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

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued its last public update on the Hannaford Supermarket ground beef Salmonella outbreak without being able to say who supplied contaminated meat to the grocery chain for the purpose of making hamburger.

The so-called Final Investigation Update didn't even mention the agency's earlier-stated frustration over incomplete record-keeping at Hannaford in in terms of being able to tell which meatpackers supplied the beef that went into the retail chain's grinder. Without accurate grinding logs, there would be no traceback -- a process that could have potentially prevented other contaminated beef from reaching the food chain.

A total of 20 people were infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium in seven states. The outbreak started in October and is now considered over, although there is still a warning to consumers that they check their freezers for Hannaford ground beef that was recalled. The number of victims were as follows: Hawaii (1), Kentucky (1), Massachusetts (1), Maine (4), New Hampshire (6), New York (6), and Vermont (1).

The outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium was resistant to several commonly prescribed antibiotics, which may have caused an increase in the risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected patients. Nearly half of those who suffered infection in this outbreak were hospitalized, but there were no deaths.

National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is continuing to accept cases for a possible Hannaford Salmonella lawsuit. Our firm is one of the very few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we are involved in practically all major outbreaks of food poisoning representing people who were harmed. Hiring a good foodborne illness attorney is important because the laws are complex and the size of claims rests on the level of experienced representation behind you and your family.

Contact a Salmonella lawyer at PritzkerOlsen or call the firm directly at 1-888-377-8900.

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McDonald’s, Burger King and Taco Bell will no longer be offering burgers made with a filler of low-grade beef treated with bacteria-killing ammonium hydroxide, known to its critics as “pink slime.”

The filler product, widely used in fast food and school lunch meals, garnered national attention earlier this year when chef and food activist Jamie Oliver denounced it on his show, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, saying: "Basically we're taking a product that would be sold at the cheapest form for dogs and after this process we can give it to humans."

Oliver was referring to the the method, developed by Beef Products Inc. (BFI) of Dakota Dunes, S.D., “of removing bits of beef from fatty carcass trimmings that had previously been sold for pet food or animal feed and then treating the beef with ammonium hydroxide gas to kill bacteria,” according to a story in the Argus Leader.

“We have never had an illness that’s been traced to us. That’s an unprecedented food safety record,” BFI’s founder Eldon Roth, said in the story.

Ammonium hydroxide is one of many chemicals used by the meat industry to kill pathogens at various stages of processing. While pink slime is high on the gross out factor, it serves a purpose, according to Nancy Donley who co-founded the consumer advocacy group STOP Foodborne Illness in 1993 after her child was fatally poisoned by a tainted fast food burger.

Vaccines for pathogens such as E.coli and Salmonella have been slow getting to market and many cattle producers have resisted taking the initiative of preventing bacteria from getting into their animals, Donley, who serves on a board that advises the Agriculture Department on food safety, told the Leader.

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An outbreak of  Salmonella Typhimurium  that has sickened 14 people has prompted Hannaford grocery stores to issue a recall on an undetermined amount of fresh ground beef, according to the  U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Through ongoing epidemiologic and traceback investigations and in-store reviews, FSIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health officials have established a link between the outbreak and the ground beef sold by the Scarborough, Maine-based grocery chain.

The Salmonella Typhimurium strain associated with this outbreak is reported rarely in the U.S, according to the CDC which reports that, so far, 14 people have become ill, 11 of whom reported consuming ground beef. Half of the patients have required hospitalization and no deaths have been reported. The outbreak strain is  resistant to multiple commonly prescribed antibiotics, including cephalosporins, beta-lactams and aminoglycosides.

Of the 14 case-patients, 10  reported purchasing ground beef at Hannaford stores in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine between Oct. 12 and Nov. 20.  FSIS has not yet determined responsible suppliers and no other product description is available at this time.

The  ground beef packages bear sell-by dates of Dec. 17, 2011 or earlier and were sold at Hannaford stores throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. FSIS and the company are concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers' freezers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on FSIS' website at: www.fsis.usda.gov/

The products subject to recall are any size package of the following:

"73% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"75% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"80% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"85% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"90% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"80% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"

"85% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"

"90% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"

"85% Nature's Place Ground Beef"

"90% Nature's Place Ground Beef"

Eating food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, an infection which can be serious and sometimes life-threatening especially for children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems. Symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever usually develop within 12 to 72 hours. In severe cases, conditions including meningitis, colitis and reactive arthritis can develop.

Those with legal questions about an illness or a hospitalization associated with this outbreak should contact the foodbrone illness attorneys at PritzkerOlsen for a free consultation.

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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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A California company is recalling 377,775 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Because Commercial Meat Co. of Los Angeles did not hold its product after FSIS discovered a problem during routine testing, 377,775 pounds of potentially tainted beef was shipped to restaurants in California and Nevada, as well as one Federal establishment in California for further processing.

The products subject to recall were produced between September 7, 2011 and October 6, 2011. Each case bears a label with the establishment number "EST. 4873" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The following ground beef products are subject to recall:

• 5,10 and 20 lb. cases of ground beef patties
• 10,15,20,30,40 and 50 lb. cases of ground beef taco
• 5,10,15,20,25,30,40,50 and 60 lb. cases of ground beef chili 
• 5,10,15,20,30,40,50 and 60 lb. cases of bulk ground beef

No illnesses have been reported in what is the largest E coli ground beef recall so far this year. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.

E.coli O157:H7 is a bacterium that can serious or fatal infection. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea and dehydration. Children, who are especially vulnerable to foodborne illness, can develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe condition that is the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States. It is fatal in 5-10% of the cases.

The food safety experts at the law firm of PritzkerOlsen have helped families all over the country who have endured the hardship and loss that a foodborne illness can create. If you have legal questions about an foodborne illness contact them at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form online.

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State and federal health officials have associated an Arizona ground beef Salmonella outbreak with fresh hamburger produced by Beef Packers Inc. of Fresno, California.

It is the second time this year that Cargill-owned Beef Packers has been tied to a ground beef Salmonella outbreak. The first one, announced in early August, sickened 39 people in 11 states and led to the recall of 825,769 pounds of ground beef.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced late Friday the latest recall of 22,723 pounds of fresh ground beef distributed in Arizona through various retailers. The batch of tainted ground beef was made September 23, 2009, and all retail packages -- regardless of the store -- bear the USDA establishment number of EST 31913 on the USDA mark of inspection. 

Beef Packers sold the meat in 60-pound cases for repacking. The cases were marked "use/freeze by 10/11/09.''

So far, two cases of Salmonellosis in Arizona have been associated with the ground beef and the investigation is continuing.

The Arizona Department of Health Services notified FSIS of the situation and a joint investigation, including a traceback investigation that determined there is an association between the fresh ground beef products made by Cargill's Beef Packers plant in Fresno and two (2) illnesses reported in Arizona. The Salmonella Newport strain was isolated both from the patients and from ground beef produced by Est. 31913. They were also linked by their uncommon pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern found in PulseNet, a national network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If you or a loved one has become ill after eating ground beef from USDA plant number 31913, see a physician immediately. For answers to legal questions, call a Salmonella lawyer at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. We are a national food safety law firm currently representing a victim of the previous Beef Packers ground beef Salmonella outbreak.

We have collected millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning and are one of the few law firms in the country specializing in food poisoning litigation. Call our office at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our online contact and information form on the side of this web page.

Our firm is dedicated to the prevention of foodborne illness outbreaks and we are actively supporting attempts in Congress to strengthen food safety laws in this country that are badly outdated. Salmonella infection is not to be taken lightly. It can be deadly, especially if contracted by a young child or an elderly person. And there are long-term health consequences that many people don't realize until a family member is victimized. 

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National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is representing an Arizona client who became sick with Salmonella not long after an August 2009 ground beef recall.

The original recall involved 825,769 pounds of ground beef produced by Fresno, California.-based Beef Packers, Inc., which is owned by Cargill Meat Solutions, a subsidiary of Cargill, Inc.

This is the same contaminated beef recall investigated by reporters at USA Today, who found in a story published this week that the federal government accepted shipments from Beef Packers for the national school lunch program during the same time period that the plant was producing tainted ground beef.

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Consumers are still being warned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to check their freezers for ground beef stamped with "EST 492'' inside the USDA mark of inspection.

If the products were purchased on or after September 15, 2009, and they have production date codes of 091409, 091509 or 091609 they are likely part of the Halloween recall of 545,699 pounds of ground beef and related products associated with the Fairbank Farms ground beef E. coli outbreak, which has killed 2 people and hospitalized 17 others. Five of the victims have developed life-threatening E. coli HUS. 

According to the final CDC update on the outbreak, two samples from opened packages of ground beef recovered from a patient's homes were tested by the Massachusetts and Connecticut Departments of Health and yielded E. coli O157:H7 isolates that matched the patient isolates by DNA analysis.

The cluster includes 26 persons from 8 states infected with matching strains of E. coli O157:H7. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: California (1), Connecticut (6), Massachusetts (8), Maryland (1), Maine (4), New Hampshire (4), New York (1), and Vermont (1). Of these, the genetic associations of 24 human isolates and both of the product isolates have been confirmed by an advanced secondary DNA test; secondary tests are pending on others. 

Even though the CDC may not publish any additional updates on the outbreak, it is not over. The health agency said the number of cases could increase. The volume of ground beef recalled for the potential of E. coli O157:H7 contamination is very large and many consumers could still become ill if they are unaware of the threat.

The last person confirmed as a victim in the outbreak had an onset of illness on November 6.

If you or a loved one has been sickened in this outbreak, contact national food safety lawyers at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free), or complete our online contact and information form on the side of this web page. We have been in contact with other victims of this outbreak and an E coli attorney at our firm will provide you with a free case consultation.

We are one of the few law firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected tens of millions of dollars for victims.

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 U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is saying in the aftermath of a tough New York Times story about hamburger E. coli that federal regulators are working hard to reduce the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 and that public health -- not meat industry profits -- is the government's top priority.

That's not what a lower-ranking USDA official told Times reporter Michael Moss, who might win a Pulitzer Prize next year for his continued work on food safety. Dr. Kenneth Petersen, an assistant administrator with the USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), told the Times that his department has the power to force grinding plants to test incoming beef trim for E. coli O157:H7.

A food safety officer at a major U.S. hamburger grinding company was on record in the Times' story as saying many big slaughterhouses won't sell beef trim and scrap to grinding plants if the plants test the shipments for E. coli. The admission was one of the most shocking revelations in the story considering that ground beef E. coli outbreaks are a chronic public health threat in the United States. An estimated five percent to 10 percent of infections develop into E coli HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, the leading cause of kidney failure in children. 

Said Petersen: "I have to look at the entire industry, not just what is best for public health.''

Vilsack tried to set the record straight by saying in his written press release that the "sole mission'' of FSIS is to protect public health.

But while Vilsack ticked off recent initiatives taken by USDA to reduce the incidence of E. coli O157:H7, he did not promise to mandate E. coli testing at the receiving docks of plants that grind beef trim and scrap into hamburger. 

In 2008, USDA issued draft guidelines to the beef slaughter and grinding industry saying that every production lot should be sampled and tested before leaving the supplier and again at the receiver. After the proposed guideline received critical comments, the guidelines were never made official, the Times story said

In his statement this week, Vilsack made no mention of the specific testing issue. He would only say that USDA will "initiate a rulemaking'' in the near future to require all grinders to keep accurate records of the sources of each lot of ground beef.

The Times story investigated what ingredients were in Cargill hamburger patties that sickened more than 900 people in late 2007 with E. coli O157:H7. One of the victims -- a dance instructor from Minnesota -- developed HUS E. coli and was paralyzed from the waist down after the pathogen invaded her central nervous system.

The story revealed that the so-called "Angus Beef Patties'' sold by Cargill were actually made in Butler, Wisconsin, from cheap and fatty beef trim and beef scraps from four different suppliers -- one from Nebraska, one from Texas, one from Uruguay and one from South Dakota.

A central point to the story was that eating ground beef in America is still a gamble. If you or someone you love has fallen victim to E. coli 0157:H7, call an E. coli HUS lawyer at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness and we have collected tens of millions for victims of food poisoning. 

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Colorado health officials are worried that ground beef contaminated with Salmonella is still contributing to an outbreak associated with King Soopers Inc.

The Denver-based King Soopers recalled nearly half a million pounds of  ground beef on July 23 after evidence showed contamination with Salmonella typhimurium DT104 -- a microorganism that is resistant to many antibiotics prescribed for treatment of Salmonella infection.

According to the Denver Post, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment repeated a warning Friday for Coloradans to avoid eating ground beef or thoroughly cook it to guard against the outbreak strain of Salmonella. So far, there are 21 confirmed cases, including four who were hospitalized but now are recovering.

If you or someone you know was sickened with Salmonella after eating ground beef purchased in Colorado, contact Pritzker Olsen attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete one of our online consultation forms. Pritzker Olsen is representing Salmonella victims around the country, including the families of three women who died in the peanut butter Salmonella outbreak late last year and early this year. Our lawyers are among the few in the country who practice extensively in the area of foodborne illness and we have collected tens of millions for victims of food poisoning.

The original Colorado ground beef recall notice said the contaminated meat was sold between May 23 and July 23 at King Soopers and City Market retail grocery stores in Colorado. Friday's story in th ePost said it is possible that the contaminated meat is still on sale and there is concern that meat purchased last month is still in consumers' freezers.

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 A government sampling procedure at a food company in New Jersey indicated that certain ground beef products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a finding that has prompted the firm to recall 345 pounds of the meat.

The announcement Tuesday by  the U.S.Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) relates to five-pound and ten-pound plastic bags of ground beef produced Nov. 18 at Dutch Prime Foods Inc. of Long Branch, N.J.

FSIS said in a press release that it has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of the product. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should consult a medical professional, the agency said.

The FSIS said the potentially tainted meat was distributed to restaurants in New Jersey. The bags of "Dutch Prime Foods Hamburger" were shipped in cases bearing the establishment number "EST. 5206" inside the USDA mark of inspection. (See product label on this page).

FSIS said the problem was discovered in routine sampling procedures by its own inspectors.

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