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

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) annual cheerleading and dance/drill competition in Everett, Washington, drew some 3,000 observers and 1,000 participants to Comcast Arena on February 4. The next day and day after, some people who attended began to experience symptoms of food illness.

Now the Washington State Department of Health and the Snohomish Health District are investigating what organsim made people sick, where it came from and how many fell ill. The early-stage food poisoning investigation was announced yesterday in a press release that said a food history questionnaire will be sent to participants.

The WIAA said Comcast Arena officials are cooperating with the investigation. People who got sick experienced nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, fever and diarrhea. People who attended the event from around the state are advised to contact a health care provider if they have symptoms.

“Our immediate concerns are for those who have been affected by this illness and our thoughts are with them,” said WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese.

Food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is monitoring this investigation and providing free case consultations to families and individuals for possible representation. State officials have not said if anyone was hospitalized. To discuss your concerns with an experienced food illness lawyer at our firm, leave your contact information or call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free)

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The Ambassador E. coli restaurant outbreak in Houghton, Michigan, may include more than the seven case patients already confirmed. Health officials in the Upper Peninsula are urging any families to report illnesses suffered by customers of the restaurant since December.

The reason others may have been infected is that the outbreak has been traced to an ill food worker who spread E. coli O157:H7 bacteria to diners. So far, authorities know of four people who were hospitalized with the outbreak strain of E. coli after eating at The Ambassador around Christmas time.

E. coli-infected people need to be isolated from school or work because they can shed the organism in their stool even when they are not showing symptoms of illness. Specific guidelines regarding return to work or school may vary depending on individual parameters; consultations with the local or state health department are recommended.

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Cafeteria billing information enabled a rapid investigation of an E. coli outbreak at a large company in Frankfurt, Germany, during last year's broader E. coli O104:H4 outbreak that killed 50 people and infected more than 4,000 others.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on the so-called "satellite outbreak'' in the January 2012 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The investigation found fenugreek sprouts to be the cause of the illnesses at the company. The origin of the sprouts was traced back to the same supplier of sprout seeds as was common to the rest of the outbreak.

"Using data sources independent of individual memory is quite useful,'' the authors wrote in a synopsis of the investigation.

The multi-country sprouts E. coli outbreak in Europe last spring was the largest outbreak ever described worldwide in terms of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of toxic E. coli infection that shuts down a person's kidneys and often leads to other severe illnesses, including stroke, invasion of the central nervous system and heart attack.

The company that was studied in the investigation operated two cafeteria sites that were both served with salad bar items from the same central kitchen. Using the employee billing card system, salad bar purchases were highly associated with illness. The study focused on 60 case patients who were either hospitalized with bloody diarrhea or HUS or who self-reported onset of bloody diarrhea from May 8 through May 23. Only three of the case patients remained unexposed to salad bar items according to the payment system data.

 Beginning May 23, the cafeterias were closed for 1 week, and salad sales were suspended for a longer period. There were no additional cases.

The CDC report noted that sprout consumption throughout Frankfurt couldn't be studied effectively without billing data because of the intense media attention on the sprout hypothesis once it had been announced. "Also, it was thought that too much time had passed to successfully recall actually selected salad bar items consumed a few weeks previous,'' the report said.

This wasn't the first time that data sources were used in an investigation of an outbreak of foodborne illness. Credit card information and retail loyalty cards have been used in other investigations in Denmark, Iceland, Canada and the United States.

Participants in the Frankfurt, Germany, investigation included the Robert Koch Institute of Berlin and Wernigerode and Frankfurt's own Health Protection Authority.

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An outbreak of foodborne illness that has sickened at least 40 people in Duluth is being investigated by the Minnesota Department of health (MDH), according to the StarTribune.

Those who became ill were among 350 guests who attended a wedding at the Greysolon Ballroom last weekend, so there could be additional cases, an MDH spokesman Doug Schultz told the Duluth News Tribune. The investigation is ongoing.

The food served at the event was provided by Greysolon Ballroom By Blackwoods. Sean Stepan, the controller of its parent group, New London Corp., referred reporter’s questions to MDH. 

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Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet, but, like all foods, they carry a risk of foodborne illness. Harmful bacteria in the soil or water can contaminate produce where it grows. Or, fresh produce may become contaminated after it is harvested, during packing, storage or preparation. Eating contaminated produce can cause serious illness as Lindsay Schuessler, a 25-year-old elementary school teacher, discovered this week.

Schuessler was released from Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur on October 27 after being admitted over the weekend with an E. coli infection. Health officials who interviewed Schuessler about what she had eaten in the past seven to 10 days focused on fruits and vegetables, she told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. When county health officials visited her University City home, they removed some produce including strawberries and blueberries that she had purchased from the Schnucks grocery store at Ladue Road and Interstate 170, she told the paper.

Schuessler prepared and ate a salad from items she purchased from the store on October 16 and ate more produce including prepackaged salad throughout the week. The onset of illness was sudden and intense and left Schuessler weakened and exhausted, she said in the article. Her boyfriend, who did not eat the produce, did not get sick. "I try to eat so healthy, and I'm the one who got sick," she said in the story.

During the last month, four companies have announced recalls on salad greens. Over the summer, a papaya Salmonella outbreak sickened more than 100 people, 15 people got E. coli poisoning after eating strawberries and 20 people got Salmonellosis from cantaloupe. And the ongoing cantaloupe Listeria outbreak has sickened 133 people and killed 28 and caused one miscarriage.

The source of this E. coli outbreak has not been determined, but health officials urge anyone in St. Louis County with symptoms of an E. coli infcetion to contact a health provider. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, nausea and sometimes a fever. Complications of E. coli include hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or TTP HUS, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, which can cause kidney failure, stroke, heart attacks, and brain injuries. And even a person with a mild case of E. coli can be at long-term risk for hypertension and kidney problems.

National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is investigating the St. Louis outbreak. Our legal group currently represents E. coli victims and is one of the very few law firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. Free case consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or submit your contact information online and an attorney will call you.

Source: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/article_3d050caf-9619-5b57-97cc-b1c682c01c67.html#ixzz1c5Dh7QAY

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Cantaloupe has been linked to two multi-state outbreaks of foodborne illness this year one caused by Salmonella, this other by Listeria. Together the outbreaks have killed at least one person and caused dozens of others to become seriously ill.

While the cantaloupe Listeria outbreak is ongoing, public health officials recommend that consumers avoid eating that variety of melon. In the future, there are some things consumers can do to reduce their risk of contracting a foodborne illness from cantaloupe. The following recommendations are from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services:

• Purchase cantaloupes that are not bruised or damaged.  If buying fresh-cut cantaloupe, be sure it is refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
• After purchase, refrigerate cantaloupes promptly.
• Wash hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling fresh cantaloupes.
• Scrub whole cantaloupes by using a clean produce brush and cool tap water immediately before eating. Don't use soap or detergents.
• Use clean cutting surfaces and utensils when cutting cantaloupes. Wash cutting boards, countertops, dishes, and utensils with hot water and soap between the preparation of raw meat, poultry, or seafood, and the preparation of cantaloupe.
• If there happens to be a bruised or damaged area on a cantaloupe, cut away those parts before eating it.
• Leftover cut cantaloupe should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than two hours.
• Use a cooler with ice or use ice gel-packs when transporting or storing cantaloupes outdoors.

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With major E.coli outbreaks and ground beef recalls in the news this summer, meat inspection has been a topic of news and conversation, a conversation, it turns out, that we, as a nation, have been having for more than a century. On this date in 1890, the United States passed its first meat inspection law. 

Today, the United States is the world’s largest producer and consumer of both beef and chicken and the third-largest producer and consumer of pork, according to US Census data. As the industries have grown, so have the challenges of keeping consumers safe and the number of laws that govern the industries.

It took 14 years and the publication of "The Jungle," Upton Sinclair’s 1905 novel that exposed the filthy conditions and the exploitation of workers in a Chicago meatpacking house, before regulations governing the process of beef production were enacted.

The filthy conditions described in the book created a firestorm of public debate. Sinclair urged President Theodore Roosevelt to support the presence of federal inspectors in the meat-packing houses and, in 1906, both the Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were passed into law.

More than a century later, we’re still struggling to find the best way to keep consumers safe from foodborne illness. This summer, E coli contamination prompted McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC. of North Branch, Michigan to recall about 360 pounds of ground beef,  JB Meats of Avondale, Ohio to recall more than 70,000 pounds of ground beef. And Cargill recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey after a Salmonella outbreak sickened 111 people in 31 states.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/about/Agency_History/index.asp

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An outbreak of Yersinia in Pennsylvania has been associated with bottled milk and ice cream from Brunton Dairy in Aliquippa, Beaver County. Brunton Dairy  makes home delivery to households in Western Pennsylvania and sells milk and ice cream at retail establishments. This is an outbreak of foodborne illness where vicitms should be compensated for medical bills, lost time at work and pain and suffering, 

A press release from the Pennsylvania departments of Health and Agriculture and the Allegheny County Health Department advises the public of the possible risk of Yersiniosis from glass-bottled milk and ice cream from Brunton Dairy. Since mid-June, 16 individuals developed diarrhea and other symptoms caused by bacteria called Yersinia enterocolitica. Officials had been suspecting bottled milk and ice cream from Brunton and a test of ice cream from one of the victims resulted in a positive find for Yersinia.

Beaver and Allegheny counties are home to the confirmed cases in this outbreak. 

National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., has launched its own investigation into the outbreak. Victims have suffered harms that are deserving of compensation from the party responsible for the contamination. If you suspect someone has been sickened by bottled milk or ice cream, you should contact our law firm for information about a possible lawsuit against Brunton Dairy. An attorney can be reached at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or submit contact information online for an attorney to call you. Case consultations are free.

Yersiniosis is an intestinal illness caused by a group of bacteria known as Yersinia. In the US and in the current Pennsylvania outbreak, most illness is caused by Yersinia enterocolitica, which is found mainly in pigs, but also in cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, cats, rodents and rabbits. People can get infected by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated milk or water. 

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On Monday, sixty students at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Coachella, California, got sick. Riverside County health officials are investigating the outbreak and are looking at food poisoning as a possible cause.

About 800 students and 10 adults were served taco salad with ground beef, shredded cheese and lettuce, salsa and an apple cobbler. Health officials took food samples and inspected the school kitchen. They are also interviewing students and looking at school records to see if they ate the lunch and if they all ate the same food for lunch, for example, if all of them had lettuce on their tacos.

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Perfringens food poisoning often is associated with temperature abuse of food in group settings, especially when the food sits before people arrive. In Illinois, the City of Evanston Health Department was contacted by Evanston School District 65 regarding 30 individuals becoming ill after eating food catered from Merle’s Smokehouse of Evanston at parent/teacher conferences on Wednesday February 16, 2011. 

Perfringens food poisoning normally lasts 24 hours, causing intense cramps and diarrhea that starts  6 to 24 hours after consumption of contaminated food. The Evanston Health Department collected samples of catered food and inspected Merle's Smokehouse. Results indicated Clostridium perfringens caused the outbreak.

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A possible food poisoning outbreak is under investigation in Orange County, New York, after a number of firefighters went to the doctor more than a day after eating together at a banquet in Goshen, the county seat.

Mid-Hudson News Network broke the story, reporting that the possible food poisoning outbreak is being investigated by the Orange County Health Department. Orange County, N.Y., is in the southeast portion of the state. The banquet was attended Saturday night at a catering hall by about 120 people. Health investigators said a number of Silver Lake Fire Department volunteer firefighters got sick and went to the doctor on Monday and Tuesday.

Nausea and vomiting were chief symptoms of the outbreak, a doctor told Mid-Hudson News. National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is monitoring the outbreak and can be reached at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by contact form.

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An ESPN review of stadium food at all 107 North American arenas for major league baseball, football, hockey and basketball found a high number of serious health violations.

The sports network's check of 2009 food safety records found 30 stadiums where more than half of the concession stands or restaurants had been cited for at least one "critical" or  "major" health violation. "Such violations pose a risk for foodborne illnesses that can make someone sick, or, in extreme cases, become fatal.''

One of the worst venues for reported trouble was Tropicana Field in Florida -- home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. ESPN reported that every one of the stadium's 47 food and drink outlets inspected incurred a critical violation within the previous year. Violations included food residue in a cooler, toxic chemicals stored too close to food preparation areas, "slime" in the ice machines and thermometers not readily visible to measure the temperature of hot foods.

Other venues with low marks for food safety were stadiums that house the Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins and the Washington Wizards and Capitals.

Among the best were venues for: the Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New England Patriots and New York Islanders.

Among the more startling reports:

• Green Bay Packers' Lambeau Field: Two locations were cited after an employee "did not wash hands after blowing nose or eating food prior to handling customer food or ice."
•  Phoenix Suns' US Airways Center: Dozens of flies and a live roach in a dish room.
•  Denver Broncos' Mile High Stadium: Fruit flies in whiskey bottles at three bars.
•  Miami Dolphins' Sun Life Stadium: Employee reported small insects and other debris blended into frozen alcoholic drinks.

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Twenty-six crew members of the U.S. Flagship Niagara were victims of a Salmonella outbreak while the ship was in Cleveland.

The Erie Times-News reported the Niagara Salmonella outbreak, saying it affected 26 of 42 crew members. The newspaper reported that most of the crew members were feeling well enough to depart the Tall Ship's home port of  Erie, Pennsylvania, for a Great Lakes tour to Duluth, Minnesota, with stops in Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Chicago.

The source of the information was Bill Sutton, executive director of the Flagship Niagara League, the ship's fundraising arm. The story didn't say which health agency confirmed the Salmonella outbreak or whether anyone was hospitalized.

"Everybody's pretty much back to par,'' Sutton said.

If you are a crew member sickened in this outbreak, law firm Pritzker Olsen can provide you with a free case consultation and answer your legal questions about possible compensation. Call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free)  or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

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An outbreak of food poisoning that may be related to a freshly prepared fruit and vegetable product  is under investigation at a farmers' market in east-central Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is handling the probe but not telling the public the location of the farmers' market. In a press release, the agency said it is currently investigating more than 10 illnesses that may be related to a freshly prepared fruit and vegetable product.

The health agency did not specify the product.

The notice came with a warning: "It's important to remember that any freshly prepared fruit and vegetable product that is not properly refrigerated can be a potential health risk because they can allow bacteria to grow.''

Iowans should be especially aware of food safety at farmers markets, the agency said. Namely, be aware that any freshly prepared product, such as hummus, salsa, cut fruit salad, and guacamole can be a potential health risk if not handled correctly.

IDPH offered these tips to consumers at farmers' markets:

• Only buy products from vendors who keep freshly prepared fruit and vegetable products cold, either in refrigerator units or on ice.
• Once purchased, keep freshly prepared fruit and vegetable products cold. If you plan to spend a lot of time at the market, bring a cooler or ice pack for storage.
• When you arrive home, place these products immediately in the refrigerator and eat within days.
• Any freshly prepared fruit or vegetable product that is not properly refrigerated should not be eaten, and should be discarded.

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Bacterial toxins -- not Norovirus -- probably caused an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in about 150 of 1,000 attendees at a YMCA Youth and Government meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, in early February. Five were hospitalized.

That is the followup report from WRAL-TV in Raleigh, quoting health officials including state epidemiologist Dr. Megan Davies.

Said Davies: “The timing of the outbreak and the fact that most sick attendees had only diarrhea and not vomiting make it unlikely that norovirus was the main cause. Still, some students might have had norovirus when they arrived at the conference in Raleigh.”

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Epidemiologists are studying what caused more than 150 people to fall ill with diarrhea, vomitting and stomach cramping after a catered dinner Friday night at Raleigh Convention Center.

The event was part of a regional youth and government conference held by YMCA. According to a report on the apparent foodborne illness outbreak by the Charlotte News and Observer newspaper, at least five attendees were hospitalized.

The illnesses were so sudden and widespread that ambulances were sent to the downtown Raleigh Sheraton Hotel where many of the sick were staying. The newspaper said at least 20 ambulances and several firetrucks were parked along Salisbury Street behind the hotel throughout Saturday morning.

Wake County health investigators interviewed students Saturday afternoon to determine whether the illness might have been caused by a food-borne pathogen.  

Wake County spokeswoman Marshall Parrish said epidemiologists will be studying the outbreak over the next few days or weeks in an attempt to find the cause.

If you were affected by this outbreak and have questions about possible legal compensation, contact national food poisoning law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our contact form on the side of this Web page. We are a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation and we have been helping victims collect compensation for years.

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Paramedics were called to a restaurant Friday night in Raleigh, North Carolina, to attend to at least nine cases of possible foodborne illness.

Independent Weekly quoted a Wake County health official saying that an outbreak of illness was under investigation, but the official wouldn't even say if the patients ate at the same restaurant.

"Typically we don't implicate a facility until we have confirmation of lab results,'' Andre Pierce, director of environmental health and safety division of the county's environmental services division, told the weekly. "The investigation is ongoing and we don't have any results yet.''

But the newspaper checked with the Raleigh-Wake 911 Center and an official there said the center received an emergency call shortly before 10 p.m. Friday for help at Evoo, a Mediterranean restaurant in Raleigh's Five Points.

When the paramedic unit arrived, it called for backup and additional personnel were dispatched to the scene. In all, the newspaper reported, nine rescuers attended to victims at the restaurant.

According to the online comments of an unidentified reader of the Independent Weekly story, investigators are not only investigating for possible food poisoning. Reportedly, the officials also are looking at the possibility that a virus was brought into the restaurant by a customer or third party.

If you or someone you know has become seriously ill from food poisoning, call a food poisoning attorney at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., one of the few law firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. Our lawyers are recognized nationally and have been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, CNN, Fox News and CBS News.

To contact one of our attorneys, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete one of our free online case consultation forms.

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