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

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in the process of verifying that the Daniele salami Salmonella outbreak involving contaminated red and black pepper is under control.

Since the agency last reported on the outbreak, very few cases have been added to the total, which now stands at 252 Salmonella Montevideo illnesses in 44 states. There's another nine cases of Salmonella infections of serotype Senftenberg related to the outbreak, the CDC has said.

Of 193 patients for which medical treatment information was available, 51 victims have been hospitalized and no one has died.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is representing victims of this outbreak and is continuing to accept cases. To receive a free case consultation, call a Salmonella lawyer at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. 

Pritzker Olsen is one of the few law firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions for food poisoning victims. Our firm also is actively involved in efforts to prevent foodborne illness, including supporting tougher legislation in Congress to strengthen the U.S. system of food inspection and regulation.

The CDC said in its latest press release on the Daniele International outbreak that it is still working with the USDA , FDA and state partners to identify the specific products or ingredients that became contaminated and how the contamination occurred. The agencies also are still trying to identify any other food vehicles that may be involved.

The number of ill persons identified in each state with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo is as follows: AK (1), AL (2), AZ (7), CA (31), CO (5), CT (5), DC (1), DE (3), FL (3), GA (3), IA (1), ID (4), IL (23), IN (4), KS (5), LA (1), MA (14), MD (1), ME (1), MI (4), MN (6), MO (2), MS (1), NC (11), ND (1), NE (3), NH (2), NJ (9), NM (2), NY (19), OH (9), OK (1), OR (10), PA (7), RI (2), SC (1), SD (3), TN (5), TX (7), UT (9), VA (1), WA (18), WI (1), WV (1), and WY (2).

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 A Washington Post story on food safety says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants many spice companies to clean up their acts by putting their seasonings through a kill step to rid them of pathogens.

The story said FDA officials recently met with spice industry officials as part of its re-examination of contamination problems. The review is being prompted by a widespread outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo strongly associated with black and red pepper -- including the pepper used in more than 1.4 million pounds of recalled Daniele International Inc. salami products.

Health investigators have confirmed 249 Salmonella infections from the outbreak strain of Salmonella, including  more than 60 people hospitalized. National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is representing victims of the outbreak and is continuing to accept cases. Families in need of a free case consultation can call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our contact form on the side of this Web page.

The Post story said the FDA wants spice handlers to use one of three approved methods to rid spices of bacteria: irradiation, steam heating or fumigation with ethylene oxide, a pesticide. Unless Congress adopts new legislation, the FDA can only suggest the change -- not mandate it.

"Consumers often associate salmonella with poultry, meat and other moist foods. But microbiologists say that the bacterium can survive in dried spices for years and that it is tougher to kill in a dry environment.

"Also, it takes only a small amount of salmonella in a dry environment to cause human illness, said Linda Harris, a microbiologist at the University of California at Davis,'' the story said.

Cheryl Deem, executive director of the American Spice Trade Association, told the newspaper that contamination of raw ingredients has long been a problem. That because the vast majority of spices are cultivated outside of the U.S., where processing methods often result in contamination, she said.

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The Food and Drug Administration is looking closer at the handling of spices from grower to end-user as it also continues to probe a Salmonella Montevideo outbreak related to red and black pepper in Daniele salami products.

The salami outbreak has prompted Daniele Salmonella litigation and national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is representing victims. The firm is continuing to accept cases from the outbreak and victims can receive a free consultation by calling 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the information panel on the side of this Web page. 

In its probe of the Daniele salami outbreak, FDA is working with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and others to determine the extent to which pepper played a role. The outbreak has sickened more than 245 people in 44 states and has hospitalized more than 60. It started last July.

In the latest FDA report on the salami Salmonella outbreak, the agency said it has collected 153 composite pepper samples at various locations in the supply chain. Samples from four products collected at Daniele International Inc. in Rhode Island tested positive for Salmonella. Samples of crushed red pepper have tested positive for the outbreak strain.

FDA also said it collected samples of pepper from commercial customers (besides Daniele) of Mincing Overseas Spice Company and Wholesome Spice Company. Thus far, two of the samples collected have tested positive for types of Salmonella not associated with the outbreak. The findings prompted Heartland Foods Inc. to recall course ground pepper and Mincing Overseas Spice Company to recall black pepper lot 3309. 

The overall review of bacterial contamination of spices started last spring and involves developing a spice risk profile. It is designed to help identify what the industry and food safety inspectors can do differently to guard against pathogens.  Some members of the spice industry have already agreed to provide data to FDA for the risk profile, which will help the agency decide how to allocate its prevention resources or possibly make new rules. 

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The Daniele salami Salmonella outbreak keeps creeping along as more and more victims find lawyers to represent them for recoveries.

In the latest update on the 8-month-old outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 245 people have been sickened by the outbreak strain of Salmonella Montevideo in 44 states and Washington, D.C. More than 50 individuals have been hospitalized, but there have been no confirmed Salmonella deaths.

Epidemiological studies and DNA fingerprinting of contaminated salami have shown a strong association between the outbreak and black and red pepper used in Daniele salami products.

The CDC said the Food and Drug Administration has collected and is analyzing 153 composite pepper samples, which represent more than 4,000 individual samples of black and red pepper.  Samples from two lots of crushed red pepper collected from Rhode Island-based Daniele International Inc. have tested positive for the same strain of Salmonella Montevideo associated with the outbreak. 

Salmonella infection should not be taken lightly. The bacteria can cause death in young children, older adults and others with weakened immune systems. This pathogen also can cause long-term health consequences such as Reiter's Syndrome and other forms of arterial infection.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is continuing to accept cases from this Salmonella Montevideo salami outbreak. Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we currently represent victims from this outbreak.

To receive a free case consultation from a Salmonella lawyer, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free), or complete our contact form on the side of this Web page. 

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The Food and Drug Administration has collected and analyzed nearly 70 domestic and imported black pepper samples in its ongoing investigation of the supply chain of black pepper used by Daniele Inc. in the making of salami.

So far, all samples have tested negative for the strain of Salmonella Montevideo causing an outbreak that has sickened at least 230 people in 44 states and the District of Columbia. Daniele's pepper-coated salami products have been associated with the outbreak in many ways, including the finding of the outbreak strain of Salmonella in an open containers of black pepper at the salami plant.

"The FDA is continuing to investigate the possibility that pepper might be responsible for this outbreak and has not yet reached any conclusion,'' the FDA said in a press release.

Meanwhile, two suppliers of black pepper to Rhode Island-based Daniele have placed the remaining supply of black pepper in potentially affected lots on hold while the investigation continues.

Jeff Farrar, the FDA's associate commissioner for food protection, told the Washington Post that the agency is now testing pepper samples from other food companies that received pepper from Daniele's suppliers -- Wholesome Spice Co. of New York and Mincing Overseas Spice Co. of New Jersey.

Since January 23, Daniele has recalled more than 1.7 million pounds of salami and other ready-to-eat salami/salame products -- including some made with crushed red pepper instead of black pepper.

To see a complete, searchable list of the recalled Daniele Salami products, see The Food Safety Lawyer.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is preparing a Daniele salami Salmonella lawsuit and is continuing to accept cases from this outbreak. Our lawyers can be contacted for a free case consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the form on the side of this Web page.

 

 

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Initially thought to be caused by contaminated black pepper coatings, the Daniele salami Salmonella outbreak now features a recall of company products made with crushed red pepper.

The USDA announced in a press release today the fourth recall of Daniele salami products since the Salmonella Montevideo outbreak was announced January 23. The latest recall covers 115,000 pounds of salami/salame panino products made with red pepper and also containing mozzarella cheese.

Consumer Alert: The latest Daniele, Boar's Head and Dietz & Watson salami products recalled by the company were sold nationwide with use-by dates ranging from February 3, 2010, through May 26, 2010. An unopened sample of these ready-to-eat sausages was found by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service to contain Salmonella. Lab testing is continuing to see if it matches the outbreak strains of Salmonella Montevideo that have infected 230 people in 44 states and Washington, D.C.

FSIS said Daniele company officials have done preliminary ingredient testing and believe the latest recalled products contain crushed red pepper contaminated with Salmonella.

The investigation into the outbreak, which started last July, is "ongoing and the root cause has not yet been determined,'' the FSIS said.

Taking the four separate recalls together, more than 2.7 million pounds of Daniele, Boar's Head and Dietz & Watson salami/salame panino products have been recalled.

If you or someone you love has been sickened by this outbreak, contact a Salmonella lawyer at Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

We are a national food safety law firm that has been in touch with victims of this outbreak. We already represent a woman made seriously ill by pepper contaminated with Salmonella. Our firm is a leading practioner of foodborne illness litigation and we are involved in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning, collecting millions for victims in every corner of the United States.

Below is a list of the most recent recalled products, which all contain USDA establishment number EST 459. Click here to see the combined searchable list of all products recalled by Rhode Island-based Daniele in connection with Salmonella outbreak.

• 8-ounce packages of “DANIELE HOT SALAME PANINO WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA.”
• 8-ounce packages of “BOAR’S HEAD SALAME PANINO, SALAME ROLLED IN MOZZARELLA CHEESE.”
• 8-ounce packages of “DANIELE ITALIAN STYLE SALAME PANINO, HOT SALAME ROLLED IN MOZZARELLA CHEESE.”
• Random weight packages of “DANIELE ITALIAN STYLE SALAME PANINO, HOT SALAME ROLLED IN MOZZARELLA CHEESE.”
• 8-ounce packages of “DIETZ & WATSON ARTISAN COLLECTION HOT SALAME PANINO, HOT SALAME ROLLED IN MOZZARELLA CHEESE.”
• 8-ounce packages of “DANIELE SALAME PANINO WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA AND BASIL.”
• 1-pound 8-ounce variety packages of “DANIELE CAPOCOLLO PANINO WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA AND BASIL; PRESIDENT’S PROSCIUTTO PANINO WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA AND BASIL; HOT SALAME PANINO WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA,” with UPC Code 736436709582. NOTE: The products contained in this variety three-pack may be sold individually as well.

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In the past three weeks of tracking by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of illnesses confirmed in the Daniele salami Salmonella outbreak has grown by 33 cases to the current level of 217 illnesses in 44 states and the District of Columbia.

The most recent onset of illness confirmed in the investigation came on January 18, but there's always a couple of weeks of lag time before a person who is sick from the outbreak strain of Salmonella is analyzed and confirmed as a victim.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is accepting cases from this outbreak and has years of experience representing the families of individuals who have become seriously and deathly ill from Salmonella poisoning. We are a leading practitioner of  foodborne illness litigation, recovering tens of millions for victims over the years.

The latest CDC update confirms the hardest hit states as California (30 cases), New York (18), Washington (15),  Illinois (14) and Massachusetts (12). More than 50 people have been hospitalized nationwide and no deaths have been reported.

State and federal health investigators have found DNA evidence that pepper salami and hot sopressata calabrese Italian style sausage products made by Daniele Inc. of Pascoag, Rhode Island, caused the outbreak. The company has recalled 1.26 million pounds of product and the CDC is following the pepper trail to see if any other peppered food products are vehicles of the current outbreak.

It has been shown that the two distributors who sold black pepper to Daniele used common overseas sources for the product. 

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Black pepper from two different suppliers to Daniele Inc. was contaminated with Salmonella, leading investigators to conclude now that pepper coatings are the probable cause of a nationwide salami Salmonella Montevideo outbreak.

The confirmation came from the Rhode Island Health Department. The two pepper suppliers -- Mincing Oversees Spice Company and Wholesome Spices -- imported black pepper from the same source.

“These recent findings show that black pepper used during the manufacturing process at Daniele was the likely source of this outbreak,” said Director of Health David R. Gifford, MD, MPH. “This outbreak only underscores the importance of closely monitoring food that is imported from other countries as they may not have the same food safety standards as we do.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, a total of 207 individuals infected with a matching strain of Salmonella Montevideo have been reported from 42 states and District of Columbia since July 1, 2009. The number of ill persons identified in each state with this strain is as follows: AK (1), AL (2), AZ (5), CA (30), CO (4), CT (4), DC (1), DE (2), FL (3), GA (3), IA (1), ID (2), IL (11), IN (3), KS (3), LA (1), MA (12), MD (1), ME (1), MI (4), MN (4), MO (1), NC (9), ND (1), NE (1), NH (1), NJ (8), NM (2), NY (16), OH (9), OK (1), OR (9), PA (5), RI (2), SC (1), SD (3), TN (5), TX (7), UT (9), VA (1), WA (15), WV (1), and WY (2). 

Daniele, based in Pascoag, Rhode Island, has recalled 1.24 million pounds of its salami / salame products.

National food safety firm Pritzker Olsen is monitoring the outbreak and accepting cases from individuals who have been sickened. We have been in contact with victims in this outbreak and currently represent a Nevada woman who spent two weeks in the hospital in last year's pepper Salmonella outbreak linked to pepper grinder and packer Union International Food Co. in Union City, California.

We have years of experience and we are one of the few firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of food poisoning litigation. For a free case consultation call a Salmonella attorney at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection causing extremely painful diarrhea that is often overcome by healthy adults with no treatment. But serious illness and death can result in young children, older adults and those who have weakened immune systems. A small percentage of cases also can result in long-term arterial problems that cause pain and disability.

In this outbreak, 26 percent of victims have been hospitalized.

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The Illinois Department of Public Health has discovered Salmonella in an unopened salami product made by Daniele Inc. that was not included in the previous recall of 1.24 million pounds of pepper salame products.

The finding has prompted an additional recall of 17,235 pounds of hot sopressata calabres Italian sausage in 3 to 3.5-pound packages under the Daniele and Boar's Head brand names. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is peparing a list of retail stores nationwide that purchased the salami products. 

An FSIS press release said the hot sopressata calabres salami  was sampled during the course of the ongoing investigation of a 42-state outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo illnesses -- more than 200 cases at last count. The Illinois result marks the first time in the investigation that Salmonella was found in an unopened package of Daniele salami. More tests are being conducted to see if the bacteria matches the outbreak strain.

FSIS said the product tested is similar to previously recalled products bought by customers who later became sick.

Product subject to the expanded recall may have been cross-contaminated with black pepper before it was packed. The company believes that black pepper is a possible source of Salmonella contamination, the FSIS press release said.

Ill persons should immediately see a doctor. In this outbreak alone, more than 38 individuals have been hospitalized. Most healthy adults recover from Salmonella infection without treatement, but it can cause serious illness or death in young children, older adults and people who have weakened immune systems. Up to 2 percent of humans develop reactive arthropathy, or Reiter's syndrome, after being infected, a condition causing long-term chronic pain and disability.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen has been monitoring this investigation and is accepting cases from individuals sickened in the salami outbreak. To contact a Salmonella lawyer for a free case consultation call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our contact form on the side of this Web page.

We  have years of experience representing victims of food poisoning and are involved as advocates for victims in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness. This outbreak could have been prevented and it still appears to be active.

Click here to see the previous Daniele salami recall list. The expanded recall pertains to three items, all bearing USDA establishment number "EST 54" on the USDA shield of inspection.

• Packages of “DANIELE HOT SOPRESSATA CALABRESE,” produced on 11/7/09, 12/16/09 and 12/18/09.
• Packages of “DANIELE SOPRESSATA CALABRESE,” produced on 12/16/09 and 12/18/09.
• Packages of “BOAR’S HEAD BRAND HOT SOPRESSATA CALABRESE,” produced on 11/28/09, 12/9/09 and 12/14/09.  

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The Food and Drug Administration is actively investigating the supply chain of the black pepper used in the manufacturing of recalled salami products strongly believed to be the cause of a nationwide Daniele salami Salmonella outbreak.

Rhode Island health officials discovered the outbreak strain of Salmonella in an open pepper container at the plant where the salami is made and two other government labs confirmed the outbreak strain of Samonella in products that have been recalled. 

FDA said it has collected and is currently analyzing black pepper samples. "To date, all the samples collected and analyzed by the FDA have tested negative for Salmonella; however, sample collection and analysis continues,'' the agency said in a press release.

The latest report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 202 people from 42 states and Washington, D.C., have been sickened by the same strain of Salmonella Montevideo since early July 2009. The most recent, documented onset of illness was January 11.

National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is monitoring the ongoing investigation, which could possibly lead to additional recalls if contaminated pepper from the same supplier went into other ready-to-eat products. Our firm is accepting salami Salmonella cases from those sickened by the 1.24 million pounds of salami products recalled January 23 by Daniele Inc. of Pascoag, Rhode Island.

If you or a loved one was sickened in this outbreak, contact a Salmonella lawyer at our firm for a free case consultation by calling 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. We currently represent Salmonella victims and have collected millions over the years for victims of food poisoning.

Pritzker Olsen is a leading practitioner of foodborne illness litigation and its founder and president, Fred Pritzker, is a sought-after speaker for food safety causes. This particular Salmonella outbreak caused by adulterated salami could have been prevented long before it hospitalized 38 people. A major part of our mission at Pritzker Olsen is to actively support measures of prevention in industry and government.

The FDA is warning consumers to avoid salami products recalled by Daniele because the products have a shelf life of up to a year and potentially contaminated packages could still be in grocery stores or in home freezers and refrigerators. Click here to see the complete Daniele salami recall listing. For a list of the retailers who handled this product, click here.

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