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

An article by Elizabeth Weise for USA Today posed the question, “Who should pay to make ground beef safe from E. coli?" The article discusses two products, an E. coli vaccine and probiotics, that have made it possible to almost eliminate E. coli in ground beef.  Even though consumers are willing to pay extra for safer beef, ranchers are not eager to pay for the products because they have to be used months or years before the cows can be sold, according to the article:

It's hard to figure out who should pay for steps that would take place months and possibly years before the grill starts sizzling. The people who'd have to pay for them aren't the ones who would reap the direct benefits.

Researchers at Harvard University estimate that American beef consumers are willing to pay 1 cent to 2 cents a pound to reduce the risk of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses. "Common sense plus our paper and many others suggest consumers will pay more for safer food," says James Hammitt, who co-wrote a paper on consumer willingness to pay for food safety in the September edition of the journal Risk Analysis.

These interventions aren't perfect, but they're very good, says Guy Loneragan, a professor of food safety at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. "The question is no longer, 'Can we get the technologies?' We've got them, or they're soon to arrive. The question is 'How do we implement?' "

The vaccine is a Pfizer product. According to Pfizer:

Escherichia Coli Bacterial Extract vaccine with SRP technology has been shown to reduce the number of cattle testing positive for the bacteria by 85 percent. And those animals still testing positive show a 98 percent reduction in concentration of E. coli O157.

Pfizer acquired global rights to the vaccine from Epitopix LLC after Epitopix was given a conditional license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sell its vaccine in 2009.

Probiotics for cattle have been around longer than the vaccine. A number of companies sell probiotic products that can be mixed with feed to maintain intestinal health and aid digestion. These products first hit the market in 2002. Here is an excerpt from an article in beefmagazine.com dated October 1, 2002:

A new feed ingredient that contains probiotics or “good bacteria” can reduce the presence of E. coli 0157:H7 in live cattle by as much as 50%, according to researchers at Texas Tech University.

Feet have been dragging long enough. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and state agriculture departments need to work together to get this done immediately. We have had clients who suffered renal failure, had colostomies and had central nervous system damage, all because they ate beef contaminated with E. coli. To have a solution to this problem and not implement it is unacceptable.

Nancy Donley, the founder of STOP Foodborne Illness, told USA Today:

Consumers are happy to pay for additional safety, Donley says. "We need to do something at the source" before cattle go to slaughter, she says. "This is something we've been crying for for ages."

To read the USA Today article in full, click here.

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Certain restaurants in Armada, Lapeer and North Branch, Michigan, received McNees Meats ground beef tainted with E. coli O157:NM -- a shiga-toxin producing type of E. coli that can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (HUS-TTP).

McNees Meats in North Branch is recalling a ton of ground beef sold to restaurants and directly to consumers from its own retail location. The product has been linked to an outbreak of E. coli O157:NM that has sickened at least five people. In addition, the ground beef is the probable cause of four other illnesses. This McNees ground beef E. coli outbreak is under investigation in Lapeer, Genesee, Isabella and Sanilac counties of Michigan. A public health alert has been issued.

The initial recall was for 360 pounds of ground beef products, but that was expanded to 2,200 pounds on August 11. The recall covers 1- and 10-pound bagged packages of “McNees Ground Beef Bulk,'' 1 to 1.5-pound packages of  "McNees Ground beef patties,'' 1-pound packages of “McNees Ground Round'' and 1 and 2-pound packages of  “McNees Ground Beef Bulk” sold in red and white plastic bags. Each product bag bears the establishment number "EST. 33971'' within the USDA mark of inspection. 

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National Beef Packaging Co. of Dodge City, Kansas is recalling 60,000 pounds of ground beef due to to possible E. coli contamination. So far, the recall affects grocery stores chains mainly in the southeastern U.S. including Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., Publix Super Markets Inc. and Kroger Co. Those chains have stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee, but the meat could have been sold throughout the country.

If ingested, E. coli can cause serious illness or death. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the recall Friday after the Ohio Department of Agriculture found the bacteria. No illnesses have been reported. The company has launched an investigation.
 

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Eating ground beef has become a high risk activity, and consumers need to be informed of that risk. In Michigan 9 people have E. coli infections because they ate ground beef processed by McNees Meats and Wholesale LLC, a meat-processing and retail establishment in North Branch, Mich.

Six of the people sickened landed in the hospital. Because most of the people sickened were adults, it is likely that at least one developed thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and/or hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). These severe complications of an E. coli O157 infection cause kidney failure, central nervous system damage (strokes, seizures, paralysis, etc.), pancreatitis and death.

The victims of this outbreak and their families need to know the following:

1. They are not to blame even if the ground beef was cooked at home. McNees is still responsible for the pain and suffering caused by their ground beef.
2. E. coli O157 food poisoning is preventable with good sanitation and product testing.
3. The USDA, which is supposed to police the beef industry, is also supposed to promote the industry--bad idea.
4. You have the right to sue McNees and any other parties that are legally responsible for the E. coli infection and every medical problem resulting from it.
5. You have the right to ask for expected future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and income loss. Our attorneys hire experts to come up with these figures. You can contact Fred Pritzker, lead attorney for our E. coli cases, for a free consultation.
6. Sadly, you are not alone. For support, and you need it, visit Stop Foodborne Illness. This is a nonprofit organization run by families who have gone through what you are going through now.

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The Valley Meat E. coli recall announced by USDA covers 1 million pounds of frozen patties and bulk ground beef, including hamburger sold under the following brand names: Valley Meat Co., Bigger Valley Burger, Supremas Beef Patties, Hearst, The Butcher's Cut, Valley Meat Co. Certified Black Angus Beef Burgers and Smashburger.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said the recall was prompted by possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. In connection with the recall, FSIS announced a cluster of  seven matching E. coli O157:H7 infections in California. The outbreak continues to be investigated and officials urge consumers in California, Texas, Arizona and Oregon to check freezer stocks for the tainted products.

All packages recalled by Valley Meat Company of Modesto, Calif., bear the Establishment number EST 8268 inside the USDA mark of inspection. The suspect ground beef was produced between October 2, 2009, and January 12, 2010, but the first illnesses were detected months later.

Click here to see the complete Valley Meat E. coli recall list. Many of the products in this Valley Meat E. coli recall are individually quick frozen patties, known in the industry as IQF pattties.

E. coli lawyer Fred Prtizker has called on Valley Meat to pay all medical expenses, lost wages and travel costs of the victims of this outbreak. His firm, Pritzker Olsen, is conducting its own investigation. Pritzker said that while other legal issues, including compensation for pain and suffering, are pending, the families deserve the peace of knowing these immediate costs are covered. 

Pritzker also stated that he believes food service providers should do more to ensure that meat suppliers are following state-of-the-art techniques to keep deadly pathogens out of the food supply.

“It is really up to food service providers to demand that the meat they provide to customers is produced under the safest possible conditions,” Pritzker said. “Food service providers have the market power to change dangerous practices.”

Pritzker Olsen is a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation and has years of experience winning ground beef E. coli lawsuits. Over the years the firm has collected millions for its clients and lawyers for the firm are actively involved in efforts to eliminate potentially deadly pathogens from our food supply.

Free case consultations in the Valley Meat E. coli outbreak can be obtained by calling 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

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A California hamburger E. coli outbreak and recall has been announced by USDA today; starting with a 1 million-pound recall of Valley Meat hamburger that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly human pathogen.

Valley Meat Company of Modesto, California, produced about 1 million pounds of frozen hamburger patties and bulk hamburger meat  from October 2, 2009, to January 12, 2010, that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The potentially tainted hamburger was sold to retailers and restaurant suppliers in California, Arizona, Texas and Oregon.

Seven E. coli O157:H7 laboratory-confirmed infections -- all sharing the same genetic fingerprint -- have been reported by the California Department of Public Health.

Law firm Pritzker Olsen, which represents victims in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness, strongly urges consumers in California, Arizona, Texas and Oregon to check their freezers for the recalled hamburger meat.  Click here to see the complete FSIS Valley Meat E. coli recall list. 

 Consumers should look for any frozen hamburger marked with the USDA establishment number EST 8268 inside the USDA mark of inspection. That means it was produced by Valley Meats in Modesto.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible.

In 5 to 15 percent of cases, individuals develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) -- related conditions that are life threatening due to kidney, brain, nervous system and heart damage that can result from the release of powerful toxins from E. coli.

If you or a loved one has symptoms of E. coli infection, including bloody diarrhea and painful stomach cramps, see your physician immediately and request that a stool culture be taken.

For answers to legal questions about this California hamburger E. coli outbreak, call Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. Our firm is a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation and we have won millions for our clients.

Our lawyers have won many hamburger E. coli lawsuits against large manufacturers, restaurants and other purveyors of contaminated meat. We also advocate strongly and actively for stronger food safety laws nationally and at the state level to keep potentially deadly pathogens like E. coli O157:H7 out of hamburger and the rest of the food supply.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Health officials from the Food and Drug Administration and USDA will hold a public hearing next month to search for ways to better trace food poisoning to its original source. 

Better tracking mechanisms also are included in pending food safety legislation in Congress and for good reason: In nearly 60 percent of food poisoning outbreaks, a source of the pathogen is never found and the illness remains a public health mystery, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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It appears as though the processing plant belonging to Valley Meats LLC of Coal Valley, Illinois, has prior experience in a recall of ground beef related to an outbreak of  E. coli O157:H7.

Valley Meats LLC is the USDA-licensed meat processing plant that on Thursday recalled 48 tons of frozen beef patties and refrigerated ground beef as part of an investigation into an E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Health officials are investigating whether the death of a 7-year-old Cleveland girl from E. coli O157:H7 was part of the outbreak.

An initial investigation by national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys uncovered the following press release information in the public archives of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Keep in mind that Valley Meats LLC lists the brand name J & B Meats on its current federal processing certificate:

Washington, Oct. 13, 2007: - J & B Meats Corporation Inc., a Coal Valley, Ill., establishment, is voluntarily recalling approximately 173,554 pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The recall list in the 2007 press release included two-pound, three-pound and eight-pound boxes of frozen "Topps 100% Pure Ground Beef Hamburgers.''  The boxes were stamped with the unique USDA Establishment Number 5712 --  the same establishment number stamped on the packages of beef recalled Thursday by Valley Meats LLC.

The J & B recall of Topps hamburgers coincided with the large E. coli 0157:H7 recall of many more pounds of Topps beef patties by the Topps Meat factory in Elizabeth New Jersey. At that time, the Topps recall was the second-largest beef recall in U.S. history and it resulted in the plant going out of business. At least 40 E. coli illnesses had been associated with Topps burgers at the time of the recalls.

The same plant, with Establishment No. 5712, was the subject of two additional E. coli O157:H7 recalls in 2002 and 2003. In both outbreaks, J & B Meats Corp. was listed as operator and the recall involved frozen hamburger patties and packages of ground beef.

Records show the 2002 recall was for 63,000 pounds. Then, as now, the product was distributed to restaurants, hotels and other food service accounts.

A recall on May 30, 2003, happened after the State of Wisconsin investigated an E. coli O157:H7 illness from ground beef, records show.

Pritzker Olsen founder and president Fred Pritzker is calling on Valley Meats LLC and any restaurants that may be involved in the current E. coli outbreak to agree to pay the medical bills and lost wages of victims and their families. Pritzker also called on the responsible parties to issue a formal apology.

To contact an E. coli 0157:H7 lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation.

Pritzker Olsen is involved in practically all major outbreaks of foodborne illness and has recovered  millions of dollars for victims  of E. coli infection and related Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, or HUS .

E. coli O157:H7 infections are especially dangerous for young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. HUS is a complication of E. coli that is the leading cause of E. coli deaths.  

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