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

Seven people from Illinois are case patients in the turkey Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 77 people in 26 states. Ground turkey has been implicated as the cause of this outbreak in Illinois, Ohio and other states. But as of yet the investigation has not identified the brand name or the manufacturing plant where the meat came from.

The Illinois Department of Public Health, along with local health departments in Illinois, are collaborating with the CDC and USDA to investigate. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg is resistant to some antibiotics. Any potential information on the contamination source will come from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, the primary regulator for meat.

Nationally, the turkey outbreak has caused one Salmonella death and the illnesses have occurred since the first day of March. The outbreak is ongoing. Of the seven cases in Illinois with the same type of Salmonella as the outbreak, at least one person has been hospitalized. Reports of illness in Illinois started on March 21, 2011, with the most recent case patient becoming ill on June 29. Case patients range in age from 3 to 60 years and were reported in Cass County, Cook County, DuPage County, Madison County, Peoria County, Will County and Williamson County. This area encompasses Chicago and other Illinois cities.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Ohio is part of the turkey Salmonella outbreak under investigation by the Centers for Disease Control, state health departments and local offices. The Ohio Department of Health reports 10 cases occurred between April 22 and June 26, including three cases in Cuyahoga County.

Ohio turkey Salmonella cases also have been reported in Franklin, Lake, Lorian, Lucas, Montgomery, Summit and Warren counties, the Columbus Dispatch reported. They are all part of the multi-state outbreak that the CDC reports has sickened 77 people in 26 states.  So far there has been one Salmonella death in the outbreak, but not in Ohio.

Public health officials in Ohio and beyond are working to identify the precise source, but ground turkey has been implicated. The brand of ground turkey or the plant where it was packaged is not known at this time. Therefore, this outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg has not yet prompted any turkey recall.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

In the video below, personal injury attorney Ryan Osterholm discusses Cryptosporidium infections associated with swimming pools.

Cryptosporidium is a pathogen that can cause severe diarrhea and sometimes death. It can survive in water once it is introduced via a fecal contaminant. People contract Cryptosporidium from swimming in pools and ingesting infected water.

Recently, our law firm has been contacted by a family sickened by Cryptosporidium from swimming in a pool in Ohio. We have reason to believe this outbreak affected many more people than this one family.

If you are part of this Cryptosporidium outbreak, it is important that you contact your doctor to be diagnosed and treated and contact your local health department to ensure the outbreak investigation is complete.

To contact our law firm about your Cryptosporidium claim, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free).

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food, a USDA initiative launched in August 2009, was designed to help people understand where their food comes from and encourage and create new economic opportunities. The USDA and the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food  have held training meetings and webinars, providing valuable information pertinent to small farm economics.

At the time the venture was announced, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack commented,

An American people that is more engaged with their food supply will create new income opportunities for American agriculture.  Reconnecting consumers and institutions with local producers will stimulate economies in rural communities, improve access to healthy, nutritious food for our families, and decrease the amount of resources to transport our food." 

The USDA is working to encourage growth of small and mid-sized farms and ranches through a guaranteed loan and grant program. They also provide access for agricultural training and legal, financial and marketing educational resources. Some of these resources are available on their website, as is a list of locations of farmers markets across the United States.

The USDA recently released a video to further promote local and regional food sources. According to USDA statistics, the number of farmers markets tripled between 1994 and 2010, from 1,755 to 6,132. Tom Vilsack was encouraged with this growth and said,

"Seeing such continued strong growth in the number of U.S. farmers markets indicates that regional food systems can provide great economic, social and health benefits to communities across the country. Farmers markets provide fresh, local products to communities across the country while offering economic opportunities for many producers of all sizes." 

Remember that just because food is grown locally and sold at farmers markets, does not mean it is safe to eat. You still need to be vigilant and follow good food safety practices in preparing, serving and storing food. Check out the free farmers markets food safety pdf.

PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is a leading law firm practicing nationally in foodborne illness litigation. We have collected millions for our clients. Our firm is actively involved in efforts to reduce and eliminate human pathogens from our food supply.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

By Fred Pritzker

A recent collaboration involving the Institute of Food Technologists and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is intended to improve product tracing in food production and distribution.

The study, released in October 2009 and entitled Traceability (Product Tracing) in Food Systems, identified key data elements, use of electronic forms and standardized formats as a means to identify and track food products implicated in outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 in foodborne illness outbreaks.   

Traceability is an essential component of food safety regulation. Simply put, it is essential that every food’s supply chain from farm to retail store or foodservice outlet be known, recorded and easily accessed. This would allow for rapid detection of foodborne illness outbreaks, removal of adulterated products from the marketplace, consumer warnings and identification of wrongdoers in product liability claims brought on behalf of foodborne illness survivors.

Unfortunately, the system of traceability in this country is fragmented and incomplete. For example, there is no standardized system for the identification and recording of key data elements (e.g. physical location at which the product was handled, lot numbers, amount of product manufactured or shipped, recipients of shipped products, etc.). Nor are there record-keeping requirements for Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) – instances in which a product is moved between premises, is transformed or is otherwise determined to be a point at which data capture is necessary to trace the product.

These deficiencies are well known and long-standing. They endanger consumers and make it difficult to hold wrongdoers accountable for the harms and losses they cause. As food safety lawyers, we at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys are involved in virtually every major outbreak of foodborne illness. We believe the common sense recommendations in this report should be implemented without further delay.  

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

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. 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Cargill Corp. is the second meatpacking company in a week to recall beef tongues that may not have had tonsils completely removed.

The recall announcement by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is Class II, meaning it's a health hazard situation where there's only a remote possibility of adverse health consequences. Under the recall, Cargill Meat Solutions in Milwaukee is recalling 5,522 pounds of beef tongues produced from Oct. 12 to Oct. 14. The packages bear the USDA establishment number EST 17690.

Just a couple of days ago, Omaha-based J.F. O'Neill meatpacking company recalled 33,000 pounds of tongues produced between July and October.

Tonsils are considered "specified risk material'' in cattle infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. SRM means the infective agent could possible be found in these tissues. USDA regulations prohibit  SRMs' from use in human food to minimize potential human exposure to BSE.

The prevalence of BSE is extremely rare and almost non-existent in U.S. cattle, but the beef tongue recalls are an opportunity to remind people why BSE is so dangerous. 

In humans it is known as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jackob Disease, which can be fatal. An outbreak in Britain several years ago resulted in human deaths. The country killed 4.4 million cattle as part of the eradication effort.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

 A food company from Tracy, California, sold 11,500 pounds of various sausage combinations without ever having the meat inspected. Now the USDA has announced a recall of the meat, some of which was sold last spring.

The sausage from Vatran's Fine Foods Inc. was distributed from March 2009 through October to retail outlets in the San Joaquin Valley. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall, but individuals are urged to contact a physician about any food poisoning illness they believe may be related to consumption of the products.

The list of recalled sausage is long, including such varieties as andouille, chicken with potato, lamb with potato, veal frankfurters and kielbasa. The recalled Vatran's sausage was sold under the Vatran's label and Montibella Sausage Co. brand.

Packages in question would bear one of the following three establishment codes: EST 34334, P-34334, EST 34334-M.

Click here to view the complete recall list as provided by the Food Safety and Inspection Service.

 

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

You can add U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York to the list of federally elected officials who are gung-ho about reforming America's faltering food safety system -- a system that we here at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys have been decrying for years as we represent victim after victim of food poisoning.

As a member of the Senate Ag Committee, Gillibrand issued a lengthy press release yesterday containing proposed food safety legislation that is sweeping and bold. Many of her planned initiatives were already in discussion, but she adds some new wrinkles -- including a bill she calls the "E. coli Eradication Act.''

The proposed eradication act is a reaction to a New York Times story that found that many large commercial hamburger grinding plants don't test beef trim and scraps for E. coli O157:H7 before they mix it together. A widely accepted industry practice is to gather  low-grade beef ingredients from various far-flung slaughterhouses and mix them together into ground beef without checking first whether they are contaminated. The slaughterhouses like it that way.

Gillibrand's "E. coli Eradication Act'' would require grinders to test the incoming shipments for E. coli and then again after it is ground into hamburger. The pathogen, which can lead to deadly cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) already is banned from finished ground beef.

As things stand now, the Senate is expected to take up a large food safety reform bill and work with authors of an already approved House bill in an attempt to move something to the White House for President Obama to sign before the end of the year.

From Senator Gillibrand's office, here's a summary of other food safety initiatives she is carrying into session:

• Expand access to records, giving the FDA access to the records of all food processing facilities.
• Establish FDA oversight of private high quality testing labs used by food companies to verify their credibility.
• Increase federal investments to give the FDA all the resources it needs to implement comprehensive food safety improvements, especially more inspections.
• Order the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize the hiring of inspectors to protect consumers from contaminated imported food.
• In 2003, when the DHS took over the inspection of agricultural products on the border, the position of “agriculture specialists” was created.  While the number of people in this position has been slowly increasing, it is still one-third short of the number of specialists needed to test the ever increasing array of agricultural products coming into the country.
• Require federal agencies to notify all schools involved in the federal school lunch program of food recalls and investigations of suspect food so lunch program administrators can keep it from the cafeteria trays of our school children.
• Give the authority to order a mandatory recall of a food product when a company fails to voluntarily recall the product upon FDA’s request.  Right now, recalls are only voluntary.  
• Allow the FDA to share confidential information with the public when necessary to protect public health;
• Mandate on-site notification of a recalled product by posting notification in the freezer case or shelving unit of retail grocery stores.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Top executives from U.S. produce companies gathered at separate conventions this summer in Monterey, California, and Austin, Texas, to hear PritzkerOlsen principal Elliot Olsen tell them how an outbreak of foodborne illness can put a company out of business in 24 hours.

Elliot was invited to these premier food safety symposiums in July and August by the Produce Marketing Association, which hosted the events. Normally our firm finds itself in opposition to growers and handlers of fresh produce when contaminated lettuce, spinach, tomatoes or some other vegetable are linked to an outbreak ofE. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella.

But Elliot's central message to the industry at these symposiums had an unexpected twist.

While the PritzkerOlsen law firm has a well-earned reputation from coast to coast for battling companies and collecting millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning, the firm's overarching mission is to help make the U.S. food supply safer -- a goal that PritzkerOlsen holds in common with most food producers.

"It's not just a game to us,'' he said. "Part of our mission is prevention.''

Elliot told attendees of the symposiums that companies learn valuable food safety lessons when victims of food poisoning assert their right to compensation for injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering. Without the discipline that lawsuits can bring, no set of regulations from government could bring meaningful reform on their own.

A major portion of Elliot's presentation focused on the human cost of food poisoning. Take, for instance, a past client of PritzkerOlsen described to symposium attendees as Mr. Lewis (not his real name). Mr. Lewis was a very active and healthy 81-year-old man when he contracted Listeriosis from contaminated food. The infection damaged his central nervous system and left him paralyzed. His hospitalization was followed by 400 days in a nursing home, ending in his death. By then, he was hardly recognizable.

Olsen said the crowds in Monterey and Austin -- which included many CEOs and other top-ranking produce company executives -- were very receptive. "Hopefully we'll continue our efforts to eliminate foodborne illness,'' he said.

 

 

 

 

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

 A Salmonella outbreak that may have been caused by shredded lettuce sickened at least 124 people nationwide, but the outbreak has subsided and investigators may never pinpoint the cause.

That is the report out of Oregon today in a story produced by reporter Lynne Terry of The Oregonian.

There was a clustering of these Salmonella Typhimurium illnesses in the West, including two people who were hospitalized in Oregon, one with severe damage. William Keene is senior epidemiologist at Public Health Division in Oregon. He told the newspaper that shredded lettuce is a leading suspect and many of the victims who were interviewed had eaten at fast food restaurants.

But Keene said the outbreak is not tied with any recall and authorities are not warning people away from lettuce or fast food restaurants.  If lettuce was the culprit, it's all eaten by now, the story said.

According to The Oregonian, the first cases began to appear in mid-July. By the end of August the outbreak had reached its peak and tapered off.

In recent times, major outbreaks of Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7 have been tied to leafy green vegetables such as lettuce or spinach almost every year. In the past, investigators have linked outbreaks to specific producers. Dole, for instance, caused a bagged lettuce E. coli outbreak in 2005 and a baby spinach E. coli outbreak in 2006.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen attorneys is currently representing Salmonella Typhimurium victims, including the families of three women who died of the disease late last year and early this year after eating contaminated peanut butter.

Our law firm has collected tens of millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning and is dedicated to preventing foodborne illness. Between Salmonella and E. coli, more than 100,000 people a year become infected in the United States, thousands of whom are hospitalized.

If you or a loved one was diagnosed with the outbreak strain of Salmonella in this latest outbreak, contact a Salmonella attorney at Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). To receive a free case consultation online, go to our contact form and submit your information via the Internet.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

 Bay Valley Foods LLC of Pittsburgh is recalling 6,490 pounds of Stater Bros. brand "Chunky Grilled Steak with Vegetables" soup after the company discovered it was possibly underprocessed when made last November.

The soup recall, announced by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), is categorized as carrying a high health risk. But the alert doesn't say what type of food poisoning  may  result from the underprocessing.

The soup -- packaged in 18.6-ounce metal cans -- is stamped on the top of each can with a Use By/Sell By date of 11/10/10. The can tops also bear the USDA establishment number of EST 108.

FSIS said it is not aware of any illnesses related to the recalled soup.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Kellogg Company has temporarily shut down a frozen foods plant in Atlanta after the Georgia Department of Health detected  Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of buttermilk Eggo waffles at the plant.

While no illnesses have been reported, the company recalled certain packs of Eggo Cinnamon Toast waffles (10 count) and Eggo Toaster Swirlz Cinnamon Roll Minis (eight count).

• The waffles have UPC code 3800040440 with “Best If Used Before” dates beginning with:   NOV22 10 EA, NOV23 10 EA and NOV24 10 EA.
• The "Toaster Swirlz'' have UPC code 3800023370  with a “Best If Used Before” date beginning with NOV15 10 EA.

A press release issued Wednesday from the Georgia Department of Agriculture said Kellogg's immediately began a program to clean and sanitize the plant. Listeria is an organism that is quite hardy and can withstand freezing temperatures, drying and heat remarkably well.

An infection presents itself with flu-like symptoms, but the onset of illness can range from a few days to three weeks after eating contaminated food. Listeria and pregnancy is a special hazard. The disease has a record of causing miscarriage and stillbirth.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are about 2,500 incidents of listeriosis a year in the U.S., including 500 deaths. If you or someone in your family has eaten food contaminated with Listeria and have become sick with blood poisoning, meningitis or other illness, you may be feeling shocked an confused.

If you want to talk about Listeria with an attorney, call national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), or fill in our online consultation form.  

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (4)
• Share Link

Top executives from U.S. produce companies gathered in Austin, Texas, today to hear national food safety lawyer Elliot Olsen tell them how an outbreak of foodborne illness could put them out of business in 24 hours.

It's happened before and likely will happen again, but Olsen's central message to the industry had an unexpected twist. While the Pritzker Olsen law firm has a reputation from coast to coast for collecting millions of dollars from companies on behalf of victims of E. coli O157:H7, HUS, Salmonella, Listeria,and Campylobacter, the firm's overarching mission is to help keep the U.S. food supply safer -- a goal Olsen said his firm holds in common with most food producers.

"It's not just a game to us,'' Olsen said. "Part of our mission is prevention.''

He said companies learn lessons when victims of food poisoning assert their right to compensation for injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering.

Olsen was invited to the one-day Food Safety Symposium in Austin, Texas, by the Produce Marketing Association. The same group invited him to speak last month at an even larger gathering in Monterey, California. Olsen's third appearance for the group is scheduled in Rochester, New York, in October.

A major portion of his presentation focused on the human cost of food contamination. Take, for instance, a past client of Pritzker Olsen described as Mr. Lewis (not his real name.). Mr. Lewis was a very active and healthy 81-year-old man when he contracted Listeriosis from adulterated food. The infection damaged his central nervous system and left him paralyzed. His hospitalization was followed by 400 days in a nursing home, ending in his death. By then, he was hardly recognizable.

Olsen said the crowds in Monterey and Austin -- which included many CEOs and other top-ranking produce company executives -- were very receptive. "Hopefully we'll continue our efforts to eliminate foodborne illness,'' he said.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Getting poisoned by Salmonella or Campylobacter is not just a short-term health concern.

That's what a medical team in Denmark has concluded in a study that found these pathogens to increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease, for 15 years or more after a person suffers from an initial infection of either diarrheal illness.

The risk is particularly high for patients who are hospitalized for treatment of Salmonella or Campylobacter, according to Dr. Henrik Nielsen from Aarhaus University Hospital in Aalborg, Denmark, and his colleagues. Their findings are published this month in the journal Gastroenterology.

The Danish medical team compared the risks of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) between 13,148 patients with documented gastroenteritis caused by Salmonella or Campylobacter and 26,216 uninfected, healthy controls.

Over the course of seven and a half years, IBD was diagnosed in far more gastroenteritis patients (107 or 1.2 percent) than healthy control subjects (73, or .5 percent). The increased risk persisted throughout the 15-year observation period.

Reuters Health summarized a key finding: "After accounting for a variety of factors that might influence the risk, stomach bug patients had nearly a threefold increased risk of developing IBD over the entire study period, and nearly a two fold increased risk in the first year after infection.''

The study underlines what food poisoning experts at Pritzker Olsen attorneys have known for a long time: Diarrheal illnesses that people contract through no fault of their own from food contaminated with harmful bacteria is nothing to be taken lightly.  Our lawyers continually see how people suffer long-term health consequences from E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and other adulterants in food, not to mention Hepatitis A -- which is typically spread by unsanitary practices of an infected person handling food in a restaurant.

If you or someone you know has suffered food poisoning at the hands of a meat producer, (including the Cargill E. coli outbreak),  food retailer, restaurant or caterer, protect your rights and call a food poisoning attorney. Pritzker Olsen lawyers can be contacted at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). Or, to receive a free case consultation via the Internet, submit your information online.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Health officials in the Quad City Region of Illinois say the McDonald's Hepatitis A outbreak has grown to include 30 cases.  To contact Pritzker Olsen about a a McDonald's hepatitis A lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit the free consultation form for review by Attorney Fred Pritzker.  We represent food poisoning victims throughout the United States.

All the illnesses are related to people who visited the McDonald's restaurant in Milan, Illinois, in early or mid-July, officials told Quad-City Times health reporter Dierdre Cox Baker. Sixteen cases are in Rock Island County, four are from out of state and the rest are in the Illinois counties of Mercer, Henry and Warren. Scott County, Iowa, also has at least one confirmed case of Hepatitis A from the McDonald's outbreak.

The outbreak reportedly got started from at least one employee of the McDonald's in Milan. She was diagnosed with the virus in June and went back to work. The Rock Island County Sheriff's Office investigated and reported this week that Trinity Regional Health System and Metropolitan Medical Laboratory failed to promptly report confirmed cases of Hepatitis A to public health officials early in the outbreak.

According to the Quad-City Times report, there was an additional delay in acting on the outbreak because a Rock Island County Health Department employee was on vacation.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen has represented Hepatitis A patients who became ill from eating at restaurants where the virus was spread. Our firm is accepting cases from the McDonald's Hepatitis outbreak in western Illinois and we have a long, proven track record of winning compensation for victims of food poisoning. Hepatitis A is typically spread when an infected restaurant worker doesn't wash their hands thoroughly after using the toilet. The root problem is often related to lax management of sanitation policies and food safety protocols and restaurant owners can be held liable.

In the Milan McDonald's outbreak, the Rock Island County Health Department has innoculated 5,324 people against Hepatitis A. If you have been affected by this outbreak, a food safety lawyer at Pritzker Olsen can be contacted at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). To receive a free Hepatitis A compensation consultation, go to our online consultation form and enter your information for our review. If we agree to take your case, we don't get paid unless you do.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

There's still a chance that more people will become infected in the Nestle E. coli outbreak, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued its final update on the cookie dough outbreak that has sickened at least 80 individuals -- mostly young women -- since early March.

Of the 80 confirmed cases, 35 people have been hospitalized and 10 developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication that results in kidney damage and can trigger other major health problems. E. coli O157:H7 infections such as those experienced in the Nestle Toll House refrigerated dough outbreak can be deadly, but no deaths were reported in this outbreak.

According to the CDC, the disease spread over 31 states. The biggest clusters were found in Minnesota (8); Illinois (7); Washington (6); Colorado (6); California (5); Massachusetts (4); Ohio (3) and Texas (3).

Pritzker Olsen attorneys, one of the leading food safety and food poisoning law firms in the country, is currently representing E. coli O157:H7 victims and is accepting cases from the Nestle Toll House outbreak.. Out firm has the resources and experience to take on companies as big as Nestle to make recoveries for victims who ate raw cookie dough contaminated with this potentially lethal pathogen.

The Food and Drug Administration and the CDC continue to warn consumers not to eat any varieties of the recalled Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7. This includes Nestle Toll House cookie dough that does not say "New Batch'' on the labeling.

On June 29, the FDA  announced a finding of E. coli O157:H7 in a sample of prepackaged and previously unopened Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough collected at Nestle's cookie dough plant in Danville, Virginia. Further lab testing showed that the strain in the sample was not the outbreak strain -- so there is still no microbiological smoking gun linking the outbreak to the cookie dough.

But federal officials and state health departments collected strong epidemiological evidence in their interviews with victims -- most of whom said they ate uncooked Nestle Toll House cookie dough before falling ill. To this day, the government warns consumers not even to open the potentially contaminated dough to bake with it, because it could be accidentally ingested or cross-contaminate a kitchen surface.

If you or a loved one were among those sickened in this outbreak, or if you became ill with symptoms of E. coli after eating raw Nestle cookie dough, call an E. coli lawyer at Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete one of our online E. coli compensation consultation forms for a free case consultation.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

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.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Public health officials in Memphis say that preliminary tests show that more than two dozen people were infected with Salmonella after eating food served by a local barbecue restaurant.

The Memphis Salmonella outbreak spiked when more than 150 people from throughout the region and different parts of the country gathered for a picnic July 10 at Shelby Farms as part of the three day 2009 Harston Family Reunion. The picnic was catered by A&R Bar-B-Q, 3721 Hickory Hill Road in Memphis. That restaurant has been closed since Saturday for retraining of its employees, a health department review and a self-examination.

National food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker, who is representing family members sickened in the outbreak, told Memphis Commercial Appeal reporter Ryan Poe that multiple individuals were hospitalized for treatment. Pritzker, founder of the Pritzker Olsen law firm, has been telling newspaper and television reporters in the region that he will follow the health department's investigation and weigh legal options for the victims.

The outbreak is not necessarily limited to attendees of the Harston Family Reunion. Anyone sickened in the outbreak can contact Pritzker at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free), or by email at fhp@pritzkerlaw.com or via online consultation form.

Nicole Lacey-Hall, a spokeswoman for the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, told the Commercial Appeal that food samples from A&R on Hickory Hill have been sent in for laboratory testing in an attempt to pinpoint the source of the Salmonella outbreak. The samples included spaghetti, pork, chicken and cole slaw.

Pritzker's law firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm is involved in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning and has collected millions on behalf of victims.

Pritzker Olsen currently represents the families of three women who died late last year and early this year in the peanut product Salmonella outbreak caused by a Georgia peanut plant owned by Peanut Corp. of America. Some healthy adults can withstand Salmonella without medical treatment, but the disease can be a serious health threat to young children, the elderly and people who have weakened immune systems. 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The Memphis and Shelby County Health Department is conducting an active investigation into the Hickory Hill location of A&R Bar-B-Q restaurant in Memphis.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the Tennessee Department of Health shortly after national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen issued a press release about a Memphis Salmonella outbreak . Some victims of the outbreak were attending the three-day Harston Family Reunion in Memphis and Pritzker Olsen has been retained to represent them.

More than 150 family members were in town from throughout the region and different parts of the country for the reunion. The gathering featured a picnic July 10 at Shelby Farms Park which was catered by A&R Bar-B-Q, 3721 Hickory Hill Road.

The Memphis and Shelby County Health Department said it will hold a news briefing Thursday to discuss the case. The investigation is epidemiological and environmental in nature and "is in response to receiving some complaints alleging foodborne illnesses stemming from food consumption on July 10 and 11.''  The probe was launched July 14 to determine the source of the problem, but no conclusions had been drawn as of Wednesday, public health officials said.

The health department said the restaurant closed voluntarily on Tuesday and remained closed Wednesday as the owners cooperated with authorities. Fred Pritzker, founder and president of Pritzker Olsen, said a number of victims provided stool samples that have tested positive for Salmonella.

If you are a victim of this outbreak or have any information about it, please contact the law firm of PritzkerOlsen, P.A., toll-free at 1-888-377-8900, by email at fhp@pritzkerlaw.com or by our online contact form. 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Pritzker Olsen law firm has been retained to represent victims of a Salmonella outbreak in Memphis, TN that started on or after July 10, 2009. The matter is currently being investigated by the Tennessee Department of Health.

The outbreak victims were attending the 2009 Harston Family Reunion in Memphis. More than 150 family members from around the country were in town for the three day affair that included a family picnic on July 10 at Shelby Farms Park catered by A & R Bar-B-Q, 3721 Hickory Hill Road, among other activities.

Attendees began exhibiting symptoms consisting of diarrhea, stomach cramps, chills and fever starting on July 11. A number of the victims provided stool tests that later tested positive for Salmonella.

If you are a victim of this outbreak or have any information about it, please contact the law firm of PritzkerOlsen, P.A. toll-free at 1-888-377-8900, by email at fhp@pritzkerlaw.com or by our online contact form.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

A McDonald's restaurant in Milan, Illinois, closed early Thursday amid media reports that its employees have been screened for hepatitis A in connection with an Illinois hepatitis A outbreak.

A parent of one of the McDonald's employees told WQAD.com of the Quad Cities that her daughter and other employees of the McDonald's on U.S. 67 in Milan, Illinois, were screened for the disease at the Rock Island County Health Department.

WQAD and the Quad City Times newspaper both reported first-hand that the Milan McDonald's closed early on Thursday and that workers were seen through the windows scrubbing down furniture and equipment. Theresa Foes of the Rock Island County Health Department said the Illinois Hepatitis outbreak is under investigation and could be related to more than one food provider.

The hepatitis A outbreak near McDonald's restaurant in Milan has included 13 of 19 confirmed cases in Rock Island County. The other confirmed hepatitis A cases in the outbreak have been in Henry, Mercer, Warren and Woodford counties, officials have said.

Arnie Hanson patronized the Milan, Illinois, McDonald's restaurant Thursday. He told WQAD.com that his family was among the last to be served before the store was abruptly closed. Arnie Hanson  told WQAD.com that he was angry that he wasn't told by McDonald's about McDonald's hepatitis A screening of its employees.

"They put my daughter in jeopardy along with the public and other people,'' Mr. Hanson said.

Rock County and the state of Illinois Department of Public Health say there have been 19 confirmed Hepatitis A cases in the outbreak and a few more that are suspected. The Illinois state health director, Dr. Damon T. Arnold, had issued an advisory of a hepatitis A outbreak earlier in the week advising residents to be extra careful about hand-washing and personal hygiene.

Hepatitis A contamination is frequently caused by an infected restaurant worker who doesn't properly wash his or her hands after going to the bathroom. It is spread through feces. But an outbreak of hepatitis A can also be caused by contaminated products. For example, in a major hepatitis A outbreak involving Chi-Chi's Restaurant, the cause was green onions.

Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is a national food safety law firm that has handled many cases for people who have suffered hepatitis A infection from restaurant workers. As in the 2007 Pizza Ranch hepatitis A outbreak, restaurants are responsible for any injury caused by the food they served. Even if a specific food handler caused the harm, the restaurant as a whole is still responsible.

To contact a hepatitis A lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation. The form is quick and easy. Our firm is thoroughly familiar with  hepatitis A lawsuit procedures required for a recovery. Over the years, we have collected tens of millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning. We are among only a few law firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness and our attorneys are often called by national, state and local media for comment on issues of food safety and food poisoning.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A pasta shop in Central Virginia is being investigated as the possible source of a Salmonella outbreak among six dinner guests who ate lasagna purchased from the shop's frozen foods inventory.

WVIR-TV quoted the shop owner as saying the establishment is not to blame and that the lasagna was sold with instructions for safe cooking. "We've had no trouble whatsoever with our food in the past and I hope this is not a problem with our food,'' Chef Jim Winecoff  of Mona Lisa Pasta Shop said.

Dr. Lilian Peake of Thomas Jefferson Health District says her team of investigators has not pinpointed the lasagna as the cause and will look at multiple factors. Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs is reportedly assessing conditions at the shop while the health department continues to interview dinner guests. WVIR-TV said a report is forthcoming within a week.

Salmonella food poisoning is usually overcome by healthy adults without medical treatment, but it can lead to hospitalization and even death -- especially among young children, the elderly and others with compromised immune systems. Symptoms of Salmonella usually start to occur six to 72 hours after the bacteria is swallowed. Symptoms may include diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and dehydration.

Our law firm, Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, represents victims of food poisoning nationwide. To learn more, contact a Salmonella lawyer at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete a form to receive a free case consultation online. 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has weighed in with its first report on the Nestle cookie dough E. coli outbreak and recall, saying that young females dominate the known universe of victims.

The CDC also named all states involved in the outbreak. States with the most cases are Minnesota (6), Washington (5), Colorado (5), Illinois (5), Ohio (4), Massachusetts (4), Texas (3) and Maine (3).

The complete list -- provided by the CDC -- goes as follows:  Arkansas (1), Arizona (2), California (2), Colorado (5), Delaware (1), Hawaii (1), Iowa (2), Illinois (5), Kentucky (1), Massachusetts (4), Maryland (2), Maine (3), Minnesota (6), Missouri (2), Montana (1), North Carolina (1), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (1), Nevada (2), Ohio (4), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (1), Texas (3), Utah (2), Virginia (2), Washington (5), and Wisconsin (1).

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is accepting cases from all states involved in the outbreak, which has sickened at least 66 people. Federal authorities say 25 of the victims have been hospitalized and seven have suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome, a  type of kidney failure that presents severe complications.

If you or someone you know has become ill from eating Nestle cookie dough products, see a physician and make sure E. coli test results are forwarded to your state health department. If you have been diagnosed with E. coli O157:H7 and have eaten raw cookie dough from Nestle, an E. coli attorney at Pritzker Olsen is ready to assist you. Call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete one of our online forms for a free case consultation.

Nestle has said that its cookie dough packages carry a warning not to eat the product raw. But everyone knows that Americans commonly eat raw cookie dough as a treat. In addition, a person could get sick without knowingly eating raw dough -- just from handling it during the cooking process and getting it on your hands.

Nestle has recalled ALL varieties of its refrigerated, prepackaged Toll House cookie and brownie dough and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CDC have warned consumers not to eat the product raw nor bake it. See the complete recall list by clicking here.

The CDC said the illnesses have been traced to March 1. More than 70 percent of the confirmed cases are in patients under the age of 19. Three-fourths of all patients are female. The CDC said "most'' patients sickened by the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 told investigators that they had eaten raw Nestle cookie dough before experiencing vomiting, cramping and diarrhea. No one over the age of 57 is in the group.

New York Times reporter Gardiner Harris wrote today that health investigators in the state of Washington were the first to find an association with Nestle cookie dough. That happened on Wednesday. Other states then re-interviewed patients about the dough and a high correlation resulted from the interviews, prompting the recall and warnings on Friday.

The CDC said this is the first time that raw cookie dough has been investigated as a cause of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak.

Pritzker Olsen is investigating the outbreak and preparing information for a possible Nestle cookie dough E. coli lawsuit. The firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and currently is handling a Salmonella wrongful death lawsuit against Peanut Corp. of America in connection with a nationwide Salmonella outbreak that was identified early this year.

The firm has collected millions for food poisoning victims over the years and has been an advocate for reform in the U.S. food safety system, including calling for stronger food plant inspections. Once Nestle announced its cookie dough recall, the company idled manufacturing of the product at its plant in Danville, Virginia.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Pritzker Olsen Attorneys has begun its own investigation and is compiling information for a possible Nestle cookie dough lawsuit in connection with the ongoing, 28-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that has been associated with raw Nestle cookie dough.

Throughout the day, more and more state and federal health agencies are coming out with additional correlation between the outbreak -- which has sickened at least 66 individuals -- and Nestle Toll House cookie dough. In Minnesota, for instance, all six people who were sickened by the outbreak strain of E. coli said they ate raw Nestle cookie dough before getting sick.

And we now have our first clue as to what the source may be.  The Danville News in Danville, Virginia, is reporting that Nestle has stopped some production in the plant that makes a majority of the prepackaged, refrigerated cookie dough. All varieties are affected by a Nestle cookie dough recall announced earlier today. Federal health authorities have warned consumers not to consume the product raw and not to use it for baking until further notice.
 
The Danville News:

“Nestle USA has stopped production in half of its Danville plant following a Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration investigation that the company’s cookie dough may be connected to a recent E. coli outbreak   “The Danville facility makes the majority of our Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough,” said Roz O’Hearn, spokeswoman for the company.”

The outbreak has been described by the FDA as including 66 confirmed illnesses of the same molecular subtype. Twenty-five of the victims have been hospitalized and seven have developed severe complications known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Pritzker Olsen has already been in contact with potential victims of the outbreak and is accepting cases from all states involved in the recall, including Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, California, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida and Michigan.

As one of the few law firms in the country practicing extensively in fooborne illness litigation, Pritzker Olsen has collected millions for victims of food poisoning.

If you believe you or a loved one has contracted E. coli O157:H7 from eating Toll House Cookie Dough, E. coli lawyers at the firm are ready to assist you. There is no charge for consulting with our firm. If we agree to represent you, we are paid a percentage of the money we collect for you. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing.

To talk to a Nestle recall lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or use one of our online forms to submit your information for a free case consultation.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has warned consumers in that state not to eat Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough, which health investigators believe may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

The announcement, carried by Channel 9 News in Denver, quoted state health officials as saying there are at least 66 E. coli infections in 28 states that have been matched through laboratory analysis. Epidemiological study has associated the cases with Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough. Five cases have been confirmed in Colorado, including two people who have been hospitalized and one person has suffered severe complications.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys expects more information on the outbreak to be forthcoming. Colorado and Minnesota are two of the states involved. The firm has begun its own investigation and is accepting cases from all states involved in the outbreak. An E. coli lawyer is ready to assist you. The contact number is 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free).

Pritzker Olsen is involved in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness and has collected tens of millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning, including clients from the latest national Salmonella outbreak involving peanut butter and other peanut products. In that instance, Pritzker Olsen has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough has not announced any recalls in the current outbreak.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly organism that is especially hazardous to small children, the elderly and other people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, sharp abdominal cramping and nausea. Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) is a potentially fatal complication of E. coli. It often involves kidney failure and is the leading cause of E. coli deaths.

Pritzker Olsen has years of experience representing victims of HUS, E. coli O157:H7 and other foodborne diseases. Founder and president Fred Pritzker has been a frequent critic of U.S. food safety laws and inspection efforts. He also has been dedicated to educating the public on the dangers of contaminated food and to illuminating unsafe food manufacturing processes.

To contact the firm in writing for a free case consultation, complete one of our online consultation forms.  

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A judge in Virginia has extended the deadline for Salmonella  victims of  Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) to file claims against the company in bankruptcy court.

The deadline had been set for Monday, June 15. But U.S. Bankruptcy Judge William E. Anderson  on Friday granted a motion by the trustee in the case, Roy Creasy, to postpone it until October 31 so that everyone has time to be heard.

Associated Press newswoman Sue Lindsey reported that as of Friday, 252 damage claims totaling $207 million had been filed in the case from Salmonella illnesses traced to peanut products made by PCA. More than 700 Americans across the country were sickened by peanut butter, peanut butter snack crackers and other peanut products containing adulterated ingredients produced by PCA.

Nine consumers died in the outbreak and the families of three of those victims are represented by Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, a national food safety law firm that has collected tens of millions for victims of food poisoning. We are currently accepting more PCA peanut butter Salmonella cases. If you or someone you know was a victim of the outbreak, call a Salmonella attorney at Pritzker Olsen by dialing 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our free case consultation form online.

A major food safety reform bill is moving through Congress this summer and could be passed by the House before the August recess. Pritzker Olsen client Jeffrey Almer provided key testimony before the congressional panel that is at the center of the reform legislation. The firm itself has been a voice for change in American food safety for many years, and it is dedicated to holding responsible parties accountable when dangerous pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter and Listeria are found in commercially purchased food. 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A 7-year-old Cleveland girl has died from an E. coli O157:H7 infection that may have stemmed from contaminated ground beef recalled Thursday by an Illinois company.

The recall of 48 tons of frozen patties and refrigerated ground beef applies to meat produced March 10 by Valley Meats LLC of Coal Valley, Illinois. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said the recall was prompted by an epidemiological investigation by state health officials in Ohio who found genetically matched isolates of E. coli O157:H7 in three people who were not related.

One was a 3-year-old girl, one was a 24-year-old man and the third was a 71-year-old man. Two of the victims were hospitalized, but all three recovered, the Ohio Department of Health reported. The FSIS said other matching E. coli O157:H7 infections were found in Pennsylvania and Illinois, but the agency didn't say how many.

Hours after the recall was announced, news broke of a potential fourth victim in Ohio -- the 7-year-old girl. Here's what reporters Leila Atassi and Harlan Spector reported for The Plain Dealer's web site in Cleveland:

"Health officials did not identify the girl or provide details of the circumstances that led to her death. But Cleveland Health Director Matthew Carroll said the case might be the latest in a cluster of E. Coli infections traced to Valley Meats LLC, of Coal Valley, Ill.''

Lisa Abraham of the Akron Beacon Journal said two restaurants in Cuyahoga County are part of the investigation, but health officials haven't named them because it's not certain they are linked. The report said the recalled hamburger made by Valley Meats was for sale to restaurants and food service accounts.

According to the recall notice, the potentially contaminated beef was distributed nationwide under a dozen generic brands and the following name brands: 3S, Grillmaster, J&B, Klub, Thick 'N Savory and Ultimate. All packages are stamped with USDA establishment number 5712.

National food poisoning and food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is monitoring the outbreak and urging anyone who believes they may have become ill from ground beef produced by Valley Meats to immediately see a physician. Symptoms of E. coli include diarrhea (often bloody), severe cramps, possible nausea or vomiting and possible mild fever.

Pritzker Olsen is involved in practically all major outbreaks of foodborne illness and has recovered tens of millions of dollars for victims of E. coli O157:H7 and other deadly pathogens. Earlier this year, the firm was chosen to represent the Ohio family of Nellie Napier, an 80-year-old resident of Medina County who died of Salmonella infection linked to Peanut Corp. of America.

To contact an E. coli O157:H7 lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (4)
• Share Link

Alfalfa seeds from Italy have been associate with a multistate Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. After preliminary epidemiology regarding the ongoing outbreak of illness from Salmonella Saintpaul in people who had eaten alfalfa sprouts was shared with the supplier of the seeds, the supplier made the decision to voluntarily withdraw certain alfalfa seeds from the market.  According to an FDA alert, the recalled alfalfa seeds include the following:

[Seeds] in 50-pound white bags that are either paper or woven from a synthetic material, and the lot numbers in question begin with “032,” followed by a hyphen and three more digits. The bags carry a computer-generated white or yellow label, on which is printed “Distributed by Caudill Seed Company., 1402 W. Main St., Louisville KY 40203” and the lot number.

CDC Alfalfa Sprouts Salmonella Outbreak Information

CDC is providing updated information on the alfalfa sprouts Salmonella outbreak.  Here is the most recent information from the CDC (last modified April 27):

Since mid-March, 35 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul have been reported from 7 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Michigan (17), Minnesota (4), Ohio (3), Pennsylvania (6), South Dakota (2), Utah (1), and West Virginia (2). Cases are still being reported, and possible cases are in various stages of laboratory testing, so illnesses may be reported from other states. No deaths have been reported.

FDA Recommendations for Growers and Retailers

The FDA alert to growers, retailers and other businesses regarding the alfalfa seed recall provides recommendations for businesses:

Retailers, restaurateurs, and personnel at other food-service facilities should ask their suppliers to verify that the alfalfa sprouts or seeds being provided do not come from an affected lot before buying or serving them. Suppliers who can verify that their products were not sourced from the affected lots may wish to notify their customers; likewise, retailers, restaurateurs, and food-service facilities who have verified the sources of their alfalfa products may wish to notify their customers.
Seeds from the affected lots, lot numbers beginning with 032, and sprouts grown from them, should be safely discarded, as should other products that contain the sprouts, such as sprout blends.

Growers who have used seeds from the potentially contaminated lots should clean all equipment and other surfaces that came into contact with them. They should also safely discard any water that came into contact with the sprouts, and disinfect receptacles or equipment that came into contact with the water.

FDA has long-standing guidance for the sprout industry and continues to urge growers to follow this guidance, which can reduce the risk of contamination with Salmonella and other bacteria (available on the FDA web site at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/sprougd1.html). FDA also urges retailers to use sprouts obtained from growers who follow the FDA guidance.

FDA Warning to Consumers Not to Eat Raw Alfalfa Sprouts

Although the FDA, CDC and state and local health officials have found at least one source of the sprouts Salmonella, FDA has not revised its warning to consumers not to eat raw alfalfa sprouts:

The US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that consumers not eat raw alfalfa sprouts, including sprout blends containing alfalfa sprouts, until further notice because of a risk of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul contamination.  As soon as the source of the contamination is identified, FDA will work with the alfalfa sprout industry to help identify which alfalfa sprouts are not connected with this contamination. Other types of sprouts have not been implicated at this time.

Pritzker Olsen law firm is representing people sickened after eating alfalfa sprouts.  For more information about the legal implications of this alfalfa seed recall, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit the free consultation form. 

More information: Alfalfa Sprouts Lawsuit, Salmonella Lawyer, Food Poisoning Lawyer.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Pritzker Olsen law firm is representing people sickened in a mutistate Salmonella outbreak linked to raw alfalfa sprouts.

This outbreak continues to widen, and the FDA and CDC are recommending that consumers not eat raw alfalfa sprouts, including sprout blends containing alfalfa sprouts, which have been linked to widespread Salmonella serotype Saintpaul contamination. Other types of sprouts have not been implicated at this time.

According to an FDA announcement:

The investigation indicates that the problem may be linked to contamination of seeds for alfalfa sprouts. Because suspect lots of seeds may be sold around the country and may account for a large proportion of the alfalfa seeds currently being used by sprout growers, and cases of illness are spread across multiple states, FDA and CDC are issuing this general advisory.

FDA will work with the alfalfa sprout industry to help identify which seeds and alfalfa sprouts are not connected with this contamination, so that this advisory can be changed as quickly as possible.

CDC, FDA and state and local authorities in six states have associated this outbreak with eating raw alfalfa sprouts. Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia have reported 31 cases of illness with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Saintpaul to CDC. Most of those who became ill reported eating raw alfalfa sprouts.  Some reported eating raw sprouts at restaurants; others reported purchasing the raw sprouts at the retail level.

The illnesses began in mid-March. Cases are still being reported, and possible cases are in various stages of laboratory testing, so illnesses may appear in other states. No deaths have been reported. The number of infected people may be higher than currently reported because some illnesses have not yet been confirmed with laboratory testing.

The CDC and FDA recommend at all times that persons at high risk for complications, such as the elderly, young children, and those with compromised immune systems, not eat raw sprouts because of the risk of contamination with Salmonella or other bacteria. Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), 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 meningitis and bone infections.

Initial investigation results trace the contaminated raw alfalfa sprouts to multiple sprout growers in multiple states. This suggests a potential problem with the seeds used, as well as the possible failure of the sprout growers involved to appropriately and consistently follow the FDA Sprout Guidance issued in 1999 http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/sprougd1.html. The guidance recommends an effective seed disinfection treatment immediately before the start of sprouting (such as treating seed in 20,000 parts per million Calcium hypochlorite solution with agitation for 15 minutes) and regularly testing the water used for every batch of sprouts for Salmonella and E coli O157:H7 contamination.

This outbreak appears to be an extension of an earlier outbreak in 2009. In February and March, an outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul infections occurred in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota. This outbreak was linked to raw alfalfa sprouts, and the outbreak strain was indistinguishable from that of these recently reported cases.  A separate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections was also linked to sprouts in 2009. In the 1990s, a number of outbreaks related to sprouts led FDA to issue its guidance. Experience over the past decade has shown that the likelihood of Salmonella in sprouts can be minimized when recommendations from FDA’s Sprout Guidance are followed.

Preventive controls are very important in the growing of alfalfa sprouts. FDA reminds sprout growers to be vigilant in their food safety practices and strongly encourages sprout growers to follow the Agency’s Sprout Guidance. Additionally, the United Fresh Produce Association has advised all of its members to follow FDA’s guidance on sprouts. FDA appreciates that the produce industry has reinforced this message and reminds retailers that it is prudent to sell sprouts from growers who follow FDA's recommendations.

There are a number of parties that may be liable for illnesses related to this Salmonella outbreak:

• The grower of the alfalfa sprouts
• The processor
• The distributor
• A restaurant, deli, cafeteria or other eating establishment

Many of the victims of this outbreak consumed the Salmonella-contaminated sprouts at restaurants.  Generally, restaurants are liable for any illnesses associated with their food, even if the the food was contaminated with Salmonella before it got to the restaurant.

Compensation for victims of Salmonella outbreaks may include the following:

• Medical Expenses (past and future)
• Lost income (past and future)
• Pain and suffering (past and future), including physical pain, suffering, emotional distress and disability

For more information and a free consultation, please contact our law firm: 1-888-377-8900 or submit our free consultation form.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

By FRED PRITZKER

The whole point of a food recall is to prevent additional foodborne illness after producers and their adulterated products are identified. That’s why it’s so important for food companies, food distributors, food retailers and federal, state and local authorities to promptly and effectively remove from the marketplace any food known or reasonably certain to cause illness or death.

That’s also why there should be a special place in food safety hell for those companies that knew or should have known a food product was dangerous but continued to sell it anyway. 

The ongoing Salmonella outbreak involving Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) is a case in point. It appears from the company’s emails that its officers and employees knowingly shipped adulterated product. If so, the company’s liquidation and the criminal investigation of its principals are both necessary and fair.

But what about the downstream retailers of food products containing adulterated PCA ingredients? Aren’t they just as culpable if they fail to remove contaminated product from their shelves after they knew or should have known of the recall?

This is not an idle musing. Long after the PCA recall was announced and long after the list of adulterated products was known and accessible on a variety of web sites, retailers big and tiny continued to sell these poisonous snacks. I know because I looked.

Many of the recalled products were snack foods with long shelf lives and wide distribution. Many of the retailers who sell them are small outlets with small product stocks and unsophisticated (if any) recall procedures. For many such retailers, there is little economic justification for removing dangerous products and even less risk of public approbation for failing to do so – little consolation for the victims who continue to get sick long after the products should have been removed.

Perversely, the legal system in many states promotes such behavior. So called “pass through statutes” are intended to insulate downstream retailers from lawsuit liability if the upstream producer or manufacturer of the dangerous product is identifiable and solvent. In such cases, the retailer is automatically dismissed from litigation and bears no financial responsibility (dismissals can be avoided if the downstream retailer modified the product or otherwise actively participated in making the product defective).

So what should be done? From the standpoint of efficacy and efficiency, better product traceback and notification systems have to be designed and implemented. However, I have no illusions that any such improvements are really going to rid long lived snacks from the shelves of retailers disinclined to care all that much. What will incentivize such retailers is the threat of criminal sanctions and financial responsibility.

First, create a tight and focused criminal law that makes it a crime to sell a food product that a retailer knows or should know has been recalled.  We do it for sales of liquor and cigarettes to minors; there is no reason not to do it for dangerous food products.  If criminalizing the behavior is too extreme, create economic penalties by allowing consumers to prove such illegal sales and awarding them attorney fees if they’re successful. Again, there is precedent for such measures in consumer protection statutes on the books in virtually every state.

To promote food safety, everyone up and down the stream of commerce has to act and bear responsibility and should be held accountable for failing to do so.

Fred Pritzker is founder and president of national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen. He currently is representing victims of the nationwide peanut butter Salmonella outbreak, including the families of three women who died with Salmonella infections. With 30 years of experience and a national reputation for excellence, Mr. Pritzker has been quoted by CNN, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS News and Fox News. His practice is featured in Minnesota Lawyer and his firm has won numerous million- and multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts. To contact the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete a free case consultation form. 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Fred Pritzker 1-888-3777-8900 (toll-free)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – February 6, 2009 – Eating contaminated food is still far and away the most common way for people to become infected with E. coli O157:H7, a deadly pathogen that sickens more than 70,000 Americans each year.

But national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen Attorneys is reminding families early in 2009 that contact with animals at livestock shows, petting zoos and other exhibits is another proven way for the organism to travel.

The law firm's warning stems from a current E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Colorado. Health officials there are investigating an apparent connection between a growing number of genetically matched infections and attendance at the recent Western National Stock Show in Denver.

According to numerous press reports, at least 20 people who live on the Front Range in Colorado have been infected with the same strain of E. coli. Sixteen of the illnesses are in children who attended the animal exhibit, including a child who is 17 months old. The two-week show drew more than 643,000 attendees before it ended January 25 and health officials expect the number of E. coli O157:H7 infections in the current outbreak to grow.

"This outbreak should not have happened and could have been prevented,'' said Fred Pritzker, founder and president of PritzkerOlsen. "When stock shows encourage or permit public contact with animals, there is a well known risk of E. coli O157:H7 infection and equally well known measures that should be in place to prevent such infections.''

Pritzker said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. (NASPHV) published a compendium of such infection prevention measures almost four years ago.

"Although the matter is still under investigation, it seems likely that rules of this sort were not implemented or followed,'' he said.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a rare variety of E. coli that produces a toxin that causes severe damage to the lining of the intestine. Specifically, the acute disease caused by E. coli O157:H7 is hemorrhagic colitis. E. coli O157:H7 can also result in hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States.

With the understanding that children are more at risk for being seriously injured or killed by E. coli O157:H7 infection, it is imperative for families and school groups to take precautions while attending petting zoos, livestock shows and other animal exhibits.

Based on guidelines set by the (CDC) and the National Ag Safety Database, PritzkerOlsen presents the following strategies to reduce the risk of E. coli transmission in settings with animals:

• Locate hand-washing stations and always wash your hands after being in an area with animals, even if you don't touch them. Bacteria can be spread by shaking hands, touching railings or coming in contact with soil.
• Running water and soap are best for hand washing. Where there is no running water, hand sanitizing gel is better than nothing.
• Don't consume food or drinks in any area shared with animals.
• Older adults, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems and young children should be extra careful.
• Avoid hand-mouth activities such as smoking, drinking or nail biting in any area shared with animals.
• Do not eat or drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or other dairy products.
• Children younger than 5 years old need adult supervision around animals.
• Never allow children to put their hands, toys, pacifiers or other objects in their mouths while around animals.
• Supervise the hand washing of children.
• Even after hand washing, be aware that exposure to E. coli O157:H7 can come from shoes, contaminated clothing or even strollers that were in areas shared with animals.

PritzkerOlsen currently is representing victims of the nationwide Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter and peanut products made by Peanut Corporation of America at a plant in Blakely, Georgia.  The Minneapolis-based firm is representing the families of two Minnesota women who died in the outbreak after consuming contaminated peanut butter served on toast.

In one case, Pritzker already has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Peanut Corporation of America and King Nut Companies, a peanut butter distributor.

PritzkerOlsen has considerable experience and a reputation for success in representing survivors of foodborne illnesses, including E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella and Shigella. The firm is involved in virtually every national outbreak and has collected large sums on behalf of people injured or killed by adulterated food.

In addition, the firm is devoted to educating the public about food safety issues and advocating for badly needed food safety legislation and increased funding for the federal, state and local agencies charged with protecting our food and enforcing food safety laws.

Pritzker and members of his firm are frequent guests and commentators about food safety issues and have been interviewed by and profiled in a number of media sources including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and CNN.

For more information, visit http://www.pritzkerlaw.com or contact Fred Pritzker at 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free). PritzkerOlsen has offices are located at Plaza VII, Suite 2950, 45 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402

###

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

In a fast-moving investigation of a deadly, ongoing  peanut butter Salmonella outbreak, state and federal health investigators are finding more and more evidence pointing to a Georgia peanut processing plant as the source of the problem.

The plant in Blakely, Georgia, has been shut down by its owner, Peanut Corporation of America, as more studies are conducted. On Friday, the company expanded a product recall to include all peanut butter made at the facility since August 8 and all peanut paste made there since September 26.

A total of six deaths have been associated with the outbreak: Two in Minnesota, two in Virginia, one in Idaho and one in Catawba County, North Carolina.

Leading food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker of Minneapolis has initiated a Salmonella wrongful death lawsuit  on behalf of the heirs of one of the victims, Shirley Mae Almer of Minnesota. The proceedings in Hennepin County District Court will be against Peanut Corporation of America and Ohio-based King Nut Companies, a distributor of peanut butter produced at the idled plant.

Pritzker, whose firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness, was quoted on ABC news affiliate KSTP-TV in the Twin Cities as saying . "This is a much more ominous situation than for you to go to your cupboard and look to see peanut butter. Most people won't know if they ate it in this outbreak."

Mrs. Almer, 72, was fighting cancer and living in a long-term care faciliity in Brainerd, Minn., when she consumed a piece of toast layered with King Nut creamy peanut butter in December.  She died Dec. 21. State health officials would later confirm that Salmonella Typhimurium contained in peanut butter at her nursing home was a genetic match to the outbreak strain that has sickened at least 453 people in 43 states.

The other Minnesotan whose death has been associated with the outbreak is Clifford Tousignant, 78, who also was living in Brainerd at a long-term care facility.

                                                               Investigation Update

Dr. Stephen Sundlof of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Center and Dr. Robert Tauxe of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have provided an update of the outbreak investigation. Here are highlights from their press conference and other details:

• The outbreak is still considered very active and the number of cases will increase.
• The investigation is complicated because potentially contaminated peanut paste made at the Georgia plant was sold to many food companies as ingredients for baked goods and other products -- so the range of products making people sick has not yet been identified.
• Officials believe it is safe to eat  brand-name peanut butter bought at grocery stores. The contaminated peanut butter was sold to commercial food service accounts such as nursing homes, hospitals, school cafeterias and other institutions.
• State investigators in Georgia and Connecticut have isolated Salmonella bacteria in unopened tubs of peanut butter produced at the Blakely plant and are testing it to see if it matches the outbreak strain.
• Minnesota officials already have matched Salmonella from an open container of King Nut peanut butter to the outbreak strain.
• The virulence of the outbreak strain is typical -- serious but not more serious than normal.
• The Salmonella bacteria is lying dormant in the contaminated peanut butter and coming to life and multiplying once consumed.
• The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee has opened an inquiry and has requested inspection reports and other records from the plant in Georgia.
• Kellogg Company has announced a formal recall of Keebler and Austin brand snack crackers containing peanut butter as well as certain baked goods. The recall includes snack-size packs of Famous Amos peanut butter cookies and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter cookies. The Georgia plant was one of Kellogg's suppliers of peanut paste.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with health officials from several states, is trying to identify the source of an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium that has sickened more than 300 people.

Reports varied slightly Wednesday on the scope of the outbreak. USA Today, which talked to CDC Deputy Chief of Enteric Diseases Frederick Angulo, reported that 388 people in 42 states have been made ill over the past three months. Some have been sent to the hospital, the newspaper reported.

The Ohio Department of Health issued a press release saying that Ohio ranks second in the nation for number of confirmed cases in the outbreak with 50. In Ohio, the first known illnesses originated in October.

Ohio officials said they were participating in the CDC's multi-state investigation to find the cause of the outbreak. The cases match each other by their DNA fingerprint, the Ohio Department of Health said.

Angulo told USA Today that the "lead hypothesis'' is chicken, but he added that it could be hard to prove or trace back because so many people eat chicken.

Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health, told the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP) that Minnesota has 30 cases linked to the national outbreak. More are expected. Schultz told CIDRAP that Minnesota is helping to look for a cause to the outbreak and has a team of researchers conducting case-control studies.

Consumption of food contaminated by Salmonella bacteria can cause Salmonellosis. Symptoms of the disease include non-bloody diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment.

In rare cases, diarrheal illness from Salmonella infection can be serious enough to require hospitalization. Although very rare, some cases of Salmonellosis have led to death in some patients. There are many different types of Salmonella bacteria. Salmonella Typhimurium is considered common, but it can cause Typhoid Fever.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

After reviewing the circumstances around  food poisoning in five California prison inmates who drank illicit, homemade pruno, a group of health experts wants convicts across the country to be warned that jailhouse hooch carries the risk of botulism.

Writing this month in a journal about emerging infectious diseases published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the officials said pruno is popular in prisons and that it is "somewhat surprising that botulism caused by pruno consumption has not been previously reported.''

The group of researchers, led by Dr. Duc Vugia, chief of the Infectious Diseases Branch of the California Department of Public Health, focused on foodborne botulism that occurred among inmates at two California prisons in 2004 and 2005.

In the 2004 case, four inmates were hospitalized, two of whom were put on respirators to combat paralysis -- one of the symptoms of the disease. An investigation found that the four prisoners all drank from the same two-gallon batch of pruno, also known as prison wine or jailhouse juice.

One of the hospitalized inmates had secretly brewed the concoction over five or six days using unpeeled potatoes smuggled from the kitchen, apples from lunches, one old peach, jelly and ketchup. The four who became sick from the drink later described it to a prison nurse as being "magenta in color" and "smelling like baby-poop.''

The researchers said the same type of Clostridium botulinum found in the sick inmates also was found in a drinking cup that contained traces of the pruno.

The second case involved just one inmate in Monterey County, a 30-year-old male who was admitted to a local hospital in a condition too weak to breathe on his own. The patient admitted to making and drinking pruno in prison and potatoes had been part of his mash.

Researchers said the potatoes in both batches of hooch could have been the source of botulinum toxin. They wrote in their report that Clostridium botulinum is commonly found in the soil and its spores have been found on raw potatoes.

The report said the lack of reporting of similar cases may be due to the fact that potatoes are not generally used in the making of pruno in prison.

"Nonetheless, with more than 2 million inmates in prisons and jails in the United States, this illicit homemade alcoholic drink may put more inmates at risk for botulism,'' the report concluded. 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A 120-year-old Wisconsin company is recalling 3,590 pounds of bacon bits that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced late Saturday.

The smoked, pre-cooked bacon bits were made by Patrick Cudahy of Cudahy, Wisconsin, on Nov. 13. They were distributed in 10-pound cases to restaurant and other institutional food accounts in California, Colorado, Florida, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin, the FSIS said.

The agency said no reports of illnesses have been associated with consumption of the prouducts. The pathogen was detected by in-house testing at one of the establishments that received the product.

According to the FSIS, the following products are subject to recall:

• 10-pound cases of "Golden Crisp APPLEWOOD SMOKED PRECOOKED BACON TOPPINGS." The products bear the establishment number of "EST. 28" inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a printed Julian date of "8318."
• 10-pound cases of  "John Morrell APPLEWOOD SMOKED PRECOOKED BACON TIPPINGS."  The products bear the establishment number "EST. 28" inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a printed Julian date of "8318."

Here are the product labels:

Consumption of food containing Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal disease that rarely occurs in healthy people. The young, old and immuno-compromised are at risk for contracting the disease. Listeria also can lead to stillbirth and miscarriage in pregnant women.

Symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infection include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new food safety warning against consumption of raw milk and any products made from it.

The CDC's latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reviewed an October 2007 outbreak of illness caused by Campylobacter jejuni to illustrate that unpasteurized milk and cheese and other products made from it carry the risk of infection from milkborne pathogens.

"To minimize the risk for illness associated with milkborne pathogens, unpasteurized milk and milk products should not be consumed, especially among populations at high risk of infection complications (the young, pregnant, elderly and immunocompromised),'' the CDC report said.

According to the CDC, an epidemiological investigation by health officials found an association between illness in 67 fair-goers in rural Kansas and consumption of cheese made at the fair from unpasteurized milk. Even though samples of the cheese tested negative for Campylobacter jejuni, isolates of the bacteria from two of the ill persons were proven to have the same genetic fingerprint, the CDC said.

The outbreak arose Oct. 26, 2007, when the Kansas Department of Health and Environment received a confirmed report of two ill persons who came from different families in the same closed community in rural Kansas.

Over the next three days, another 17 members of the community reported stomach illnesses. The CDC said everyone involved reported eating fresh cheese made from raw milk on Oct. 20 at the same community fair.

Of 101 people who ate the cheese, 67 became ill, the CDC said. Campylobacter symptoms usually start two to five days after infection and the illness usually lasts a week to 10 days. The first symptoms are muscle pain, headache and fever followed by diarrhea, stomach pain and nausea.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Burritos made in Denver and sold at retail convenience stores on Dec. 24 and 25 have been recalled by the maker after tests by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) determined they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The FSIS said in a press release that Home Fresh Sandwich Distributors Inc. of Denver is recalling 172 pounds of the 5.3-ounce packages, which were produced Dec. 23. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall, but consumption of food containing Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease.

The FSIS said the recall pertains to 5.3-ounce packages of "7- ELEVEN Fresh to Go BURRITO WITH POTATOES, BACON, EGGS, & MONTEREY JACK CHEESE" with a "Best By" date of "Thursday 1225." The products bear the establishment number "EST. 19496" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

 Symptoms of infection by Listeria monocytogenes include severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis, but infants, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems can be at risk for infection. In addition, pregnant women who eat food contaminated by the bacteria are at risk for stillbirth and miscarriage.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

In 2008, large-scale corporate farms and centralized production facilities continued to play a major role in America's E. coli problem.

But by far the largest E. coli outbreak of the year was centered at a lone family restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma.

The Country Cottage Restaurant outbreak started August. 15. By the time it was over, 341 people were sickened with E. coli O111 infections, 72 persons were hospitalized and one 26-year-old man, a gospel singer, was dead.

Fred Pritzker, a Minneapolis lawyer whose law firm is nationally recognized in the area of foodborne illness litigation, said that when taken all together, 2008 was a year in which America's deadly E. coli threat showed no signs of slowing down from a dangerous pace set in 2007.

Pritzker said the variety and number of serious outbreaks was due in large part to a failure of regulation. He also said it's easy to gloss over the problem if you don't see the individual suffering inflicted during and long after outbreaks.

"The agony and the suffering of these individuals is dramatic and significant,'' he said.

With hope for greater food safety in 2009, here's a listing by Pritzker Law of five major E. coli outbreaks in 2008: 

• Country Cottage Restaurant. The outbreak was linked in August to contamination by E. coli O111. A total of 341 outbreak-related cases were reported, 56 cases were in children, 72 persons were hospitalized and one died. The restaurant was shut down and reopened in late November under an agreement with health officials. While no single food item was found to be the source, officials believe several different foods became contaminated with the bacteria.
• Nebraska Beef Ltd. In late June, the Omaha company recalled 5.3 million pounds of trimmings for ground beef. Health officials linked the product to 49 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in seven states. About a month later, the same slaughterhouse recalled another 1.2 million pounds of meat linked to 31 confirmed E. coli O157:H7 cases in 12 states. Much of the recalled meat was supplied through the Kroger grocery chain, but the tainted beef also turned up elsewhere. At the Barbecue Pit in Moultrie, Georgia, there were at least eight confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7. In four of those illnesses, victims suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication that can lead to kidney failure.
• Goshen Boy Scout Reservation. Health officials this summer confirmed 25 cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection among attendees at a Boy Scout camp in Goshen, Virginia. The cases were matched through molecular fingerprinting and linked to frozen ground beef from California-based S&S Foods. S&S recalled about 153,630 pounds of ground beef products.
• Aunt Mid's Iceberg Lettuce. Michigan officials confirmed that bagged iceberg lettuce was the common source of illness in a September-October outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections that included 38 cases in Michigan, nine in Illinois and three in Ontario. At least 21 of those who were sickened spent time in the hospital. The outbreak strain of E. coli was never found at Aunt Mid's processing plant and investigators could never say if the lettuce became contaminated at the plant or in California, where it was grown. Aunt Mid's lettuce was associated with E. coli infections at the Lenawee County Jail, two Illinois restaurants and Michigan State University.
• Vermont Ground Beef. In September,Vermont Livestock Slaughter and Processing Co. in Ferrisburg, Vermont, recalled 2,758 pounds of ground beef products that had been distributed to restaurants in the state. The recall was prompted by an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. At least 10 people were sickened, including one who was hospitalized. An investigation by state and federal health officials found that the recalled beef may have caused the illnesses.

Pritzker Law & Associates, P.A. is one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of E. coli poisoning and other foodborne illnesses. For more information, visit http://www.pritzkerlaw.com or contact Fred Pritzker at (612) 338-0202. Pritzker Law has offices at Plaza VII, Suite 2950, 45 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402  

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Routine testing found Listeria monocytogenes at a St. Louis sausage shop, prompting a recall on Christmas Day of 750 pounds of product sold over the shop's retail counter in unmarked butcher paper. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service detected the bacteria and announced the recall of 750 pounds of various sizes of Krakow sausage from T. Piekutowski European Style Saugage.

The potentially tainted sausage was made Dec. 18 and would have been purchased by consumers on the 18th and 19th, the press release said. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recall.

The custom-wrappped packages contain no USDA inspection label.

Consumption of food contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially deadly disease. Symptomsare flu-like and include high fever, neck stiffness, nausea and severe headache. Listeria can cause stillbirth and miscarriage in pregnant women.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Health officials in Solano County, California, have ruled out the municipal water supply in the town of Dixon as the potential source of an E. coli infection that killed a 15-year-old boy who lived there.

In early December, part of Dixon was put under a boil water advisory after a utility pipe broke and E. coli was detected. The death occurred last week and health officials took stool samples from another area youth who had gone to the emergency room with symptoms of an E. coli infection.

The Reporter, a newspaper in Vacaville, California, reported today that the Solano County Public Heath Department has ruled out E. coli in the second child's illness. "That is very reassuring,'' said Dr. Ronald Chapman, deputy director of the county health department.

Chapman told the newspaper that multiple tests of city water supplies, including water at the boy's house, have come back negative for E. coli.

"The Dixon public should not have any concerns about the water,'' Chapman told The Reporter.

He said the fatal case of E. coli is still under investigation. One possibility is that naturally occurring E. coli in the boy's intestines made its way to his bloodstream, Chapman said.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Public health officials in Solano County, California, are investigating what caused an E. coli infection that killed a young child from Dixon, a town that was under a boil water advisory in early December.

The officials aren't releasing any identifying information about the child for privacy reasons. KCRA-TV reported the E. coli death late Friday. The station said health officials haven't said what strain of E. coli infected the youth, or when the illness began.

Solano County, which features a large agricultural community, sits midway between San Francisco and Sacramento.

County Health Education Manager  Robin Cox told KCRA-TV that the source is unknown and they have no other cases. A second child recently was treated in a hospital emergency room in Dixon for severe diarrhea, a symptom of E. Coli, but the child returned home and reportedly is doing well. Stool samples are pending.

 Cox said area hospitals have been asked to be extra vigilant for signs of E. coli infections in other patients. The county also is working with the local water utility to pull water samples for screening.

A large batch of water samples taken from the child's house and from areas close to it came back negative, KCRA reported. More water samples taken Thursday are still being examined, the station said.

In early December, part of Dixon was under a boil water advisory after a utility pipe broke. With one exception, water samples screened for bacteria at that time came back clean. The one "hit' was for E. coli, but it was determined to be a false result, KCRA reported Friday.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

One-pound packages of Sopressata mild sausage may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and are being recalled by DeNiro Cheese of Youngstown, Ohio, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said late Friday.

The sausage, made in Canada and distributed to a single specialty retailer in Boardman, Ohio, showed positive for Listeria monocytogenes in routine microbiological testing by FSIS. The agency said it has received no reports of illness in relation to the recall.

According to the FSIS, the sausage was produced Oct. 9, was stamped with a use-by date of 7/09/09, carried a product code of 91009 and was labeled with a Canadian mark of inspection with the code 476A inside the mark.

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria can cause Listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially deadly disease. Young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are most vulnerable. Infections in pregnant women can cause stillbirth and miscarriage. The pathogen can cause high fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness and nausea.

Consumers with questions about the recall should call President Greg DeNiro at 330-746-6011.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) found melamine in test samples of biscuits sold by a company from Vietnam, a discovery that has prompted a recall of four varieties of Wonderfarm brand biscuits.

Tests conducted by the MDA laboratory found several of the cookies had melamine levels that exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limit of 2.5 parts per million. According to a press release from the FDA, all lot codes of the biscuits are being recalled by Interfood Shareholding Co. The biscuits, sold in red tins, were distributed in "multiple'' states through food wholesalers and retail stores, the FDA said.

Melamine is an industrial chemical used in plastics and other manufacturing. It became one of the biggest food safety stories of the year when it created an epidemic of illness in Chinese babies. In some cases, unscrupulous manufacturers had added melamine to baby formula to boost protein readings. Melamine can bind with chemicals in urine, causing stones in the kidney or bladder. In severe cases, it can cause kidney failure.

The four varieties of Wonderfarm brand biscuits included in the recall are as follows:

• Wonderfarm "Successful" Assorted Biscuits (UPC:8935001262091)
• Wonderfarm "Royal Flavour" Assorted Biscuits (UPC:8935001263098)
• Wonderfarm "Lovely Melody" Assorted Biscuits (UPC: 8935001263296)
• Wonderfarm "Daily Life" Assorted Biscuits (UPC: 8935001264200)

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A Framingham, Mass., food company has suspended manufacturing of its imitation cream cheese and imitation peanut butter as it investigates what caused Listeria monocytogenes to contaminate a test sample. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in news release that Cambrooke Foods LLC also is recalling all batches of the imitation cream cheese and "Peanot Butter'' from distributors' shelves and consumers' kitchens.

The company said Listeria bacteria was found in random testing at its Randolph, Mass., plant before shipment. The recalls are precautionary and not related to any outbreak of illness, according to the news release.

The FDA press release said the following Cambrooke products should be discarded:

• Cheddar Wizard Low Protein Imitation Cream Cheese
• Herb & Garlic Low Protein Imitation Cream Cheese
• Plain Low Protein Imitation Cream Cheese
• Low Protein Peanot Butter

The products are sold to consumers who have special dietary needs. The company said it has ceased production and distribution of the products while it investigates the Listeria problem with the FDA.

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. The bacteria also can cause still birth and miscarriage in pregnant women.

Pritzker Law is one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of E. coli poisoning and other foodborne illnesses. For more information, visit http://www/pritzkerlaw.com or contact Fred Pritzker at (612) 338-0202. The firm's offices are at Plaza VII, Suite 2950, 45 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said this week it will begin testing sample batches of meat and poultry products to check for melamine, a chemical contaminant in food that has sickened more than 50,000 Chinese children this year.

With melamine showing up recently in some food products imported to the United States, FSIS said it would be “prudent” to do a small amount of sampling of products collected at retail stores.The random testing will begin in about two weeks and last 12 weeks.

In an official notice to investigators, the FSIS said sampling will focus on meat and poultry products that contain milk-derived ingredients such as non-fat dried milk, casein, whey, evaporated milk and milk powder.

The agency named the following five types of retail products for testing: Baby food containing meat or poultry; hot dogs and other cooked sausages; breaded chicken nuggets; meatballs; pizza snacks and meat or poultry wrapped in dough. The initiative is being undertaken with support from the Food Emergency Response Network laboratory at Athens, Georgia.

Melamine is a nitrogen-based chemical widely used in plastics manufacturing. It entered the milk supply in China because unscrupulous producers wanted to artificially inflate protein levels The scandal was one of the biggest food safety stories of the year..

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Twenty states and Washington, D.C., did not meet or exceed the national average for identifying the pathogens responsible for foodborne disease outbreaks, according to a newly released study of America's preparedness for health emergencies.

The sixth annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism report said the national average for states finding the causitive agent in food poisoning outbreaks is 44 percent of the time. Thirty states met or exceeded the average while 20 states and D.C. had a lower percentage.

Conducted jointly by two non-profit organizations -- Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation -- the food safety portion of the study was based on summary statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for 2004, 2005 and 2006 -- the most recent year for which figures were available. The study was published this week.

Authors of the study said that identifying pathogens responsible for foodborne illness outbreaks is meritorious for its own sake, but also because it requires the same skills and technology to detect and mitigate bioterrorism.

According to the study, 325,000 Americans are hospitalized each year with bacterial infections carried by food. On average, 5,000 people a year die from the diseases, the study said.

The study's authors claim that America's food safety system has not been fundamentally modernized in more than 100 years. They call for Congress to establish a single, unified agency responsible for food safety and focused on prevention of outbreaks. In the short term, the authors said, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should split the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in two: One to focus on drugs, medical devices and cosmetics and the other to dwell on food.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The U.S. congresswoman who chairs the House Agriculture-FDA Appropriations Subcommittee remains convinced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be stripped of its food safety responsibility.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who also sits on the influential House Appropriations and Budget Committee, repeated her criticism of the FDA this week, just days after the agency said it was making progress under the Food Protection Plan it launched in 2007 to improve its effectiveness.

U.S. Food Law Report said this week that the FDA's progress report contained a list of some impressive achievements -- including the creation of foreign field offices and pushing ahead with irradiation for leafy greens to kill potentially deadly pathogens. But the newsletter also said the FDA still has a long way to go in showing progress in the area of responding to outbreaks of foodborne illness.

DeLauro, who was quoted in U.S. Food Law Report, said real progress in food safety hinges on allowing the FDA to focus on medical product safety. The FDA's food safety responsibilities should be shifted to a separate agency under the Department of Health and Human Services, she said.

"While the FDA will contend that they are making progress on food safety, it is progress based on an outdated system and an outdated regulatory structure,'' DeLauro said. "The long-term viability of these so-called reforms remains in doubt given that food safety will constantly be compteing for attention and resources with medical product safety under the FDA."

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

State and national health officials are investigating how two babies in New Mexico became infected by Enterobacter sakazakii, a bacteria that has been associated in the past with powdered infant formula.

One of the kids, a 7-month-old boy from Holloman Air Force Base in Otero County, died Nov. 11 at Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, N.M. The other, a female infant from Lea County, has been hospitalized, newspapers in the state have reported.

The rare infections -- there are only 120 recorded cases throughout the world of all age groups -- are being probed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), theU.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the New Mexico Department of Health, the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator and the New Mexico Environment Department.

Air Force Col. Jeffrey Harrigian told the El Paso Times that experts conducted extensive tests at the military base and interviewed the deceased baby's family. A press release from the New Mexico Department of Health said lab tests showed that the two babies were sickened by different strains of Enterobacter sakazakii, also known as E. sakazakii, But the release said both infants had consumed powdered milk as part of their respective diets.

According to past CDC writings about E. sakazakii, infections are rare but can be very serious, sometimes leading to menengitis -- an infection of spinal fluid and of membranes surrounding the brain. Infants are the most susceptible.

Pritzker Law. is one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of E. coli poisoning and other foodborne illnesses. For more information, visit http://www.pritzkerlaw.com  or contact Fred Pritzker at (612) 338-0202. Pritzker our lawfirm has offices which are located at Plaza VII, Suite 2950, 45 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402   

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The government agency in charge of safekeeping more than 50 percent of America's food supply issued a statement Monday touting progress on several fronts.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is no stranger to criticism about its inspection of food plants and its prevention of foodborne illnesses. But it said several new initiatives have been launched since the unveiling last year of a new Food Protection Plan. The FDA said it has:

• Approved the use of irradiation of iceberg lettuce and spinach for the control of pathogens such as E coli O157:H7.
• Started using genetic analysis to identify hundreds of Salmonella strains from seafood imports. The analysis provides information to trace outbreaks of Salmonella.
• Developed a rapid detection method that uses flow cytometry to identify E. coli and Salmonella in food, now in use in poultry processing facilities to detect and prevent bacterial contamination during food processing.
• Signed cooperative agreements with six U.S. states to form a Rapid Response Team to develop an all-hazards response capability for tainted food.
• Decided to establish offices in China, India, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East to regulate exports to the United States of food and other FDA-regulated products.

Dr. David Acheson, associate commissioner of foods for the FDA, also told the New York Times that FDA is hiring 130 employees to conduct inspections and collect samples.

A common criticism of the agency is that it annually inspects only a small percentage of the 65,520 domestic food production facilities in the U.S. that fall under FDA authority. The U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects meats, poultry and processed egg products while the FDA covers seafood, produce, egg and dairy foods.

According to a recent report by Center for Science in the Public Interest, foods regulated by the FDA have been associated with more than two times as many foodborne illness outbreaks as foods regulated by USDA. The nutrition watchdog group favors a plan -- which has already been discussed by some members in Congress -- to separate food safety from drug and medical device approvals and create a new Food Safety Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Jeffrey Levi, an associate professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, told U.S. News and World Report that the new FDA report fails to offer enough guidance for what needs to be done to protect the U.S. food supply.

You can read the FDA report in its entirety by clicking here.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A Massachusetts company has recalled 5,250 pounds of "Blimpie" ready-to-eat frozen beef sandwich portions because they may be contaminated with Llisteria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced late Friday.

 FSIS said it has received no reports of illnesses in connection with the sandwiches and that the bacteria was detected through testing by the manufacturer, Home Market Foods Inc. of Norwood, Mass.

The recall applies to 3.5-ounce, individually wrapped "Blimpie fully cooked seasoned beef shaved steaks thinkly sliced with onions'' made Nov. 14, 17, 18 and 20th and distributed to retail outlets in the Atlanta metro area, California, Florida, Illinois and New York.

Each label bears the establishment number "2727" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The corresponding Julian date codes are "3198," "3228," and "3238.''

Initial symptoms of listeriosis are usually flu-like. Because most people are resistant to the illness and contamination is relatively rare, listeriosis is uncommon. However, certain populations are much more susceptible to infection, and of the 1,000 to 2,500 people who are infected each year in the U.S,, 25 percent die as a result of the infection. 

Listeriosis also can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. Listeria outbreaks are most commonly associated with ready-to-eat meat foods, including hot dogs and sandwiches. 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Companies and regulators should consider studying whether microwave cooking is safe for certain not-ready-to-eat frozen foods, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week in a report on the 2007 national Salmonella outbreak associated with Banquet pot pies.

CDC investigators, writing in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, expressed concern that microwave cooking instructions on product labels aren't readily followed, especially because most consumers don't know the wattage of their microwave ovens, leading to incomplete cooking. The report also noted the propensity of consumers to deviate from label instructions for microwave cooking, a practice made risky by the inclusion of raw ingredients in some not-ready-to-eat products.

In the 2007 Salmonella outbreak associated with Banquet turkey pot pies and other pot pies from the same ConAgra Foods Inc. plant, the frozen meals contained pre-cooked meat and uncooked flour crusts, according to the report. Furthermore, the report said, the pot pies might have been cross-contaminated by raw poultry pastes that entered the plant. The pastes often harbor Salmonella. But investigators noted that the precise source of the Salmonella poisoning has not been found.

The outbreak was first detected June 6, 2007, when a cluster of four  Salmonella infections were identified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as having the same genetic fingerprint according to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Eventually, 401 cases in 41 states were confirmed in subsequent investigations showing onsets of illness that carried through Dec. 11, 2007, with a peak in September.

Thirty-two percent of all ill persons were hospitalized. The report said: "Further investigation determined that 77 percent of patients who ate these pies cooked them in microwave ovens and that consumer confusion regarding microwaving instructions might have resulted in a failure to cook the product properly.''

The report said that microwave cooking instructions on the Banquet products may have been confusing because different parts of the package recommended different cooking times. ConAgra initiated a Salmonella-related product recall for all nine brands of pot pies made at the plant and then amended labeling of the products before resumption of production.

CDC investigators found that of the patients who said they cooked their pot pies in a microwave oven, only 23 knew their oven's wattage. Recommended cooking times vary by wattage. The report said consumer adherence to microwave cooking instructions on food packages could improve if output wattages were clearly and prominently listed on the appliances.

The report said a breakthrough in the investigation came on Oct. 4, 2007. That's when the Minnesota Department of Health determined that four case patients had consumed Banquet pot pies during the week before they got sick. From there, CDC's outbreak team started questioning patients about consumption of pot pies and confirmed the correlation. 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

 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.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A promising Shigella vaccine developed at the University of Maryland in Baltimore could make its way into developing nations to treat sick children now that it has been licensed to a non-profit group funded in part by Bill and Melinda Gates.

The deal was announced in a press release Monday by the university's School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development. The plan is that the non-profit group, PATH, or Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, will finish clinical trials and find a pharmaceutical company to partner on the pediatric vaccine.

The World Health Organization estimates that 1.1 million people a year die of Shigella infections around the globe and that more than 60 percent of the deaths are in children under five years old. In developing nations, Shigellosis is a major cause of diarrhea and dysentary.

Among travelers and military personnel, Shigella causes an estimated 580,000 cases of illness per year, according to the press release.

The Shigella project fits with PATH's commitment to accelerate development of safe, affordable vaccines to be used against leading bacterial causes of diarrheal disease and making them available to children in the world's poorest countries.

The licensing deal announced Monday comes at a time when treatment of Shigella infections are in a state of crisis because the bacteria is growing resistant to antibiotics.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A new version of E. coli 026 that is resistant to families of antibiotics, including penicillins, has been found on a British dairy farm for the first time.

The emergence of the so-called superbug, announced this week in minutes of a meeting of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, is thought by some to be related to heavy use of antibiotics on farms. 

Lancashire-based Farmers Guardian magazine said government vets found 19 of 20 calves and three of 40 cows on the farm positive for a type of E. coli 026 that is resistant to common antibiotics.

The finding isn't considered an immediate public health risk, but officials have instructed the family that operates the farm on methods to protect themselves against infection. The long-range concern is that such mutant strains of E. coli could cause food poisoning in humans that couldn't be treated with antibiotics.

The Soil Association, a British lobby group that promotes organic farming, said farmers and veterinarians need to reign in the use of antibiotics. The government should provide specific recommendations to limit the drugs, the group said. The association claims that heavy use of antibiotics has prompted E. coli bacteria to start mutating to ensure their own survival.

Other strains of E. coli that are resistant to common antibiotics have been found on 57 other farms in the United Kingdom, Farmers Guardian reported. But the latest case is the first resistant strain that has the potential to cause life-threatening foodborne infections in humans, the magazine said.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Federal agencies provided a slow and disjointed response to the multi-state Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak of 2008, a combination of shortcomings that left Americans vulnerable to the sickness for too long and unduly hurt fortunes in the tomato industry, according to an academic report released Monday

From its inception in late May to its official end on Aug. 28, 2008, the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak sickened more than 1,400 Americans and cost the tomato industry more than $114 million in Florida and Georgia alone. For more than a month during the outbreak, health officials were warning consumers not to eat tomatoes. But in the end, federal officials discovered that the true vectors for the spread of the illness were jalapeno and serrano peppers grown in Mexico and shipped from a distribution center in Texas. 

The Produce Safety Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University, said  its findings once again show a need for organizational reforms throughout the public health system for a more coordinated outbreak response. In addition, the report recommends that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) flex its existing authority to establish mandatory safety standards for fresh produce.

"The Obama Administration shoud make the establishment of mandatory, enforceable safety standards for fresh produce a food safety priority and take steps to fix our broken outbreak response system,'' said Jim O'Hara, director of the Produce Safety Project.

Here are some of the findings from the report, which is available in its entirety by clicking here:

• When the FDA issued its nationwide consumer advisory on June 7 to avoid certain tomatoes, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 145 people had been infected. In reality, the number was more than 800, or 55 percent of the outbreak total. Being slow to tally confirmed cases could have delayed the investigation.
• The states of New Mexico, Colorado and Texas got off to a fast start in recognizing the outbreak and they efficiently exchanged information on daily conference calls starting in late May. The CDC was notified within one day after state officials discovered that a number of cases shared the same genetic fingerprint, but it took CDC three days to notify FDA. And the FDA -- the agency that would have to take the lead in any multi-state investigation and traceback of contaminated produce -- didn't join the daily conference calls until four days later.
• Two "cluster'' investigations in Texas that were finished in late June implicated raw jalapeno peppers in salsa as a likely source of illness. But at a June 27 press briefing, after the finding was made, CDC officials would only say they were looking at other kinds of produce in addition to tomatoes. By July 1, despite growing evidence that peppers may be the cause of the outbreak, the CDC and FDA were still referring to tomatoes as "the lead suspect and our main focus.''
• Federal officials should have had doubts about tomatoes as early as mid-June because their June 7 advisory wasn't a significant factor in slowing the outbreak's progression. When advisories are correct, they are often followed by an acute slowdown in the spread of illness.
•  An opinion poll commissioned by the Produce Safety Project indicated that federal inaction on the issue of foodborne illness "may well be eroding public confidence in the safety of the food supply.'' Sixty percent of respondents believed government food safety agencies are doing only a fair or poor job.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Fifteen years have passed since Iowa State University first launched its Linear Accelerator Facility, but animal science professors at the school are still passionate about their study of irradiation of meat and other food.

The use of irradiation destroys most microorganisms and decreases the chance of potentially deadly E. coli O157:H7 infections. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has allowed the irradiation of meat to control pathogens since 1997, and since 1990 in poultry.

But as Iowa State's research indicates, cost and consumer acceptance have loomed as the biggest obstacles in moving irradiation into the mainstream of the food world. A recent story in High Plains/ Midwest Ag Journal zeroed in Iowa State's specialty, including a look at work on ground beef by Iowa State University researcher Doug Uk Ahm.

Ahn has learned that by adding an antioxidant and vitamin E to ground beef before irradiation, he can keep the meat from turning a brownish or grayish color. The additives also prevent an unfamiliar odor that occurs in ground beef when it is irradiated without additives.

Ahn considers the discovery a breakthrough for consumer acceptance, but regulation stands in the way. For one thing, meat cannot have more than one additive under FDA rule. And as it stands now, irradiation itself is considered an additive by the FDA.

"I hope the FDA will change irradiation's classification from an additive to a treatment, or approve the use of irradiation in processed meat, a petition that has been pending since 1999,'' Ahn told the journal.

Iowa State Professor Dennis Olson said foodborne illness outbreaks in 2006 that were associated with fresh produce generated greater interest in using irradiation to protect the U.S. food supply. In August 2008, the FDA approved irradiation to kill bacteria in fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce.

Olson said he wishes that the FDA would have expanded the approval to include other fresh produce, but the story notes an expansion is under consideration. And from Olson's perspective, it is significant the newest FDA rule marks the first time the federal government has allowed produce to be irradiated at levels sufficient to kill E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria .

"It's unfortunate that people have to get sick for us to get reqauirements to prevent the illnesses,'' Olson told the journal.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The largest current outbreak of E. coli O157:H7  infection in North America appears to be centered in southeastern Ontario, where health officials suspect  that the disease is spreading via romaine lettuce.

Given that possibility and the fact that other widespread foodborne illness cases in the past two years have been linked to veggies, officials at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) may have a hole in their argument when it comes to urging the health insurance industry to raise rates for meat-eaters.

In a Nov. 10 letter to the head of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said the "effects of E. coli on meat-eaters and the mountain of evidence linking meat consumption to some of our nation's deadliest diseases'' should correlate to lower health premiums for vegetarians and higher rates for meat-eaters. Reiman listed other reasons, as well.

A Blue Cross spokesman told KCCI-TV that Vermont prohibits insurers from varying rates based on nutritional habits of policyholders. The spokesman also said Blue Cross has no information one way or the other if vegetarians are more healthy.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The Castleberry's canning plant that spawned a rare foodborne botulism outbreak last year was permanently closed by its owner Friday after 82 years of operation in Augusta, Georgia.

Television stations in the area reported that all 327 employees of the plant will lose their jobs.

The production facility created national headlines in July 2007 after the nerve toxin Clostridium botulinum was discovered in cans of Castleberry's hot dog chili sauce. Cans of the sauce had been dropped in cool water on a faulty production line before they could be thoroughly heat-treated.

When health officials linked four cases of botulism to the product, a huge recall ensued and the plant was shut down for inspection. Eventually, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tied the hot dog chili sauce to eight cases of botulism, a disease that can cause paralysis and death. Initial symptoms can include double vision and slurred speech. The victims lived in Indiana, Texas and Ohio.

The plant in Georgia reopened, but was closed again in March 2008 when the U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration suspended its temporary operating permit . Weeks later, it reopened. Then in September, the Toronto-based owner of Castleberry's sold the brand name and other assets to Hanover Foods.

The Castleberry's botulism scare was so unusual (most of the 25 to 30 cases in the U.S. each year are related to foods canned at home) that it became the subject of a scientific case study funded by the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. You can read the study here.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

School officials and health workers in Kennebunkport, Maine, continue to fight an outbreak of Hepatitis A  that began in September.

The most recent case was confirmed last week in a fourth student at Conoslidated School. The confirmation came just one day after  most of the student body and staff received vaccine delivered by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

School Principal Katharine Pence has informed parents that a second round of vaccine will be administered at the school as a follow-up. In another attempt  to curb the virus -- which can lead to acute liver disease lasting from a few weeks to several months -- the school has temporarily shut down its cafeteria salad bar.

The newspaper website Seacoastonline.com reported Thursday that health officials believe its possible that more students could have contracted the virus, but aren't feeling sick yet. That's because the incubation period for Hepatitis A, the time it takes for symptoms to develop, can range up to 50 days.

For the next few weeks, students at the school who experience intestinal distress will be tested as a precaution, the website said.

The Maine CDC has said the outbreak probably started from an adult who recently returned from a country where Hepatitis A is prevalent. Of the 10 confirmed cases in the community, eight have been in the same family. The family has a link to the school, officials have said.

Hepatitis A is transmitted through ingestion of fecal matter and from close person-to-person contact or "ingestion of contaminated food or drinks,'' according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Hepatitis A can lead to mild, flu-like symptoms, or, at its worst, can impair liver function and lead to death. 

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Health officials in Tennessee have launched an intensive food poisoning investigation, interviewing more than 180 sick people and confirming two cases of E. coli O157:H7.

The Elk Valley Times newspaper in Fayetteville, Tenn., reported Wednesday that state laboratory tests confirmed two E. coli O157:H7 infections in the Lincoln County area.

"After an extensive investigation, so far no source for these cases of illness has been identified,'' Shelley Walker, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Health in Nashville, told the newspaper.

The state did not release information about the two people who were sickened by the bacteria. Walker said the investigation is continuing

E. coli O157:H7 is a virulent micro-organism that lives harmlessly in the hind guts of cattle and other animals. The bacteria can spread when manure comes in contact with meat during processing. E. coli can also spread to fresh produce when water contaminated with the bug is used in irrigation.

Infections can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a complication that can turn fatal for children, the elderly and those who have weakened immune systems.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The presence of elk droppings on the football field at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County, Colo., prompted local health officials over the weekend to cancel youth-league games.

 The concern stemmed from recent findings that eight confirmed E. coli O157:H7 infections among children from the Evergreen area were very likely acquired from exposure to elk droppings in local fields, parks and around area houses.

The Jefferson County Department of Health and Environment announced last week that specimens obtained from elk droppings in the area around Evergreen tested positive for the same strain of bacteria identified in the children.

The illnesses occurred sporadically this summer and fall in children ranging from ages 4 to 12, health department officials have said.

KUSA-TV reported the football game cancellations on Monday. The station quoted health officials as saying people in the area should use extra caution on sports field s that are also used by wildlife.

Dr. Gayle Miller, senior epidemiologist for Jefferson County, said It's the first time that E. coli in wildlife has been this clearly linked to the source of an outbreak in humans.

Especially in children, E. coli O157:H7 infections can lead to a serious and sometimes deadly complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. The disease can result in kidney failure.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Southern California is 2,100 miles away from southeastern Ontario, but health officials have found a genetic match between 21 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 in Canada and five E. coli cases in Southern California, South Dakota and New Jersey.

The Canadian cases are located in a tight geographical cluster between Halton, Niagara and Waterloo, Ontario. The source of the outbreak has not been identified, but Niagara's chief medical officer of health has said tainted lettuce served in restaurants could be the source.

Through laboratory testing, the Canadian cases were recently found to share the same DNA fingerprint. Then on Monday, Dr. Bob Nosal, medical officer of health for Halton, told The Hamilton Spectator newspaper, that the same genetic code has shown up in five E. coli O157:H7 cases in far-flung locations in the United States.

"When you get something that rare showing up in the U.S., you really wonder -- is it possibly linked?'' Nosal said.

Involved in the investigation are the Ontario Ministry of Health, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Media reports vary slightly on the number of confirmed cases in the Canadian outbreak, but the latest news releases from the Ontario Ministry of Helath and Long-Term Care and the Regional Municipality of Halton put the number at 21. Another 70 cases or more remain under investigation. 

 

 

 

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A 5-year-old boy from Illinois and a 7-year-old girl from Iowa have been released from University of Iowa Children's Hospital after battling severe complications from E. coli O157:H7 infections over the course of a month..

Health officials say the two cases are among a recent cluster of six confirmed E. coli O157:H7 infections in southeastern Iowa and western Illinois. They say several things associated with the cases increased the risk of E. coli exposure, "such as drinking unpasteurized apple cider, eating fresh unwashed apples and eating ground beef.''

The parents of the boy and girl who were hospitalized in Iowa City say the two children drank unpasteurized apple cider one day apart from each other at the same pumpkin patch.

Days later, on Oct. 7, they both became ill with cramping and diarrhea. They met in the hospital.

It took two weeks for health officials to confirm that either child was infected with E. coli O157:H7, a delay that the parents said was disappointing. They told KHQA-TV of Quincy, Ill., that not knowing the cause of the symptoms for so long put others at risk of contracting it from person to person,

In addition, doctors early on misdiagnosed the boy's illness and prescribed antibiotics for him -- a treatment that can cause kidney failure in E. coli patients, the station reported.

While hospitalized, both children developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a complication of E. coli O157:H7 that can be fatal. KHQA reported that the girl suffered internal bleeding, was at risk of stroke and required kidney dialysis to keep her alive.

Parents of the boy have said their son underwent kidney dialysis, blood transfusions and suffered from respiratory problems while in the hospital. Dr. Pat Brophy, the physician for both children, said they each face long-term health risks as a result of HUS.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Three members of an Ohio family who ate home-canned green beans and became poisoned with Botulism are in their seventh week of hospitalization, but steadily recovering.

This weekend, more than 400 people attended a medical fundraiser for the trio at St. Joseph's Convocation Center in Crestline Ohio, near their home. 

Joann Palm told the Mansfileld News Journal newspaper that her 15-year-old son is progressing faster than her parents, Norbert and Florence Reinhard. Still, she said, the boy  faces an additional 12 weeks of recovery.

The Reinhards, who have been canning vegetables at home for 50 years, are being treated at MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital while their grandson is at Children's Hospital in Columbus. Two other family members who ate the beans on Sept. 10 also became ill, but were treated for Botulism infection and released from the hospital within days.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of only 145 people a year in the U.S. are infected with Botulism. Of those, only about 15 percent are foodborne cases. In most of those cases, there is a link to home-canned foods with low acid content, according to the CDC..

Botulism produces a  toxin that can cause muscle paralysis and respiratory failure. Symptoms include double vision, blurred vision, incontinence and muscle weakness.

Another case of Botulism -- this one at a horse breeding farm near Ocala, Fla., -- was recently implicated in the deaths of 100 horses. Ocala.com reported today that a state veterinarian identified the source of the equine outbreak as a local batch of hayledge -- grass that is cut and wrapped and allowed to ferment.

The horses that were sickened by Botulism suffered nervous system damage and were euthanized.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (2)
• Share Link

A petting zoo in Greenville, N.C., has been temporarily closed as a precaution while health officials investigate the cause of at least two recently confirmed E. coli infections in children.

The infections were among several identified last week by the Beaufort County Health Department. The department has been working with area schools to make parents aware of a potential outbreak and WNCT-TV reported that the petting zoo will remain closed until officials know where the infections are coming from. The health officials have reminded parents of the importance of hand-washing after adults or children come in contact with livestock or other farm animals.

The station said the county also is working with health care clinics to indentify and test for additional cases.

E. coli symptoms can appear one to 10 days after exposure to the pathogenic bacteria. The symptoms range from mild diarrhea to severe abdominal cramps and bloody stools, but you may display no symptoms at all.  E. coli is a leading cause of bloody diarrhea. These symptoms are more severe in children, the elderly and in those who have another illness. 

Though most people recover from an E. coli infection, some of those infected develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is a severe and life-threatening complication.  

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Iowa health officials have confirmed  an unusually high number of  E. coli O157:H7 infections in the state since late September, prompting them to remind residents of ways to reduce the risk of contamination.

In a press release Friday, the Iowa Department of Public Health said most of the 29 cases do not appear to be related. But the officials confirmed that a cluster of  recent infections in the eastern part of the state -- all reported in the past three weeks -- share some common exposures.

Previously, state health officials hinted that the recent cluster of cases was associated with consumption of unpasteurized apple cider. Now they say several things associated with the cases increased the risk of E. coli exposure, "such as drinking unpasteurized apple cider, eating fresh, unwashed apples, and eating ground beef."

Of the 29 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 statewide since late September, 22 involved children 12 and younger. Several of those children were hospitalized, and a "few'' experienced kidney failure -- a symptom of hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a complication of E. coli O157:H7.

The spike in cases throughout the state compares to the five-year average of 18.4 cases for the same period of time, the health department said.

Two of the children sickened by the pathogen in the most recent cluster of cases remain at University of Iowa Children's Hospital. Parents for the 7-year-old girl and the 5-year-old boy told the Gate City Daily newspaper in Keokuk, Iowa, that the kids separately visited a business in Lee County Iowa, where they drank raw apple cider from a vendor who was demonstrating how to press apples. One child consumed the cider on Oct. 4, the other on Oct. 5, but health officials have said DNA fingerprints of their illnesses do not match.

Both children have been treated with blood transfusions, kidney dialysis and other procedures during their long hospital stays.

Iowa officials announced the following precautions to help prevent E. coli infections:

• Make sure fresh juice or milk has been pasteurized. Even small smaples can make you sick.
• People with diarrhea should not prepare or touch food meant for others. Wash hands with soap and water after using the restroom. If not available, use an alcohol-based hand gel.
•  When caring for someone with diarrhea, wash your hands after giving care and ensure that the ill person's hands are frequently washed.
• Cook all ground meats like hamburger thoroughly -- to a temperature of 155 F for at least 15-16 seconds, or until juices run clear and no pink is visible.
• Always wash fresh vegetables or fruits thoroughly before eating.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

As health officials in the area of Syracuse, N.Y., continue to investigate the source of  a Salmonella outbreak at a popular restaurant, the owners of the establishment have closed it until Friday for an intense cleaning, overhaul of food safety practices and testing of employees.

Plainville's Nature's Fare Restuarant, best known for serving Thanksgiving-style dinner throughout the year, closed Oct. 30 after the same strain of Salmonella bacteria was found to have sickened  20 different people who ate there from late August through Oct. 19, WTVH-TV in Syracuse reported.

Onondaga County Health Commissioner Dr. Cynthia Morrow told the station that it could be three weeks before testing can pinpoint the cause. But she believes the outbreak is likely associated with turkey. WTVH reported that a similar strain of Salmonella was recently discovered in a number of turkeys from Minnesota.

Onondaga County was hit earlier this year with another outbreak of  food poisoning that health officials have traced to Campylobacter bacteria and other bacteria in mahogany clams that were served raw and steamed at an local restaurant. More than 235 people reported getting sick after eating the clams, Morrow said..

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Health officials in Iowa are hinting that consumption of unpasteurized apple cider may be associated with at least one of five recently confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 in the southeast part of the state

Patricia Quinlisk, medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, told The Hawk Eye newspaper in Burlington that authorities won't release the source of a communicable disease unless it poses an immediate health risk to the public.

Quinlisk said the department has made recommendations in the "last several weeks'' to prevent further cases of E. coli. The department's latest recommendation, issued Tuesday, said raw apple cider should not be served to children under 8 years old, the elderly or people who have weakened immune systems..

"Cider and other unpasteurized juices have been linked with outbreaks of disease,'' the department's news release said.

The Hawk Eye reported Wednesday that two children hospitalized at University of Iowa Children's Hospital have been battling hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication of E. coli O157:H7, for more than two weeks. Both children have reportedly undergone kidney dialysis, surgeries, blood transfusions and other procedures.

Pediatric nephrologist Patrick Brophy, the doctor for both children, told the newspaper that the 5-year-old boy, "as well as a couple other kids,'' probably drank apple cider that contained E. coli.

 Three of the confirmed cases came from Lee County while two others were in Des Moines County, officials have said. A sixth case of E. coli infection was confirmed by health officials last week in Hancock County, Ill., across the state line.

There has been no announcement that the cases are releated and no health officials in either state has identified a specific source of bacteria.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Health officials in southeast Iowa and neighboring Illinois have confirmed four cases of E. coli O157:H7, with the latest case confirmed by the Hancock County Health Department in Illinois on Thursday.

Health officials have not determined the source of the illnesses.

According to news reports from the area, two of the Iowa cases were confirmed in Lee County and a third was confirmed in Des Moines County. The most recent case was confirmed across the state line in Hancock County, Ill.

In the past few months there have been numerous E. coli outbreaks linked to beef products. A report issued last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)  has shown conclusively that there is a link between distillers’ grain  and the prevalence of E. coli in cattle. The grains, which are fed to some cattle, are a byproduct of ethanol production.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

A 20-month-old little girl is recovering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), an illness she developed after contracting an E. coli O111 infection. She stayed in the hospital for 12 days and needed dialysis treatment to get her kidneys working again. Her father stated in a USA Today report that “she received dialysis treatment and was stuck with so many needles she thought she was being punished.”

This little girl was part of an E. coli O111 outbreak that health officials associated with the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma. According to the CDC, 313 people were sickened in the outbreak. One person died and 17 developed HUS and needed dialysis. To date, health officials have not found a food source for the outbreak.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Breaking News April 19, 2010: An E. coli outbreak in Washtenaw County, Michigan has sickened at least 10 people, 2 of whom have been hospitalized.  Most of those sickened live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Our law firm is currently representing E. coli victims and E. coli HUS victims.  Contact us.

The Michigan E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with iceberg lettuce distributed by Aunt Mid’s Produce Company has sickened at least 35 people in Michigan. At least 6 people in Illinois have also been sickened in this outbreak.

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, some of the Michigan cases consumed shredded or chopped iceberg lettuce in restaurants or institutions purchased from Aunt Mid's Produce Company, a Detroit-based wholesale distributor. This is epidemiological evidence that associates Aunt Mid’s with the outbreak. 

The Michigan Depatment of Agriculture has been testing Aunt Mid's iceberg lettuce samples and Aunt Mid's processing facility. To date, the state tests have found no contamination of either Aunt Mid’s iceberg lettuce or Aunt Mid’s processing facility.

According to James McCurtis, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Community Health, Aunt Mid’s is still suspected because its lettuce is the only kind delivered to the Lenawee County Jail (5 inmates sickened) and the two restaurants in Illinois where the outbreak-strain of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria was also found.

Legally, an epidemiological association with an outbreak can be sufficient evidence to find liability. This is necessary in cases involving a perishable food product because by the time an outbreak is uncovered, perishable food items are often consumed. This is particularly true in the case of a perishable food product served at a restaurant or other food service facility.  In this case, the epidemiological evidence is supported by the finding of the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 (microbiological evidence) at the Lenawee County Jail and the two restaurants in Illinois.

If you or your child has been sickened in the Michigan E. coli outbreak, it is critical that you contact an E. coli lawyer if you want to be compensated for medical expenses, pain and suffering and other damages. Liable parties could include farms, processors, distributors, a food service company, a restaurant and others. If you retain our law firm, we will immediately investigate your case.

Our law firm has a national reputation in this area, and we handle E. coli cases throughout the United States. We are currently handling a number of E. coli cases, including cases involving hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). To contact the firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free), email attorney Fred Pritzker or submit our online consultation form for a free consultation.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) is investigating an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has sickened at least eight people, seven of them students at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU).  The investigation began September 23rd.

Health officials have not determined the source of the outbreak, but initial investigations indicate that on-campus dining is not related to the illness. BCPH staff is working closely with CU and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to identify the source of the outbreak and any additional cases among students and the public.

News reports have indicated that most of the students sickened are members of the same sorority.  This suggests that the source of the outbreak is water or food associated with the sorority.  Contact our law firm regarding liability and compensation in an E. coli case.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has identified Aunt Mid’s Produce Company as the distributor of iceberg lettuce consumed by six Illinois residents during late August to mid-September who have been diagnosed with E coli 0157.

The Michigan Department of Community Health has also identified Aunt Mid’s Produce Company as one of the wholesale processors who sold institutional-sized iceberg lettuce to establishments which served 26 people who were diagnosed with the same strain of E coli.

IDPH is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory to test persons suspected of being linked to this Illinois E. coli outbreak and to trace-back where the lettuce came from. Aunt Mid’s Produce Company has voluntarily suspended any processing and sale of its iceberg lettuce product line throughout the United States.

For information on the legal rights of E. coli victims, distributor liability and an Aunt Mid's lawsuit, please contact our law firm at 1-888-377-8900 or email attorney Fred Pritzker.

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Seven MSU E. coli O157:H7 cases have been linked by genetic testing to 17 additional cases of E. coli throughout the state of Michigan. The Michigan E. coli cases are located as follows:

• 7 students at MSU
• 3 students at Michigan University
• 5 inmates at Lenawee County Jail
• 3 people in Macomb County
• 2 people in Wayne County
• 2 people in Kent County
• 1 person in St. Clair County
• 1 person in Oakland County

Health officials have genetically linked the Michigan E. coli cases with E. coli cases in several other states: Illinois, New York, Ohio and Oregon.

Health officials do not know the source of the E. coli, and investigations are ongoing. According to WILX-TV, however, the source may be food from a commercial distributor:

There's speculation the food came from a commercial distributor, so MSU says, as a precaution, they've removed frozen turkey and particular produce items from their cafeteria for the time being.

Eight of the nine people hospitalized in this E. coli outbreak were MSU students.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

As we predicted, beef tri-tip is the source of the E. coli outbreak that has sickened attendees of a BBQ Benefit in Forest Ranch, California. The BBQ Benefit took place on Saturday, September 13, 2008 at Fire Station 24. 

Beef processors have recalled millions of pounds of beef products in the last several months. These recalls were all allegedly due to unsanitary conditions in processing plants. In one case, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service concluded that Nebraska Beef Ltd., a beef processor that had recalled over 5 million pounds of ground beef, had production practices that were insufficient to effectively control E. coli bacteria. "The products subject to recall may have been produced under unsanitary conditions," the government said.

Health officials have not reported names of the processor, distributors or retailer of the contaminated tri-tip associated with this E. coli outbreak in Forest Ranch, California. These parties are all potentially liable to the victims of this outbreak for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of income and other damages.  We are representing several victims of E. coli outbreaks linked to beef products. Contact us for E. coli lawsuit information.

According to the Butte County Public Health Department, at least 18 people were sickened, 4 of them seriously. 

Two people are still hospitalized, one of them a six-year-old child. As happens to many children who contract E. coli infections, the child has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe illness that can cause kidney failure, pancreatitis, brain damage and damage to other organs. As attorneys who represent people with HUS and families of people with HUS who have died, we have witnessed the pain and suffering and emotional distressed caused by this illness. Attorney Fred Pritzker recently spent two days in an intensive care unit with a family whose loved one was in a HUS-associated coma.

If you are a victim of this outbreak or a parent of a victim, please feel free to contact us for a free consultation.  Even if you do not hire us to represent you, we understand that it can be helpful just to have the opportunity to have some questions answered.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Saturday, September 13, 2008, the community of Forest Ranch, California gathered for a benefit barbecue for volunteer fire Station 24 and Station 23. What attendees did not know was that deadly E. coli bacteria had contaminated some of the food. According to Butte County health officials, at least 13 people were sickened, 4 of them seriously. 

Two people are still hospitalized, one of them a child. E. coli infections can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe illness that can cause kidney failure, pancreatitis, brain damage and damage to other organs. We are representing E. coli victims who developed HUS and have recently recovered compensation for families of E. coli victims who died after developing HUS. Attorney Fred Pritzker recently spent two days in an intensive care unit with a family whose loved one was in a HUS-associated coma.

Most of the E. coli outbreaks in the last several months have been linked to beef products. One of the outbreaks was linked to beef tri-tip. One of the food items served was beef tri-tip sandwiches. Health investigators have not yet associated this outbreak to the beef tri-tip sandwiches or any other food source. Interviews and tests should shed light on what caused this outbreak. If the beef tri-tip is the source of the E. coli outbreak, the processor, distributor and retailer of the meat may be liable for any injuries caused by the contaminated meat. Contact attorney Fred Pritzker for more information about liability for E. coli-associated illness.

The following is an upbeat report of the benefit barbecue in Forest Ranch found on the Forest Ranch Community Association Web site that is dated September 19, 2008, days before health officials reported the E. coli outbreak associated with the event:

Saturday morning, the air was filled with anticipation as members from the community and Station 24 and Station 23 came together to set up for the Benefit BBQ. . . Inside Station 24, members of the Women's Club were arranging pies, cakes, cookies. . . Members of Mountain Joy Bible Fellowship were busy in the kitchen getting the food ready for the day. Many folks who came enjoyed the Tri-tip sandwiches, hot dogs, chili, BBQ Chicken Breast, veggie burgers and salad. The magic hour of noon came and the event was on underway.

With the Butte County Health Department, we encourage people to wash their hands to help prevent secondary spread of E. coli.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

(Updated information: According to news reports, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture said at least one sample of the raw milk from Hendricks Farms & Dairy that was submitted by a consumer who got sick, has tested positive for Campylobacter.)

Since September 1, at least seven confirmed cases of Campylobacter have been associated with drinking raw milk from Hendricks Farm & Dairy in Franconia, PA, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The people sickened live in unrelated households in Pennsylvania and in a neighboring state. Other individuals in these households have also experienced similar gastrointestinal illness, but they have not tested positive for Campylobacter.

In response to this Campylobacter outbreak, the state Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has suspended Hendricks Farm and Dairy's raw milk permit and instructed the farm’s owner to stop selling raw milk for human consumption until the permit is reinstated. The only product affected by this suspension is the farm's fluid raw milk.

Raw milk has been associated with foodborne outbreaks throughout the country. If you contracted Campylobacter (campylobacteriosis) after consuming raw milk, contact our office for information about a lawsuit to recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering and other damages. To contact our law firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free), e-mail attorney Fred Pritzker, or submit our online form for a free consultation.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), with the aid of 3 CDC staff, interviewed an additional 310 people over the weekend who ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK, from August 15 through August 17.  Over 200 people who ate at the restaurant on these dates contracted E. coli 0111 infections.  One 26-year-old man, a gospel singer, died and several children developed hemolytic uremic syndrome and are on dialysis.

So far more than 1,300 persons who ate at the restaurant have been interviewed as part of the OSDH investigation. The OSDH is interviewing both those who became sick as well as those who did not after eating at the Country Cottage in an attempt to identify the distinction between what might have been a popular food choice versus a valid association with food selection and illness.

The OSDH and the CDC are doing an epidemiological analysis of the interview data. In addition to studying the possible association of illness to specific food items, the OSDH has conducted environmental sampling of food preparation and serving surfaces at the restaurant, as well as some food sampling. Laboratory results are still pending on environmental and food samples.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) said today it has determined the need to interview about 320 additional persons as part of its ongoing investigation into the source of an E. coli 0111 outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma.  The E. coli 0111 outbreak has been linked to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma.

According to State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley:

In our efforts to establish if there is an association with particular food items and illness, we will be interviewing more persons to find those who ate at the Country Cottage and did not become ill. In an investigation of this scope, it is as important to collect information on those who did not get sick as those who did become ill. We’ve determined that our statistical database does not adequately represent those who ate at the Country Cottage but did not become ill. This information is necessary so that we can make the distinction between what might have been a popular food choice versus a valid association with illness.

The OSDH also announced that the CDC is going to participate in the outbreak investigation:

“This outbreak is of great interest to CDC because it will add to knowledge on the range of disease that the E. coli 0111 organism can cause,” Bradley said. She said federal officials will conduct medical reviews to look at acute symptoms and complications of those who became sick due to the E. coli 0111 infection. They will also assist OSDH staff in telephone interviews.

At least 206 persons have become sick as a result of this E. coli 0111 outbreak, including 149 adults, 53 children, several of whom developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a life-threatening illness that can cause kidney failure, pancreatitis, liver damage, brain damage and damage to other organs. One person has died.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Many of the persons who were hospitalized as a result of the Oklahoma E. coli O111 outbreak have recovered and are being released from area hospitals. State health officials believe the total number of persons hospitalized at the peak of the outbreak exceeded 50; about 27 are currently hospitalized.

At least 206 persons have become sick as a result of the outbreak including 149 adults, 53 children, and four whose ages have not yet been confirmed. Cases range in age from 2 months to 88 years. One person has died.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) investigation is focused on the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK. Most of the people who became ill reported eating at the restaurant from Aug. 15 through Aug. 23. The 26-year-old man who died in this outbreak also reportedly ate at the Country Cottage before becoming ill. 

Health officials have not found the source of the outbreak.  As OSDH officials continue their investigation of this outbreak, they are sampling and testing food preparation and serving surfaces in the Country Cottage restaurant for any E. coli 0111 contamination. They are also still interviewing people who may have eaten at the restaurant from Aug. 15 through Aug. 23.

OSDH did not find E. coli in the restaurant's well water, which means the source of the outbreak was most likely a food item.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

An Oklahoma E. coli 0111 outbreak has sickened over 200 people.  The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has linked the outbreak to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma.  Last week, news reports indicated that the source of the outbreak may have been the restaurant's well water.  Today, the OSDH reported "that laboratory analysis of water samples taken from a private well on the property of the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK, has found no disease-causing bacteria."

“The well water is not the source of this outbreak,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley. “We are continuing our efforts to conduct microbiological testing of food preparation and serving surfaces in the restaurant, and we continue to interview cases, as we try to establish an association with those who became ill and a potential source.”

At least 206 persons are sick as a result of the outbreak including 149 adults, 53 children, and four whose ages have not yet been confirmed. One person has died, a 26-year-old man, and several children have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.

“This appears to be the largest E. coli 0111 outbreak ever reported in the U.S.,” Bradley stated. “The complexity of this outbreak and the necessity to be extremely thorough in our investigation means we still have more questions than answers.”

Although health investigators have interviewed more than 500 persons, they have not yet determined the source of this Oklahoma E. coli 0111 outbreak.

For information about restaurant liability and an E. coli 0111 lawsuit, please contact our law firm: call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or email attorney Fred Pritzker, managing attorney for our E. coli litigation cases.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

A young boy from Nebraska is in Colorado with a serious E. coli infection.  The boy, only 21 months old, became sick on August 10. According to The North Platte Bulletin, the toddler had diarrhea and was taken to the Perkins County Community Hospital, but was moved to the Great Plains Regional Medical Center after becoming severely dehydrated.   At that point, physicians informed the boy’s parents that he was suffering from E. coli, and on August 14, the decision was made to fly the toddler to the Children’s Hospital in Denver. Currently there isn’t any information about a period of recovery for the boy, nor is there any information on how the boy may have contracted E. coli or clues to a source of the infection, which is usually transmitted via contaminated food.

Serious cases of E. coli infection like this child's usually involve hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), an illness that often develops in young children who have E. coli infections.  Hemolytic uremic syndrome is the leading cause of kidney failure (renal failure) in children in the United States.  It can also lead to pancreatitis, brain and spinal cord damage and other serious conditions.

Although the name of the Nebraska boy is in news reports, we have withheld his name here out of respect for him and his family.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has issued an update of what appears to be an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has been associated with the Country Cottage restaurant in Lotus Grove, Oklahoma.  (Update: On August 28, 2008 the OSDH reported that the E.  coli involved in this outbreak is 0111 and not O157:H7.) The Country Cottage "E. coli" outbreak may have sickened over 50 people.  According to the OSDH, "At least 17 cases have been hospitalized and 40 or more cases are under investigation. One person has died."

This is up from the 14 hospitalized cases and "20 or more potential cases" reported yesterday.

Although health officials have not determined the source of the illness, epidemiological evidence has determined that "a large number" of the people sickened and the person who died ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK.

Oklahoma health laboratory officials continue to analyze specimens taken from ill persons to try to determine if the diagnosis is E. coli O157:H7 infections. (Again, as of 8/29/08 the diagnosis is E. coli 0111.) Signs and symptoms of these Country Cottage "E. coli" cases include diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and severe abdominal cramping.

Our law firm has been contacted by people sickened in this Country Cottage "E. coli" outbreak. It is imperative for both medical and legal reasons for people experiencing symptoms of E. coli to seek medical attention. If you or your child is diagnosed with E. coli, you should immediately contact us regarding the additional testing that needs to be done to connect your or your child’s case of E. coli to this outbreak.

Our law firm represents people sickened in E. coli outbreaks linked to restaurants. We recently recovered compensation for victims of an outbreak linked to a restaurant even though health officials never found the source of the outbreak. Contact us about restaurant liability.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

A 26-year-old newlywed from Pryor, Oklahoma died on Sunday from what appears to be an E. coli O157:H7 infection.  (Update: On August 29, 2008 the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported that the illnesses are E. coli 0111 infections.) As a law firm that practices in the area of E. coli litigation, we feel that we have a responsibility to do our part to make people aware of the dangers of E. coli and to advocate for food safety. That is why we started this blog.

When someone dies from the complications of an E. coli infection, we think people need to know. The young man who died, a gospel singer, was a husband (for only a few months), son and friend, and he died of a preventable illness. Although health investigators may never find the source of the E. coli that killed this young man and sickened over 30 other people, E. coli contamination is always the result of unsanitary practices that lead to feces (usually cattle feces) getting into food or water.

If you follow the links above, you will meet a young man with talent and a bright future. We urge you to take action and contact your federal legislators:

• Tell them that they need to quit just talking about food safety and do everything possible to eliminate E. coli from the food chain. 
• Tell them either to create one, well-funded food safety agency, or to give the USDA (meat regulation) and the FDA (non-meat food product regulation) the authority and funds needed to keep our food safe.
• Send them to the links above, to Eric's Echo and to Safe Tables Our Priority, and tell them to meet some of the people whose lives were cut short by E. coli.

Although the name of the man from Oklahoma who died is in news reports, we have withheld his name from the content of this post out of respect for the family.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

One person in Oklahoma has died from what appears to be E. coli food poisoning. At least 14 others have been hospitalized with symptoms of E. coli. The Oklahoma State Department of Health is also investigating at least 20 other cases of diarrhea that may be E. coli.  A large majority of the people sickened ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

This situation is tragic for everyone. The culprit in this case may be beef. Millions of pounds of beef products have been recalled recently, most if it by one processor, Nebraska Beef, Ltd., a company with a history of sanitation violations.

Although beef is the most common source of E. coli outbreaks, other foods can be the source of E. coli infections, including but not limited to leafy greens and unpasteurized apple cider and milk.

One of our recent E. coli wrongful death cases involved spinach. Another E. coli wrongful death case our law firm is handling involves a restaurant where a goat was slaughtered in the restaurant kitchen.

Legally, E. coli outbreaks involving restaurants can lead to a finding of liability on the part of the restaurant, a distributor, a processor and/or others. We investigate all possibilities and thoroughly discuss the options with our clients. Our goal in all of our E. coli cases is to recover compensation for our clients.  

E. coli victims may seek compensation for medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering and other damages.  In E. coli wrongful death cases, family members receive any money recovered in a settlement or jury verdict. These cases are governed by specific wrongful death laws. In cases involving sickness but not death, family members may also recover amounts for losses suffered, including but not limited to loss of income and loss of consortium. It is important to hire an E. coli lawyer who will take the time to listen to the victim and the victim's family and be able to communicate the extent of the losses to a judge and jury.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this Oklahoma E. coli outbreak and their families. If you would like a free E. coli litigation consultation, please contact our law firm:

• Call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) and ask to speak to one of our lawyers, all of whom have E. coli litigation experience
• Email our lawyers
• Submit our online form for a free E. coli litigation consultation

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Health officials have associated raw milk from Alexandre Family EcoDairy Farms, a Del Norte County, California dairy with an outbreak of Campylobacter . The Del Norte County Department of Public Health has confirmed 3 cases of Campylobacter infection and is awaiting the results for 12 additional cases.

One woman sickened in this outbreak has developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition in which the body damages its own nerve cells, resulting in muscle weakness and, in some cases, paralysis and death.

Because selling raw milk is illegal in California, dairies sell shares in a cow and distribute raw milk from the cow to "owners." The dairies often have the "owners" sign contracts where the "owners" agree to hold the dairies harmless if someone is sickened by the raw milk.

If you signed one of these "hold harmless" agreements and contracted Campylobacter after consuming the raw milk, you may still have grounds for a lawsuit against the dairy.  Contact our law firm for a free Campylobacter case review. 

 

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

 An E. coli outbreak that has sickened people in at least 12 states and Cananda has been associated with Nebraska Beef, Ltd. beef products that were sold under the Coleman brand.  As a result, Nebraska Beef recalled 1.2 million pounds of ground beef.

We have contacted a number of the states involved in this outbreak, and the investigation is ongoing.  To date, states involved in this outbreak include the following: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Nebraska Beef produced the recalled products on June 17, June 24 and July 8, 2008. The shipping containers and product labels bear the establishment number “EST. 19336” inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as the brand “Coleman Natural.” However, these products were sent to establishments and retail stores nationwide for further processing and will likely not bear the establishment number “EST. 19336” on products available for direct consumer purchase.

On July 3, Nebraska Beef recalled 5.3 million pounds of beef manufacturing trimmings and other products intended for use in raw ground beef produced between May 16 and June 26. This recall also involved some Coleman brand products.   This recall was prompted by an E. coli outbreak that sickened people in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Utah. Read more about the previous Nebraska Beef recall.

We have filed a lawsuit against Nebraska Beef.  Read more about the Nebraska Beef lawsuit.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

Three more people have tested positive for E. coli in Nebraska, according to an Associated Press story.  This brings the total number of Nebraska E. coli cases to five.

Health officials are still investigating the outbreak, but according to the AP story:

Vicki Duey of the Four Corners Health Department says she's looking at whether the food served at a public event held earlier this month may have sickened people. She declined to give specific information about the event or where it took place.

During the investigation, it is valuable to have legal representation. To contact our law firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free), email attorney Fred Pritzker, managing partner for our E. coli cases, or submit our E. coli case review form.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link

The FDA needs to get some training from the Minnesota Department of Health. 

The Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that the FDA initially traced to tomatoes has 1279 confirmed cases to date. People started getting sick in April and the numbers have continued to climb fast.  The FDA started looking at other foods as the possible source of the outbreak, but the investigation was going nowhere until people from Minnesota got sick and the Minnesota Department of Health got involved.

According to a story in today’s StarTibune by Josephine Marcotty and Maura Lerner, the Minnesota Department of Health traced the source of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak to jalapeno peppers in less than two weeks:

Minnesota health officials first learned of a salmonella outbreak in the state on June 23. By July 9, they were on the phone with their federal counterparts making it "crystal clear" it was not tomatoes but jalapenos that were the likely source, said Kirk Smith, head of foodborne diseases at the Health Department.

Smith said that by mid-June, federal investigators already had begun to think tomatoes were not the sole culprit.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials still have not completely ruled out tomatoes. Data indicate jalapeno peppers caused some illnesses but not all, said FDA spokesman Mike Herndon in an e-mail interview.

In Minnesota, the break came when 27 people who ate at the same Twin Cities restaurant fell ill from the exact rare salmonella strain in the national outbreak.

On Monday, federal officials said they found the same strain on a jalapeno pepper in a giant produce warehouse in McAllen, Texas -- the same warehouse identified by Minnesota investigators weeks ago.

"What happened in Minnesota should be the norm," said Mike Osterholm, University of Minnesota foodborne illness expert and an adviser to state and federal health agencies. "They did it quickly and they did it effectively and they were able to trace back what nobody else was able to trace back."

Read the full story, “'Team Diarrhea' helped state crack salmonella case.”

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

The CDC has reported that one case in Georgia is now part of the multi-state E. coli outbreak that has been linked to Kroger ground beef and Nebraska Beef, Ltd. ground beef components.  The first cases reported in this outbreak were in Michigan and Ohio.  On July 15, the CDC reported that Indiana, Kentucky and New York each had one confirmed case.  With Georgia added to the list, there are now 6 states involved in the outbreak.

Our law firm has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a victim of this E. coli outbreak.  To contact us regarding this lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or email attorney Fred Pritzker.

The Georgia case is one of 8 E. coli cases in Georgia that have been linked to the Barbecue Pit in Moultrie, Georgia. According to the Moultrie Observer:

“This is not a new case,” Southwest Georgia Public Health District Health Director Jacqueline Grant said. “What is new is that the CDC has now determined that it fit their case definition for the outbreak that began in Michigan and Ohio.”

Late Tuesday, Grant said the CDC announced that New York, Kentucky and Indiana each had a lab-confirmed case of bacterial infection that matched the clusters in Michigan and Ohio that had been traced to beef sold in Kroger supermarkets. With the inclusion of Georgia, six states are now linked to the outbreak.

“The number of lab-confirmed E. coli cases associated with the Colquitt County outbreak remains at eight, with four presumed cases,” Grant said. “That number has not changed. The lab-confirmed cases are undergoing additional testing to determine whether they also match the multi-state case definition. Testing results are expected later this week.”

The Colquitt County cases are the only cases related to the national outbreak found in Georgia by disease investigators, Grant said. All confirmed and presumed cases involve people who ate at the Barbecue Pit, located at 311 First Ave. S.E. in Moultrie from mid-June through July 3.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Share Link