty and Ryan Osterholm, along with poultry processing and products microbiology professor Dr. Scott Russell, will tour Hillandale Farms in New Hampton, Iowa on September 30 and Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa, on October 5. Both attorneys will be available for media interviews before and after the inspections.

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As Salmonella litigation proceeds in the egg outbreak associated with two Iowa egg farms, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing the findings of its investigation to evaluate what enforcement actions may be appropriate.

That statement from FDA Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein was made Wednesday in Washington, D.C., at a Congressional hearing on Salmonella in eggs. According to a transcript of the proceedings, Sharfstein said the agency found serious problems with pest control and manure handling when inspectors went to facilities operated by the DeCoster family. Those problems could have contributed to the spread of Salmonella, Sharfstein told the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Although the DeCosters identified contaminated feed as a likely culprit for the outbreak, Sharfstein said the FDA wasn't ready to point to a single source for the problem.

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The Salmonella egg hearing in Washington opened Wednesday with a powerful statement of disdain against operations at Wright County Egg, the Iowa farm at the center of a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that has sickened more than 1,600 people nationwide.

The admonishment came from Representative Henry Waxman, D-California, chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Waxman said the DeCoster family who owns Wright County Egg and raised eggs for Hillandale Farms in Iowa has known about safety problems at its facilities for decades, yet they continue to persist. Over 30 years ago, eggs from a farm operated by the DeCoster family killed nine people and sickened 500 in New York, Waxman said. Twenty years ago, Maryland ordered the DeCosters to stop selling eggs in the state because of the contamination problems.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., has filed an egg lawsuit against Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms and it continues to accept new cases for egg litigation in various states. To contact a lawyer, go to the firm's online Salmonella claims center. 

"DeCoster farms have had warning after warning. Yet they continue to raise chickens in slovenly conditions – and to make millions by selling contaminated eggs,'' Chairman Waxman said in his opening remarks at the hearing.

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 A Congressional hearing entitled "The Outbreak of Salmonella in Eggs'' is scheduled to begin at noon Wednesday in Washington, D.C. before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

The latest agenda for the meeting notes that two of the five scheduled witnesses are victims of the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak. Those victims are Sarah Lewis and Carol Lobato.  According to the committee's briefing memo, the hearing at 12:00 p.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building will examine the recent Salmonella outbreak associated with shell eggs produced by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa. The hearing continues the Subcommittee’s investigative activities concerning the adequacy of efforts to ensure the safety and security of the nation’s food supply.

The hearing follows a massive egg recall in August by Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, and Hillandale Farms of Iowa. State and federal health investigators have associated more than 1,600 cases of Salmonella Enteritidis with contaminated eggs from those two farms. Wednesday's hearing calls for testimony from top executives of both companies, including Wright County Egg founder Austin "Jack" DeCoster. Media reports indicate DeCoster will apologize.

His egg operations have drawn scrutiny from regulators in the past and the committee has documentation of previous problems with Salmonella at Wright County Egg.

The nationwide outbreak has prompted an egg class action lawsuit and a Minnesota egg lawsuit filed by PritzkerOlsen, P.A. Fred Pritzker, president of the national Salmonella law firm, is having the egg farms inspected next week and is continuing to accept cases from those who have suffered Salmonella infections in the outbreak.

To contact the firm for a free case consultation, call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. 

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Egg Recall highlights as presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now part of the public record as victims press a Salmonella egg class action lawsuit against Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa.

The Salmonella Enteritidis investigation update from CDC notes that 1,608 illnesses likely were caused by contaminated eggs from the two producers. The previous CDC update, dated September 9, counted 1,519 illnesses associated with the egg outbreak.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is representing victims of the outbreak and has filed an egg lawsuit in Minnesota on behalf of a woman from Mantorville, Minnesota, who became infected with Salmonella bacteria in an outbreak at Mi Rancho restaurant. The firm continues to accept cases from victims across the country at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

According to the CDC, health investigators in 11 states have detected the outbreak strain of Salmonella in 29 restaurant or event outbreaks, including the Mi Rancho outbreak. And for the first time, CDC has released details of how the investigation unfolded.   What follows are some key developments leading up to the egg recalls in mid-August by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. More than 550 million eggs were recalled by the two companies.

• May 24: Minnesota implicates stuffed chili peppers made with shell eggs as cause of Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak. Eggs traced to Hillandale Farms
• June 27 - Mid July: California reports six clusters of Salmonella Enteritidis associated with a bakery or breakfast restaurants.
• July 29: California identifies Wright County Egg as common supplier in the six clusters. 
• August 6: Colorado associates Salmonella restaurant outbreak with eggs from Wright County Egg.
• August 6: FDA focuses on three distinct outbreaks in Colorado, Minnesota and California for traceback investigations to find source of illnesses.
• August 12: FDA begins investigation at Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa.
• August 13-20: Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms recall a total of 550 million eggs.

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An egg class action lawsuit has been filed in Chicago (United State District Court for the Northern District of Illinois). The action was filed on behalf of six people who were sickened after eating eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis that were produced by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, both of Iowa. Wright County Egg is a business alias of Quality Egg, LLC.

Plaintiffs Listed in the Egg Class Action Lawsuit Documents

The following are the plaintiffs (people suing) as listed in the egg class action lawsuit documents. All of the information below is from the complaint.  If you would like to be part of an egg class action lawsuit, please contact our  national Salmonella law firm.

1. HILDA A. DWYER, a 69 year old resident of Orland Park, Cook County, Illinois. According to the complaint, she purchased 18 count Hillandale Extra Large Eggs from Costco Wholesale, located at 9915 W. 159th Street, Orland Park, Cook County, Illinois. After ingesting the eggs she began to develop severe nausea and vomiting and received medical treatment.
2. MARTHA A. PATTON, a 48 year old resident of Gulfport, Harrison County, Mississippi. According to the complaint, she purchased Sun Ups Cal-Maine, Ca, 36 count eggs. She ate some of the eggs on August 27 and had severe diarrhea and a fever of 102 degrees. She was admitted to the emergency room twice.
3. JESSICA T. EASON, a resident of Greensboro, North Carolina. She purchased Sunny Meadow Eggs at a Food Line Store.
4. IRVIN B. BOYKIN, a 67 year old resident of New Winsdor, Orange County, New York. He ingested contaminated eggs at a Waffle Kitchen located at 1835 Southeast Boulevard in Clinton, North Carolina on or about August 13, 2010. Within 6 hours, Mr. Boykin felt severe abdominal pain and subsequent severe diarrhea.
5. MARY C. TURNER, a resident of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. She purchased eggs at Giant Eagle. On or about August 26, 2010 after ingesting the contaminated eggs, she was admitted to the emergency room suffering from abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and dehydration.
6. PATRICIA L. DEAN, on behalf of a minor, residents of Carmel, Hamilton County, Indiana. On or about August 7, 2010, the child consumed food containing contaminated food at a Costco located at 9010 Michigan Rd., in Indianapolis, Indiana. The child experienced abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting and sought medical treatment.

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One month after Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, announced its initial recall of shell eggs, law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is continuing to get contacts from people sickened by the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis.

The food safety law firm represents Salmonella egg outbreak victims whose illnesses date as far back as June. Founder and president Fred Pritzker, who is lead attorney for the firm’s egg recall cases, already has filed an egg lawsuit in Minnesota and is working on additional egg lawsuits for other clients from across the country. The Minnesota case stemmed from a cluster of illnesses among patrons of the same restaurant, Mi Rancho in Bemidji, Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Health traced it back to contaminated eggs from Hillandale Farms, also of Iowa.

“We’re getting complaints like crazy,’’ Pritzker said. “People are scared and angry because this outbreak should not have happened.’’ 

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The invited witnesses before Chairman Henry Waxman's committee are Austin "Jack" DeCoster, owner of Wright County Egg; Orland Bethel, president of Hillandale Farms of Iowa and Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Egg Salmonella outbreak information has been updated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the egg recall and salmonella outbreak associated with Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.

The latest highlights from the CDC ongoing investigation include:

"From May 1 to August 31, 2010, approximately 1,519 illnesses were reported that are likely to be associated with this outbreak. FDA identified Salmonella with PFGE patterns indistinguishable from the outbreak strain in egg farm environmental samples."

The CDC advises consumers NOT to consume recalled eggs, which could still be in grocery stores, restaurants and refrigerators in homes. People who have these eggs should throw them away. A searchable database of recalled egg products is available to consumers.

Egg Salmonella Outbreak Timeline

Part of the way health officials determine whether patients are part of an outbreak is by analyzing the timeline of illnesses. This includes the following steps:

1. Incubation time: the time it takes for symptoms to show after consuming the tainted food. This is typically 1-3 days for Salmonella
2. Time to contact health care provider: how long it takes a patient to contact a doctor after experiencing their first symptoms.
3. Time to diagnosis: The time it takes to get test results back from a patient to confirm that he or she is, in fact, sick with salmonella.
4. Sample shipping time: the time it takes to ship the salmonella sample to the state public health authorities that will perform “DNA fingerprinting”.
5. Time to serotyping and DNA fingerprinting

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The egg recall product list has been updated by the Food and Drug Administration to aid consumers search egg brands recalled in the multi-state Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak associated with eggs recalled by Iowa's Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.

The latest egg recall list by FDA contains 46 egg brands that may be contaminated with Salmonella. Already this outbreak has caused more than 1,460 illnesses across the country as stated by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest egg recall list is searchable and provides plant codes and Julian dates for affected cartons.

While the recall list focuses on retail shell eggs, many of the contaminated eggs produced in Iowa were sold through foodservice channels for use in restaurants and other commercial kitchens. In fact, clusters of illnesses from restaurant outbreaks and catered social events led to the discovery that tainted eggs were the cause of a four-fold increase nationally in the number of Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses.

PritzkerOlsen, P.A., represents many Salmonella egg victims and has filed an egg lawsuit on behalf of Robin and Kenneth Shaffer of Mantorville, Minnesota. Robin was one of seven people sickened in an outbreak at Mi Rancho Restaurant in Bemidji, Minnesota, and the public health investigation traced the problem to Hillandale Farms. The lawsuit seeks more than $100,000 in compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain, suffering and other harms. 

National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen is conducting its own investigation of the Salmonella egg outbreak and is continuing to accept additional cases. If you or a loved one has been sickened by Salmonella from contaminated shell eggs, call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page for a free case consulation.

Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigaton and we have collected millions on behalf of victims of food poisoning, including Salmonella from eggs.

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The Salmonella egg outbreak in California has sickened more than 200 people, including 42 confirmed illnesses in Santa Clara County.

The Santa Clara County Public Health Department issued an update on the outbreak this week, saying that six of the 42 confirmed victims in that county were hospitalized with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis.

As federal health officials have noted, public health investigations in California, Colorado and Minnesota were instrumental in tracking a four-fold rise in Salmonella Enteritidis illness this spring and summer to contaminated eggs sold by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, both of Iowa. The two producers have recalled more than half a billion eggs

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Egg lawsuit investigations by PritzkerOlsen, P.A., are continuing as more restaurant outbreaks and clusters of Salmonella Enteritidis are being identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the latest CDC update on the Salmonella egg outbreak, public health investigations in 10 states since April have identified 29 restaurants or event clusters where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain has eaten. Data from these investigations suggest that shell eggs are a likely source of infections in many of these restaurants or event clusters. Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa, was an egg supplier in 15 of these 29 restaurants or event clusters, CDC said. Three are clusters that have been recently reported, but occurred earlier in the outbreak, the CDC said. Traceback investigations are ongoing.

Fred Pritzer, founder and president of PritzkerOlsen, filed one of the first egg lawsuits in the country on behalf of a Minnesota woman and her husband after the woman suffered a painful Salmonella infection traced by the Minnesota Department of Health to contaminated eggs at Hillandale Farms of Iowa. She was one of six people sickened in a Salmonella outbreak at Mi Rancho restaurant in Bemidji, Minnesota.

The firm represents many other victims and is continuing to accept additional cases at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. According to the CDC there are approximately 1,469 reported illnesses that are likely to be associated with this outbreak.

Individuals who think they might have become ill from eating recalled eggs should consult their health care providers and request a stool culture. For answers to legal questions about egg recall compensation, contact a Salmonella egg lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation.

In this egg Salmonella outbreak, investigation by the CDC, FDA, USDA and state health agencies in Minnesota, Colorado and California indicate substantial potential for Salmonella to have persisted in the environment and to have contaminated eggs at Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. Together, the two companies distributed more than half a billion eggs since May that may have been contaminated with Salmonella.

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Our law firm has filed a lawsuit against Mi Rancho restaurant in Bemidji, Minnesota on behalf of a woman who contracted a Salmonella Enteritidis infection after eating at the restaurant.  Her case of salmonellosis was traced back to recalled eggs produced by Quality Egg LLC (doing business as Wright County Egg) and Hillandale Farms, both of Iowa.  These companies were also named in the lawsuit.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, six other people were also sickened by eggs consumed at Mi Rancho in May.  The illnesses were reported May 20.

For egg lawsuit information, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form for a free consultation.

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A $12 million Salmonella lawsuit settlement for victims of the massive peanut product outbreak that sickened more than 700 people and killed nine has been approved by a federal judge in Lynchburg, Virginia.

PritzkerOlsen, P.A., represented the families of more people killed in the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) outbreak than any other law firm in the United States.The money provided by the bankrupt company's insurer, Hartford Casualty Insurance Co., will be distributed based on the extent of victims' illnesses. Additional settlement funds are being paid by Kellogg Co., which unknowingly used contaminated peanut butter supplied by PCA in some of its products.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Norman Moon will pay more than 120 wrongful death and personal injury claims related to the outbreak, which occurred in late 2008 and 2009.

Fred Pritzker, founder and president of PritzkerOlsen, represented the families of three women who died. Two of the victims were from Minnesota and the third was from Ohio. Members of all three families went on to speak out passionately on the national stage for change in America's food safety system.

As part of PritzkerOlsen's investigation into the PCA Salmonella peanut outbreak, Pritzker traveled to the Blakely, Georgia,  PCA plant implicated in the outbreak and personally inspected it. What he found was appalling: filthy equipment, vermin and gaps in walls and the ceiling that allowed in any number of rodents, insects and other disease carrying animals.

Pritzker has said he sees similarities between the PCA outbreak and the ongoing Salmonella egg investigation of two Iowa egg producers -- Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. Inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration have found egregious food safety violations at both establishments. Federal authorities have associated more than 1,400 illnesses in multiple states with contaminated eggs from the companies.

In the Salmonella Enteritidis egg outbreak, PritzkerOlsen already has filed one egg lawsuit and represents a growing number of other victims. The firm is continuing to accept cases at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or contact an egg recall lawyer at the firm by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

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Numerous food safety violations at massive egg plants operated by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms were uncovered by Food and Drug Administration officials who inspected the Iowa mega farms for most of August.

The inspections were ordered after public health investigators tracked a multi-state Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak to shell eggs produced by the two operators. More than 1,400 illnesses have resulted, triggering an egg lawsuit by food safety lawyers at  PritzkerOlsen, P.A., 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE).

The FDA inspection reports showed similar violations at the two companies -- including chicken manure piles so high they were blocking some doors and pushing others open. Hens that had escaped their cages were using eight-foot-high manure piles to access the egg laying area at Wright County Egg, the reports said.

Many notations in the inspection reports referred to unsatisfactory rodent control -- from burrow holes in the walls to scurrying live mice in the barns. Wild birds were flying around inside the facilities and pigeons were roosting in openings in kernell corn grain bins.

Inspectors found maggots and flies too numerous to count, eight frogs under a board, grass between barns that was a foot high and disregard for practices meant to keep workers from tracking Salmonella Enteritidis from one place to another. 

Kenneth E. Anderson, a professor of poultry science at North Carolina State University, told the New York Times: “I am surprised that an operation was being operated in that manner in this day and age.”

“Clearly the observations here reflect significant deviations from what’s expected,” FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael R. Taylor said in the same story.

As previously reported, six environmental samples came back positive for Salmonella Enteritidis -- including a sample from Wright County Egg's pullet feed and Wright County Egg's meat and bone meal ingredient bin.

Dr Jeff Farrar, associate commissioner of food protection in the FDA's Office of Foods, told reporters that the FDA received one more positive Salmonella Enteritidis lab result that matches the outbreak strain from spent egg wash water from a facility at Hillandale Farms.

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According to the lawsuit, filed in Beltrami County, the woman ate at Mi Rancho restaurant in Bemidji, Minnesota, on May 7, 2010, and started getting ill a short time later. The Minnesota Department of Health determined that she and at least six other patrons of the restaurant were sickened by the same identical strain of Salmonella Enteritidis. 

“Our client’s severe illness could have been prevented at several levels, but those with the ability to protect her from Salmonella poisoning failed to do so,’’ stated Attorney Fred Pritzker, lead attorney for the firm’s egg recall cases.  “Our client and the hundreds of others sickened in this outbreak deserved better.” 

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Egg recall information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now searchable by brand name and other data, making a powerful consumer guide to 88 different egg brands involved in the recalls by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, both of Iowa.

Click here for the searchable egg recall list  that covers more than half a billion eggs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1,470 reported illnesses were likely to be associated with this outbreak between May 1 to August 25. More are expected as investigation and testing continues in more than 20 states.

Smoking gun evidence was uncovered by FDA, linking the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis to the Iowa egg producers. Of 600 samples taken, six so far have come back with the same identical Salmonella strain that is making people sick.. One of those samples came from the feed mill at Wright County Egg and the feed was provided to young hens. The hens were distributed to all premises at both companies.

"These findings indicate that Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa are the likely sources of the contaminated shell eggs,'' CDC has stated.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is preparing an egg lawsuit on behalf of a woman who is confirmed by health authorities as a victim of this outbreak. Salmonella egg recall lawyers at the firm are in contact with other victims and the firm is continuing to accept cases. Free consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. 

Many of the cases in this outbreak have been in people who attended catered social events or who ate at restaurants where clusters of illnesses were found.  A person infected with the Salmonella Enteritidis bacterium usually has fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated food or beverage. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without antibiotic treatment. However, the diarrhea can be severe, and the person may be ill enough to require hospitalization. 

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Egg litigation is possible in 23 states where egg recalls indicate  products potentially contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis were distributed.

The Center for Infections Disease Research and Policy reviewed company recall notices and other factors to arrive at 23 states. Health officials in Michigan, for instance, said recalled eggs were distributed in their state despite not being mentioned in recall notices by the two big Iowa producers at the center of the Salmonella egg outbreak.

Together, Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, and Hillandale Farms have recalled more than half a billion eggs that may contain Salmonella, a human pathogen that can cause severe illness in young children, older adults and others who have weakened immune systems.

The Salmonella egg problem remains under active investigation by federal and state health investigators, with recalls continuing.

Wright County Egg, for instance, has added California-distributed  Cardenas Market brand eggs to its recall list. Cardenas eggs included in the recall are labeled with plant number 1026 and Julian dates ranging from 136 to 228.

Another California distributor, Trafficanda Egg Ranch, said it is recalling eggs supplied by Wright County Egg that were packaged under the Trafficanda Egg Ranch brand for retailers and restaurant suppliers. The eggs are packaged in 12-egg cartons, 20-egg over wrap, and 5 dozen over wrap with the Julian dates ranging from 136 to 229 and plant numbers 1026, 1413, 1720, 1942 and1946 .

"There have been confirmed Salmonella enteritidis illnesses from May 17, 2010 to August 17, 2010 relating to the shell eggs, and trace back investigations are ongoing," Trafficanda said.

Hundreds if not thousands of people are estimated to have been sickened by Salmonella eggs in states across the country. California, Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Texas, Arizona, Nebraska and Nevada are among the states with confirmed illnesses and large spikes in Salmonella Enteritidis cases believed to be caused by contaminated eggs.

If you or a loved one believe you have been sickened in this outbreak, your questions about egg litigation can be answered by Salmonella egg recall attorneys at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

PritzkerOlsen is working with victims of the Salmonella egg outbreak and is continuing to accept cases. Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning.

Note to consumers: 

The Food and Drug Administration is tracking all brands of eggs recalled for possible Salmonella contamination. Click here for the official updated egg recall list to ensure whether eggs in your refrigerator are a known food safety risk.

Dates and codes can be found stamped on the packaging. The plant number begins with the letter "P", followed by a number (P-1946 in the example below). The Julian date follows the plant number.

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California, Minnesota, Colorado,  Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, Nevada and Wisconsin are among at least 18 states where eggs potentially contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis have been sold.

The California egg recall now includes retail brands and foodservice packages sold in southern California and Las Vegas by Moark LLC of Fontana. These retail brands are Albertsons, Yucaipa Valley, Farmer’s Gems and Mountain Dairy.

The 24,300 dozen eggs involved in the latest California egg recall were purchased from Hillandale Farms of Iowa, where there have been laboratory-confirmed Salmonella Enteriditis illnesses linked to shell eggs. Moark repackaged the eggs and sold them to retailers and wholesalers. 

To date, as many as 60 people in Los Angeles County have been confirmed to have the Salmonella strain associated with the recalled eggs. Statewide, California Salmonella egg cases exceed 200, health officials have said.

 Healthy people infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis or reactive arthritis, also known as Reiter's syndrome.

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Salmonella egg  investigations conducted by public health officials in 10 states since April have identified 26 restaurants or event clusters where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis has eaten.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in its latest update on the outbreak that shell eggs are a likely source of infections in many of these restaurants or event clusters. Information indicates that Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa, was an egg supplier in 15 of these 26 restaurants or event clusters.

The CDC warns that recalled eggs might still be in grocery stores, restaurants, and consumers' homes. Click here to see an updated list of brands, plant numbers and Julian dates included in the recall. 

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