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

Larry Schultz Organic Farm of Owatonna, Minnesota, is cooperating with a Minnesota Department of Health investigation into an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis that investigators have associated with organic eggs. Some of those eggs -- now recalled -- were sold as Lunds & Byerly’s Organic, Kowalski’s Organic and Larry Schultz Organic Farm eggs.

Three people were hospitalized and three others sickened to the point where they went to a doctor and tested positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella -- a human pathogen that is capable of causing death or long-term, disabling illness known as reactive arthritis or Reiter's syndrome.  The illnesses occurred in both children and adults, and all are residents of the seven-county metropolitan area around St. Paul and Minneapolis. 

Minnesota food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is one of the very few legal groups in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne Illness litigation. The firm is currently representing Salmonella outbreak victims and has published the complete details of this current organic egg Salmonella recall. Salmonella infection is a serious health concern and should not be taken lightly.

Anyone who believes they may have become ill with Salmonella should contact their health care provider. For answers to legal questions about claims recoveries, call a Salmonella lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or leave your contact information and a lawyer will call you.

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Lunds, Byerly’s, Whole Foods and The Wedge Coop stores have pulled eggs produced by Larry Schultz Organic Farm of Owatonna from their shelves at all locations following the announcement of a recall due to possible Salmonella contamination.

At least six people In Minnesota have been diagnosed with salmonellosis, an infection caused by eating food contaminated with Salmonella. Five of them reported eating eggs produced at the Owatonna farm prior to becoming ill. 

Roughly 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported in the United States every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But, because many of the milder cases are not reported, the CDC estimates that the actual number of Americans who get sick from Salmonella is probably closer to 1.2 million every year.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella may experience diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain. But for those most at risk, including very young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, Salmonella poisoning can be a serious health risk.

Minnesotans who believe they contracted salmonellosis after eating eggs associated with this recall should contact their health care provider. Those with legal questions about an illness associated with this outbreak or recall should contact the nation’s leading foodborne illness lawyers at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. for a free consultation.

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Minnesota Salmonella egg illnesses -- confirmed by the Minnesota Department of Health -- have risen from seven to 14.

The agency said in a press release this weekend that all confirmed Salmonella Enteritidis cases in the state have been connected with the expanded egg recall in Iowa due to Salmonella contamination.

The seven new Minnesota Salmonella egg cases were identified as part of a restaurant outbreak in Bemidji, Minnesota, in May.

"Shell eggs were identified as the likely source of this outbreak and were traced back by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and FDA to Hillandale Farms of New Hampton, Iowa,'' the health department said.

Eggs from Hillandale Farms have now been included in an expanded egg recall that also includes Wright County Egg. Click here for the egg recall update to see brands and plant codes covered by the egg recalls.

Combined, more than half a billion eggs are involved in the egg recall, which involves distribution in many states from California to the Upper Midwest to Mississippi.

Minnesota health officials have said that as a rule of thumb, for every 1 confirmed Salmonella illness there are 38 more in people who have not sought medical attention or who saw a doctor but were not sampled for a stool culture.

If you or a loved one has been sickened in this outbreak, call law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. about a Minnesota egg lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

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The Wright County Egg Salmonella recall is estimated by The Associated Press to cover some 228 million eggs distributed nationwide since May 19, 2010.

A joint field investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is ongoing and intended to identify potential sources of Salmonella Enteritidis in these shell eggs, such as feed.

Public health officials in California, Colorado and Minnesota have confirmed outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis traced back to Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa. The number of cases in California alone is 266, including 43 in Los Angeles County.

Since May 2010, CDC has identified a nationwide, four-fold increase in the number of Salmonella Enteritidis isolates through PulseNet, the molecular subtyping network made up of state and local public health laboratories and federal food regulatory laboratories. CDC received reports of approximately 200 cases every week during late June and early July compared to an average of 50 per week in that time period over the past five years. 

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Like Minnesota, health officials in Colorado and California have traced Salmonella outbreaks to the same Iowa egg farm doing business as Wright County Egg.

The CO, CA and MN Salmonella egg outbreaks are under investigation now by state and federal health investigators, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to an Aug 4 Jefferson County Colorado Public Health statement, 28 people who ate at a locally owned restaurant called The Fort between July 10 and July 16 got sick. Salmonella Enteritidis was confirmed in 8 of the cases and suspected in 20. 

A person infected with the Salmonella Enteritidis bacterium usually has fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated food or beverage. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without antibiotic treatment. However, the diarrhea can be severe, and the person may be ill enough to require hospitalization. 

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The NBC television news affiliate in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has featured national food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker for his views on raw milk.

The topic has been a hot one in America's Dairyland ever since Governor Jim Doyle vetoed a bill earlier this year that would have legalized raw milk sales.

As photojournalist Mike Fisher reported on NBC26, some Wisconsin farmers continue their fight to sell raw milk despite opposition from the dairy industry, public health officials, pediatricians, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"I think the Governor is right, I'm representing people all over the country in raw milk cases who have been harmed grievously by drinking raw milk." 

 

Click here for a more in-depth look into the dangers of raw milk

Mr. Pritzker and his firm are involved in virtually every national outbreak of foodborne illness and they have 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. Pritzker Olsen has pushed for increased funding for the federal, state and local agencies charged with protecting our food.

 

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

 

He has received numerous accolades including selection by his peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and one of Minnesota’s Top 100 Lawyers. He is also a Civil Trial Specialist certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Minnesota State Bar Association. He is a former president of the Minnesota Association of Justice and a former governor of the American Association of Justice.

 

Mr. Pritzker received his B.A. with honors from Northwestern University in 1972 and his J.D. cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1976.

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday it is working "vigorously'' to identify the specific contaminated product that is causing a national outbreak of Salmonella Thyphimurium.

The CDC's written update on the 4-month-old outbreak did not specify what food or foods are being looked at as a potential cause. As of Wednesday, the same strain of Salmonella Thyphimurium had sickened 388 people in 42 states, the CDC said. The earliest recorded onset of an illness during the outbreak is Sept. 3. The CDC said the ages of the afflicted range from less than 1 year old to 103 years old. Approximately 18 percent of people sickened by the bacterial disease have been hospitalized, the CDC said.

The CDC said it is working with various state health officials and two federal agencies --  the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- to find the cause. Among states offering assistance with the investigation is Minnesota, where a team of researchers is conducting detailed standardized interviews with persons who were ill.

Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health, told the Center for Infectious Disease, Research & Policy (CIDRAP) on Thursday that one death in the state is associated with the outbreak. The patient was a woman in her 70s who had "many other health conditions,'' so officials do not know to what extent the Salmonella infection contributed to her death, Schultz said.

Schultz said of 30 confirmed cases in Minnesota, 11 patients were hospitalized and 10 were in nursing homes. The CDC said it would provide its next update on the outbreak investigation on Jan. 15.

Health officials in Ohio, where 50 cases had been reported as of Wednesday, were the first to go public with information about the outbreak early this week. The only other state with more cases is California, with 51.

Based on news reports, here's a partial list of states involved in the outbreak and how many cases they have reported in connection with the outbreak: Massachusetts 39, Michigan 20, Pennsylvania 12, New Hampshire 10, Idaho 10, Colorado 9, Maryland 7, North Dakota 7, Texas 5, Illinois 4.

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts four to seven days and often does not require treatment. There is a risk of severe illness for young, old and immuno-compromised persons. When severe infection occurs, Salmonella may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other body sites, where it can cause death if the person is not promptly treated with antibiotics.

Attorneys at PritzkerLaw have years of experience in food poisoning lawsuits. Senior partner Fred Pritzker is currently lead attorney in a major food poisoning lawsuit involving victims from several states. If you or someone you love has been hospitalized after Salmonella poisoning or any other food poisoning, contact PritzkerLaw for a free consultation regarding your legal rights and remedies. You can reach us by calling toll-free at 1-888-377-8900, e-mailing info@pritzkerlaw.com, or filling in our online consultation form. 

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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.”

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