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

Minnesota is investigating a seventh case of Salmonella Enteritidis that may be linked to organic eggs from free range chickens at Larry Schultz Organic Farm in Owatonna, Minnesota.

The Minnesota departments of health and agriculture jointly announced late last week that three people were hospitalized and three others were sick enough to see a doctor and test positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella. An investigation linked the illnesses to the same producer and a recall ensued for Larry Schultz Organic Farm, Lunds & Byerly’s, and Kowalski’s organic eggs. The recalled eggs (click for details) were distributed to restaurants, grocery stores, food wholesalers and foodservice companies in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Phyllis Entis, aka the Food Bug Lady, reports that now a seventh case is under investigation. She quotes Trisha Robinson, Senior Epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health. The FDA told Phyllis that  Larry Schultz Organic Farm is a small producer, with fewer than 3,000 laying hens, and therefore is is not subject to the FDA’s Egg Safety Rule and, therefore, was not on the FDA’s inspection schedule.

Just because a farm is labeled "organic'' or the laying hens are "free range,'' doesn't mean they are living in an environment free of  Salmonella or other human pathogens. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that for every confirmed case of Salmonella during an outbreak, many other people are usually sickened by the same bug but haven't seen a doctor who ordered a stool sample that would allow them to be detected as an outbreak victim. If you or a loved one believe you have developed a Salmonella infection after eating organic eggs from the Larry Schultz farm, see your health care provider immediately. 

For answers to legal questions about submitting a claim for compensation, contact an attorney at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., a Minnesota-based law firm that is recognized around the country as a leading practitioner of foodborne illness litigation. Free case consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by leaving your contact information. 

Our firm has collected millions of dollars for victims of Salmonella poisoning and is actively involved in multiple efforts to prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness. Numerous clients have testified before Congress about the importance of keeping our food supply free of potentially deadly organisms, including Salmonella. Fred Pritzker, founder and president, is often quoted in media reports on outbreaks and was recently featured in a story by the Christian Science Monitor.

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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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The Minnesota Salmonella outbreak marks the second time in five years that shell eggs have been the source of a Salmonella outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Nearly 2,000 cases of salmonellosis were confirmed during the previous outbreak, which occurred during the summer of 2010. That outbreak was linked to unsanitary conditions on two Iowa farms: Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa, and Hillandale Farms of Iowa, Inc..

Salmonellosis, the infection caused by the bacteria Salmonella, causes an estimated 1.4 million cases of foodborne illness and more than 400 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Salmonella can be present on all raw foods including, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nut and legumes. To reduce risk of illness from eggs, the CDC recommends the following measures:

• Keep eggs refrigerated at or below 40° F (≤4° C) at all times.
• Discard cracked or dirty eggs.
• Wash hands and all food contact surface areas (counter tops, utensils, and cutting boards) with soap and water after contact with raw eggs. Then, disinfect the food contact surfaces using a sanitizing agent, such as bleach, following label instructions.
• Cook eggs until both the white and the yolk are firm, eat them promptly after cooking.
• Do not keep eggs warm or at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
• Refrigerate unused or leftover egg-containing foods promptly.
• Don’t eat raw or undercooked eggs.

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A Minnesota egg Salmonella outbreak has sickened at least six people and led to an investigation linking the illnesses to Larry Schultz Organic Farm, which supplies Byerly's, Lund's and Kowalski's grocery chains in the Twin Cities with natural organic shell eggs.

A joint press release from state agriculture and health officials said the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis was traced back to Larry Schultz Organic Farm of Owatonna, where environmental testing confirmed the presence of Salmonella Enteritidis. Larry Schultz Organic Farm has issued a voluntary recall of products, (see below.) 

The Minnesota egg outbreak victims became ill between August 12 and September 24. The illnesses occurred in both children and adults, and all are residents of the seven-county metropolitan area. Three of the case patients were hospitalized but have since recovered. Five of the six cases have reported eating eggs from the Larry Schultz Organic Farm purchased at grocery stores or co-ops. 

Eggs affected by this recall were distributed to restaurants, grocery stores, food wholesalers and foodservice companies in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. If you or a loved one is part of this outbreak, contact national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. Free case consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or leave your contact information online and a lawyer will respond to you.

MN Organic Egg Recall for Lund's, Byerly's, Kowalski's and Larry Schultz Organic Farm. 

• 1)  Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label    Extra large Cartoned     On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the carton.
• (if the carton has a plant number or any addtional numbers or letters it is not part of the recall)  If the carton has a "Sell by" date it is NOT recalled 
• 2)   Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label        Large Cartoned        On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the carton.
• 3)   Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label     Jumbo Cartoned   On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the carton. 
• 4)  Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label        Medium Cartoned On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the case.
• (if the case has a plant number on the label they are not part of the recall)  If the case has a "Sell by" date it is NOT recalled. 
• 5)  Larry Schultz Organic Farm Label        Jumbo Bulk        On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"  The " " is as it appears on the case.
• (if the case has a plant number on the label they are not part of the recall)  If the case has a "Sell by" date it is NOT recalled.
• 6)  Lunds & Byerly's  Label   Large Cartoned    On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"     Lunds & Byerly's  Label   Extra Large Cartoned    On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12" 
• 8)  Lunds & Byerly's  Label   Large Cartoned 6-packs   On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12" 
•  9) Kowalski’s Organic Egg Label On or Before Jullian date "286 EXP NOV 12" or "286     NOV12"

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One year after a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 1,900 people and prompted the recall of a half-billion eggs, government inspectors are sill finding that many Iowa egg farms are unsanitary and lack adequate measures to prevent Salmonella from causing illness in egg consumers, according to an investigative report by the Des Moines Register.¹

In fact, many of the state’s major producers aren’t even meeting minimum federal standards designed to protect consumers from illness, the newspaper discovered after filing a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Furthermore, the egg salmonella outbreak and egg recall apparently have had no affect on reporting regulations or spurred more rigorous enforcement that would include fines and penalties. According to the report, Iowa egg producers are still not required to tell state officials if they find Salmonella on their farms and none of the violations has resulted in fines or penalties from state or federal agencies. 

“The federal Food and Drug Administration says it has never fined or closed down any egg-production facilities in the United States,” the story states.

Key information was blacked out on some of the documents the paper reviewed including: the size of rodent infestations, the brand names under which the eggs are being sold, and the names of diseases documented on farms. 

Among the problems outlined in the story:

• Inspections are announced days in advance, sometimes on dates chosen by the producers.
• Inspections are still based, in part, on the honor system.
• Insepctors do little on-site testing for Salmonella and instead rely on self-reported, in-house test results, even though laboratories performing those tests are not required to be licensed or accredited.
• Penalties for health and safety violations that could lead to Salmonella poisoning are nonexistent at both the state and federal levels.

For the past 10 years, Iowa has been the nation’s biggest egg producer, with 57 million hens producing 14 billion eggs each year, twice the output Ohio, the country’s second-largest producer, the report states. But the state does not lead the country in oversight of egg production. On a state-level, it does almost none, leaving that job to the federal government which is grappling with implementation of the new food-safety guidlelines that took effect last July.

1. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110828/NEWS/308280055/Register-investigation-Egg-farms-rack-up-violations?Frontpage 

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Suzy Weems, Ph.D., a national food expert and chair of Baylor University's family and consumer sciences department, is warning people not to be fooled by Internet sites expounding the benefits of eating raw eggs. This is from a Baylor University news article:

A flurry of Internet sites are touting raw egg drinks or shakes as "primal and powerful," with others suggesting uncooked eggs be blended with vanilla or avocado for a tasty, healthy snack and still others insisting that the connection between raw eggs and salmonella is a myth.

Suzy Weems, Ph.D., a national food expert and chair of Baylor University's family and consumer sciences department, has this word for health-seekers: Leave no egg uncooked.

"Under no circumstances eat a raw egg," says Weems, a registered dietitian and a past chair of the American Dietetic Association's legislative and public policy committee.

Read the full article.

We could not agree more. Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Brendan Flaherty and Ryan Osterholm recently settled several cases involving Salmonella poisoning from eggs.

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Following last year's egg Salmonella outbreak , which sickened nearly 2,000 people around the country from May through November, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set out to inspect 600 facilities where 80 percent of the nation's egg supply originates.

Through December, FDA had inspected 35 egg farms in Ohio, Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah and Washington. They were chosen because they had been associated with previous outbreaks or had a history of poor compliance. Nine separate companies operate the 35 farms. 

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Wright County Egg LLC, one of two Iowa egg producers deemed at fault for this year's massive egg Salmonella outbreak, has received FDA approval to resume shipping shell eggs directly to consumers. Since the August shutdown of normal operations at Wright County Egg, Salmonella egg litigation has cropped up in several states based on government findings confirming a link with the multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis.

FDA's concurrence for the resumption of normal marketing extends only to eggs from two hen houses on one of six farms operated by Wright County Egg. The other company linked to the outbreak, Hillandale Farms of Iowa, was previously cleared to resume sale of shell eggs to consumers.

“During the outbreak, I said that FDA would not agree to the sale of eggs to consumers from Wright County Egg until we had confidence that they could be shipped and consumed safely,” FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg said in a news release.  “After four months of intensive work by the company and oversight, testing, and inspections by FDA, I am satisfied that time has come.” 

FDA said its decision is based on the agency’s verification that the company has taken corrective measures in these two hen houses to address dirty egg laying environments, contaminated young chickens, contaminated feed and rodents.

FDA said it will continue to conduct environmental and egg sampling and will conduct periodic inspections to verify the safety measures in place.  Corrective actions continue to be implemented for Wright County Egg’s remaining houses.

Meanwhile, national food safety lawyers at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., continue to accept new cases from families and individuals sickened in the outbreak. Our firm has filed a Salmonella egg lawsuit against Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms on behalf of victims of this outbreak in an attempt to recover medical expenses, lost wages, travel expense and compensation for pain and suffering. To discuss your case with a Salmonella egg lawyer at the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete the electronic contact form on the side of this Web page. A lawyer will respond to you.

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A Salmonella egg test result has prompted the recall of 24,000 dozen eggs by the country's largest maker of shell eggs: Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods Inc.

Published by Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recall applies to eggs supplied to Cal-Maine by Ohio Fresh Eggs of Croton, Ohio. An FDA sample test found Salmonella Enteritidis -- the same type of Salmonella in eggs that sickened more than 1,800 Americans earlier this year in an outbreak linked to two Iowa egg producers.

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Egg safety initiatives are under way in the public and private sectors in the wake of a nationwide egg Salmonella outbreak  that has sickened more than 1,800 people and has been linked to a pair of farms in Iowa.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is primarily responsible for egg safety but has a limited number of inspectors, plans to train USDA egg graders how to catch potential bacterial problems at egg farms and to conduct inspections.

FDA previously announced plans to inspect every major farm in the nation, starting with operations that have had past trouble with government officials. Sixteen inspections had been carried out by midmonth. The agency expects to conduct about 600 inspections in the next 14 months.

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The egg Salmonella outbreak that has spawned multiple egg lawsuits will reach its six month next week with an official illness count that has surpassed 1,800.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the outbreak has spanned the summer and fall, with confirmed Salmonella Enteritidis cases peaking in July. No deaths have been reported. 

From May 1 to October 15, public health officials in 11 states since have identified 29 restaurants or event clusters where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain has eaten. Data from these investigations and from site inspections have identified Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa as the sources of this outbreak. Both companies face an egg lawsuit from Salmonella attorneys at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., one of the country's leading food safety law firms.

An online egg lawsuit claims center has been established at PritzkerOlsen for members of the public who have been victimized in this outbreak with Salmonella Enteritidis infection matching the outbreak strain. Click here to reach the Salmonella outbreak claims center or call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE).

Based on loads of information gathered by inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it appears to the CDC that  Salmonella persisted in the environment at the two plants, including feed, which resulted in the contamination of eggs. Uncontrolled manure piles, mice, wild birds and food safety violations by workers were among the problems documented by inspectors.

PritzkerOlsen sent its own team to the Iowa egg manufacturers for an inspection. The egg lawsuit team collected evidence captured on video of some of the problems. Hillandale has been cleared to sell shell eggs again, but FDA inspectors have not been satisfied with progress at Wright County Egg and the plant is still under restrictions.

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One of two Iowa egg producers implicated in the multi-state Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that sickened more than 1,600 people from May to September has been warned by the Food and Drug Administration to take "prompt corrective action'' to clean up or face sanctions.

The actions against Quality Egg LLC of Galt, Iowa, could include, but are not limited to, seizure and/or injunction. Quality Egg is parent company of Wright County Egg.

Salmonella lawsuit attorneys from PritzkerOlsen, P.A., observed some of the conditions cited in the FDA letter on a recent inspection tour and actually filmed live mice in the facilities. The firm has filed an egg lawsuit against Quality Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa in connection with the outbreak that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described as the largest Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak on record. If you or a loved one is a victim of this outbreak and need legal representation, call our office at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

The FDA warning letter states: "You should take prompt and aggressive actions to eliminate the Salmonella Enteritidis contamination and the observations described in this letter. Failure to take prompt corrective action may result in regulatory action being initiated by the Food and Drug Administration without further notice.''

Quality Egg initially was tied to the outbreak when FDA laboratory analysis of feed samples at the company proved positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella. The FDA letter said the company's eggs are still being packed or held under insanitary conditions "whereby they may have become contaminated with filth or... injurious to health.''

The letter states the company has failed to eliminate rodent harborages, wild birds in barns and pigeon roosts. The company also has failed to properly eliminate all sources of water in its manure pits and has failed to ensure that Salmonella is not introduced into or among poultry houses. Uncaged birds, for example, were using manure pits to access the egg laying areas and live maggots were observed.

Meanwhile, the FDA is allowing Hillandale Farms of Iowa to start shipping shell eggs again after a successful followup to violations found at inspection. Hillandale was the other company implicated by federal health officials in the outbreak.

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Egg lawsuit attorneys Brendan Flaherty and Ryan Osterholm hired a poultry processing and products microbiology expert to accompany them in the inspection of the egg production facilities at Hillandale Farms in New Hampton, Iowa and Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa, on September 30 and October 5, respectively.

Hillandale Farms and Wright County Egg facilities were at the center of a nationwide Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that started in May and continued through September. In August, the two Iowa egg producers recalled more than 500 million eggs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1,600 illnesses have been documented and many more went unreported.

FDA inspectors found such unsanitary conditions as: live mice in chicken barns, numerous live and dead flies, manure piles up to eight feet high, uncaged hens tracking manure throughout the facilities and workers violating food safe practices. Last year, PritzkerOlsen also attended inspections of the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA)  facilities as part of their litigation in the 2008-2009 Salmonella peanut product outbreak. The firm represents the families of three victims who died in that outbreak--more than any law firm involved in the PCA litigation. That case recently settled for $12 million.

"Seeing firsthand the conditions that led to our clients' illnesses allows us to prove their cases and see that they are compensated for the physical, emotional and financial hardships the contaminated eggs caused them,'' Flaherty said.

In the Salmonella egg outbreak, PritzkerOlsen filed the first egg lawsuit in Minnesota on behalf of a woman sickened in June after eating at Mi Rancho, a Bemidji restaurant that served eggs purchased from Hillandale Farms. The case was filed in Beltrami County District Court (no. 04-CV-10-3168). PritzkerOlsen continues to take on new cases related to this outbreak at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

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The Salmonella egg outbreak that has sickened at least 1,600 Americans since May has put an egg facility inspection program run by the Food and Drug Administration under a spotlight.

                 The FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Foods, Michael Taylor said this week in a letter to the New York Times that the anti-Salmonella inspection program is on track. "In response to the Salmonella outbreak that led to the recall of more than 500 million eggs, the agency will inspect all 600 of the nation’s largest egg producers by the end of 2011,'' Taylor said.  These inspections have already begun, starting with facilities considered at highest risk because of past problems, he said.

The Times ran a story last week noting gaffes in the FDA's egg facility inspection training program. A top FDA egg expert broke a basic biosecurity rule by parking her van near a henhouse where she was giving a training session in Pennsylvania. It was called to her attention but she then repeated the act at another training session, where she became argumentative. The issue with vehicles is that they can track manure on roads too close to where eggs are laid.

The FDA confirmed to the Times that the person involved in the incidents was removed from the inspection program and that the program is on track. Said Taylor: "The agency is committed to ensuring the safety of the nation's egg supply.''

Meanwhile, an egg class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of victims across the country. To contact an egg Salmonella lawyer, call national Salmonella law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. We represent those sickened with Salmonella Enteritidis associated with shell eggs from Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa.

Two attorneys from our firm and an investigator have returned from a court-approved inspection of the Iowa egg plants and information garnered in our investigation is bolstering an egg lawsuit that our firm filed soon after the outbreak was revealed. Families who are looking for assistance can go to our online Salmonella egg claim center for more information and details about the outbreak and how to recover money as compensation for medical expenses, pain, suffering and other harms caused by this contamination. 

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An egg Salmonella lawsuit against Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa is going forward with the addition of evidence collected in the past week during on-site inspections of these facilities by attorneys from PritzkerOlsen, P.A., a national food safety law firm.

PritzkerOlsen represents victims in the nationwide egg Salmonella outbreak and is continuing to accept cases from a group of more than 1,600 people sickened since May from contaminated shell eggs. The law firm's egg Salmonella claims center has information on contacting an attorney for a free consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE).

Investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also inspected multiple facilities of Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. At Wright County Egg, officials found chicken manure reaching eight feet high, employees who did not wear or change protective clothing when moving from one laying house to another, and many live mice throughout the facilities. Inspectors also observed wild birds sitting near and flying over grain bins that contained chicken feed. In total, six samples taken from the facilities and feed supply tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis

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Egg lawsuit attorneys from PritzkerOlsen, P.A., will inspect the facilities of Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms this week to bolster Salmonella egg litigation on behalf of outbreak victims nationwide. The lawyers’ on-site investigation comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found a shocking list of unsafe conditions including uncaged hens on overflowing piles of manure.

Attorneys Brendan Flaherty and Ryan Osterholm, along with poultry processing and products microbiology professor Dr. Scott Russell, will tour Hillandale Farms in New Hampton, Iowa on September 30 and Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa, on October 5. Both attorneys will be available for media interviews before and after the inspections.

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Egg Recall highlights as presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now part of the public record as victims press a Salmonella egg class action lawsuit against Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa.

The Salmonella Enteritidis investigation update from CDC notes that 1,608 illnesses likely were caused by contaminated eggs from the two producers. The previous CDC update, dated September 9, counted 1,519 illnesses associated with the egg outbreak.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is representing victims of the outbreak and has filed an egg lawsuit in Minnesota on behalf of a woman from Mantorville, Minnesota, who became infected with Salmonella bacteria in an outbreak at Mi Rancho restaurant. The firm continues to accept cases from victims across the country at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

According to the CDC, health investigators in 11 states have detected the outbreak strain of Salmonella in 29 restaurant or event outbreaks, including the Mi Rancho outbreak. And for the first time, CDC has released details of how the investigation unfolded.   What follows are some key developments leading up to the egg recalls in mid-August by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. More than 550 million eggs were recalled by the two companies.

• May 24: Minnesota implicates stuffed chili peppers made with shell eggs as cause of Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak. Eggs traced to Hillandale Farms
• June 27 - Mid July: California reports six clusters of Salmonella Enteritidis associated with a bakery or breakfast restaurants.
• July 29: California identifies Wright County Egg as common supplier in the six clusters. 
• August 6: Colorado associates Salmonella restaurant outbreak with eggs from Wright County Egg.
• August 6: FDA focuses on three distinct outbreaks in Colorado, Minnesota and California for traceback investigations to find source of illnesses.
• August 12: FDA begins investigation at Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa.
• August 13-20: Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms recall a total of 550 million eggs.

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An egg class action lawsuit has been filed in Chicago (United State District Court for the Northern District of Illinois). The action was filed on behalf of six people who were sickened after eating eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis that were produced by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, both of Iowa. Wright County Egg is a business alias of Quality Egg, LLC.

Plaintiffs Listed in the Egg Class Action Lawsuit Documents

The following are the plaintiffs (people suing) as listed in the egg class action lawsuit documents. All of the information below is from the complaint.  If you would like to be part of an egg class action lawsuit, please contact our  national Salmonella law firm.

1. HILDA A. DWYER, a 69 year old resident of Orland Park, Cook County, Illinois. According to the complaint, she purchased 18 count Hillandale Extra Large Eggs from Costco Wholesale, located at 9915 W. 159th Street, Orland Park, Cook County, Illinois. After ingesting the eggs she began to develop severe nausea and vomiting and received medical treatment.
2. MARTHA A. PATTON, a 48 year old resident of Gulfport, Harrison County, Mississippi. According to the complaint, she purchased Sun Ups Cal-Maine, Ca, 36 count eggs. She ate some of the eggs on August 27 and had severe diarrhea and a fever of 102 degrees. She was admitted to the emergency room twice.
3. JESSICA T. EASON, a resident of Greensboro, North Carolina. She purchased Sunny Meadow Eggs at a Food Line Store.
4. IRVIN B. BOYKIN, a 67 year old resident of New Winsdor, Orange County, New York. He ingested contaminated eggs at a Waffle Kitchen located at 1835 Southeast Boulevard in Clinton, North Carolina on or about August 13, 2010. Within 6 hours, Mr. Boykin felt severe abdominal pain and subsequent severe diarrhea.
5. MARY C. TURNER, a resident of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. She purchased eggs at Giant Eagle. On or about August 26, 2010 after ingesting the contaminated eggs, she was admitted to the emergency room suffering from abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and dehydration.
6. PATRICIA L. DEAN, on behalf of a minor, residents of Carmel, Hamilton County, Indiana. On or about August 7, 2010, the child consumed food containing contaminated food at a Costco located at 9010 Michigan Rd., in Indianapolis, Indiana. The child experienced abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting and sought medical treatment.

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A pair of powerful congressman want egg Salmonella information straight from Austin "Jack'' DeCoster, the owner of the Iowa egg company that federal investigators have associated with a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis.

DeCoster was mailed a letter Tuesday from Representatives Henry Waxman of California and Bart Stupak of Michigan, leaders of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. They have invited DeCoster and the president of Hillandale Farms of Iowa to provide egg Salmonella information to the committee at a public hearing next week. The letter indicates that Wright County Egg tested positive for Salmonella hundreds of times in the past two years.

"When you testify before the committee, we ask that you come prepared to explain why your facilities tested potentially positive for Salmonella Enteritidis contamination on so many occasions, what steps you took to address the contamination identified in these test results, and whether you shared these results with FDA or other federal or state food safety officials," Waxman and Stupak wrote.

The letter to DeCoster indicated that environmental sample reports between 2008 and 2010 found 426 positive results for Salmonella, including 73 samples that were potentially positive for Salmonella Enteritidis, the same strain that has sickened more than 1,500 people across the country.

The outbreak started in May, peaked in July and has continued into September. The recall of 550 million eggs by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms happened in mid-August. Meanwhile, victims of the outbreak are continuing to contact law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., for egg litigation and compensation for medical expense, lost wages, travel, pain and other harms.

Our firm filed an egg lawsuit late last month in Minnesota on behalf of a woman who was sickened  in the Mi Rancho restaurant outbreak in Bemidji. State officials traced the outbreak to eggs from Hillandale Farms. More lawsuits are being prepared for PritzkerOlsen's egg Salmonella clients in other states.

Free case consultations can be obtained by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page or by calling a Salmonella egg recall lawyer at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE). 

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One month after Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, announced its initial recall of shell eggs, law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is continuing to get contacts from people sickened by the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis.

The food safety law firm represents Salmonella egg outbreak victims whose illnesses date as far back as June. Founder and president Fred Pritzker, who is lead attorney for the firm’s egg recall cases, already has filed an egg lawsuit in Minnesota and is working on additional egg lawsuits for other clients from across the country. The Minnesota case stemmed from a cluster of illnesses among patrons of the same restaurant, Mi Rancho in Bemidji, Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Health traced it back to contaminated eggs from Hillandale Farms, also of Iowa.

“We’re getting complaints like crazy,’’ Pritzker said. “People are scared and angry because this outbreak should not have happened.’’ 

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The invited witnesses before Chairman Henry Waxman's committee are Austin "Jack" DeCoster, owner of Wright County Egg; Orland Bethel, president of Hillandale Farms of Iowa and Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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The egg recall product list has been updated by the Food and Drug Administration to aid consumers search egg brands recalled in the multi-state Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak associated with eggs recalled by Iowa's Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.

The latest egg recall list by FDA contains 46 egg brands that may be contaminated with Salmonella. Already this outbreak has caused more than 1,460 illnesses across the country as stated by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest egg recall list is searchable and provides plant codes and Julian dates for affected cartons.

While the recall list focuses on retail shell eggs, many of the contaminated eggs produced in Iowa were sold through foodservice channels for use in restaurants and other commercial kitchens. In fact, clusters of illnesses from restaurant outbreaks and catered social events led to the discovery that tainted eggs were the cause of a four-fold increase nationally in the number of Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses.

PritzkerOlsen, P.A., represents many Salmonella egg victims and has filed an egg lawsuit on behalf of Robin and Kenneth Shaffer of Mantorville, Minnesota. Robin was one of seven people sickened in an outbreak at Mi Rancho Restaurant in Bemidji, Minnesota, and the public health investigation traced the problem to Hillandale Farms. The lawsuit seeks more than $100,000 in compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain, suffering and other harms. 

National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen is conducting its own investigation of the Salmonella egg outbreak and is continuing to accept additional cases. If you or a loved one has been sickened by Salmonella from contaminated shell eggs, call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page for a free case consulation.

Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigaton and we have collected millions on behalf of victims of food poisoning, including Salmonella from eggs.

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The Salmonella egg outbreak in California has sickened more than 200 people, including 42 confirmed illnesses in Santa Clara County.

The Santa Clara County Public Health Department issued an update on the outbreak this week, saying that six of the 42 confirmed victims in that county were hospitalized with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis.

As federal health officials have noted, public health investigations in California, Colorado and Minnesota were instrumental in tracking a four-fold rise in Salmonella Enteritidis illness this spring and summer to contaminated eggs sold by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, both of Iowa. The two producers have recalled more than half a billion eggs

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Egg lawsuit investigations by PritzkerOlsen, P.A., are continuing as more restaurant outbreaks and clusters of Salmonella Enteritidis are being identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the latest CDC update on the Salmonella egg outbreak, public health investigations in 10 states since April have identified 29 restaurants or event clusters where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain has eaten. Data from these investigations suggest that shell eggs are a likely source of infections in many of these restaurants or event clusters. Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa, was an egg supplier in 15 of these 29 restaurants or event clusters, CDC said. Three are clusters that have been recently reported, but occurred earlier in the outbreak, the CDC said. Traceback investigations are ongoing.

Fred Pritzer, founder and president of PritzkerOlsen, filed one of the first egg lawsuits in the country on behalf of a Minnesota woman and her husband after the woman suffered a painful Salmonella infection traced by the Minnesota Department of Health to contaminated eggs at Hillandale Farms of Iowa. She was one of six people sickened in a Salmonella outbreak at Mi Rancho restaurant in Bemidji, Minnesota.

The firm represents many other victims and is continuing to accept additional cases at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. According to the CDC there are approximately 1,469 reported illnesses that are likely to be associated with this outbreak.

Individuals who think they might have become ill from eating recalled eggs should consult their health care providers and request a stool culture. For answers to legal questions about egg recall compensation, contact a Salmonella egg lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation.

In this egg Salmonella outbreak, investigation by the CDC, FDA, USDA and state health agencies in Minnesota, Colorado and California indicate substantial potential for Salmonella to have persisted in the environment and to have contaminated eggs at Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. Together, the two companies distributed more than half a billion eggs since May that may have been contaminated with Salmonella.

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Numerous food safety violations at massive egg plants operated by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms were uncovered by Food and Drug Administration officials who inspected the Iowa mega farms for most of August.

The inspections were ordered after public health investigators tracked a multi-state Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak to shell eggs produced by the two operators. More than 1,400 illnesses have resulted, triggering an egg lawsuit by food safety lawyers at  PritzkerOlsen, P.A., 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE).

The FDA inspection reports showed similar violations at the two companies -- including chicken manure piles so high they were blocking some doors and pushing others open. Hens that had escaped their cages were using eight-foot-high manure piles to access the egg laying area at Wright County Egg, the reports said.

Many notations in the inspection reports referred to unsatisfactory rodent control -- from burrow holes in the walls to scurrying live mice in the barns. Wild birds were flying around inside the facilities and pigeons were roosting in openings in kernell corn grain bins.

Inspectors found maggots and flies too numerous to count, eight frogs under a board, grass between barns that was a foot high and disregard for practices meant to keep workers from tracking Salmonella Enteritidis from one place to another. 

Kenneth E. Anderson, a professor of poultry science at North Carolina State University, told the New York Times: “I am surprised that an operation was being operated in that manner in this day and age.”

“Clearly the observations here reflect significant deviations from what’s expected,” FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael R. Taylor said in the same story.

As previously reported, six environmental samples came back positive for Salmonella Enteritidis -- including a sample from Wright County Egg's pullet feed and Wright County Egg's meat and bone meal ingredient bin.

Dr Jeff Farrar, associate commissioner of food protection in the FDA's Office of Foods, told reporters that the FDA received one more positive Salmonella Enteritidis lab result that matches the outbreak strain from spent egg wash water from a facility at Hillandale Farms.

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Egg recall information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now searchable by brand name and other data, making a powerful consumer guide to 88 different egg brands involved in the recalls by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, both of Iowa.

Click here for the searchable egg recall list  that covers more than half a billion eggs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1,470 reported illnesses were likely to be associated with this outbreak between May 1 to August 25. More are expected as investigation and testing continues in more than 20 states.

Smoking gun evidence was uncovered by FDA, linking the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis to the Iowa egg producers. Of 600 samples taken, six so far have come back with the same identical Salmonella strain that is making people sick.. One of those samples came from the feed mill at Wright County Egg and the feed was provided to young hens. The hens were distributed to all premises at both companies.

"These findings indicate that Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa are the likely sources of the contaminated shell eggs,'' CDC has stated.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is preparing an egg lawsuit on behalf of a woman who is confirmed by health authorities as a victim of this outbreak. Salmonella egg recall lawyers at the firm are in contact with other victims and the firm is continuing to accept cases. Free consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. 

Many of the cases in this outbreak have been in people who attended catered social events or who ate at restaurants where clusters of illnesses were found.  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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FDA investigators in the multi-state Salmonella egg outbreak are close to completing a report on their findings after looking for the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis at Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.

In a preliminary announcement today, FDA officials said they found the outbreak strain of Salmonella in chicken feed used by both Iowa egg producers. The breakthrough is a smoking gun for egg lawsuits, creating a DNA fingerprint trace from ill consumers to the egg producers. 

Dr Jeff Farrar, associate commissioner of food protection in the FDA's Office of Foods, was quoted by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy as saying: "We don't know how, when, or where the feed may have become contaminated. It raises additional questions at this point.''

FDA investigators have been performing environmental assessments of farm conditions and practices including pest and rodent controls, biosecurity plans and controls; environmental monitoring; sanitary controls; and feed and laying hen sources. The investigators are also looking at commonalities between Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms.

The agency says the Salmonella egg outbreak is the largest Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak ever recorded by the federal surveillance system established in the 1970s. The total egg recall has involved more than 500 million eggs distributed directly to 22 states and secondarily to other states.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is preparing an egg lawsuit for victims of this outbreak and is continuing to accept cases at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). To contact the firm online, complete the form on the side of this Web page.

PritzkerOlsen is a leading food safety law firm involved in virtually every foodborne illness outbreak in the United States. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of people injured or killed as a result of adulterated food, including eggs contaminated with Salmonella.

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Egg litigation is possible in 23 states where egg recalls indicate  products potentially contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis were distributed.

The Center for Infections Disease Research and Policy reviewed company recall notices and other factors to arrive at 23 states. Health officials in Michigan, for instance, said recalled eggs were distributed in their state despite not being mentioned in recall notices by the two big Iowa producers at the center of the Salmonella egg outbreak.

Together, Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, and Hillandale Farms have recalled more than half a billion eggs that may contain Salmonella, a human pathogen that can cause severe illness in young children, older adults and others who have weakened immune systems.

The Salmonella egg problem remains under active investigation by federal and state health investigators, with recalls continuing.

Wright County Egg, for instance, has added California-distributed  Cardenas Market brand eggs to its recall list. Cardenas eggs included in the recall are labeled with plant number 1026 and Julian dates ranging from 136 to 228.

Another California distributor, Trafficanda Egg Ranch, said it is recalling eggs supplied by Wright County Egg that were packaged under the Trafficanda Egg Ranch brand for retailers and restaurant suppliers. The eggs are packaged in 12-egg cartons, 20-egg over wrap, and 5 dozen over wrap with the Julian dates ranging from 136 to 229 and plant numbers 1026, 1413, 1720, 1942 and1946 .

"There have been confirmed Salmonella enteritidis illnesses from May 17, 2010 to August 17, 2010 relating to the shell eggs, and trace back investigations are ongoing," Trafficanda said.

Hundreds if not thousands of people are estimated to have been sickened by Salmonella eggs in states across the country. California, Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Texas, Arizona, Nebraska and Nevada are among the states with confirmed illnesses and large spikes in Salmonella Enteritidis cases believed to be caused by contaminated eggs.

If you or a loved one believe you have been sickened in this outbreak, your questions about egg litigation can be answered by Salmonella egg recall attorneys at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.

PritzkerOlsen is working with victims of the Salmonella egg outbreak and is continuing to accept cases. Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning.

Note to consumers: 

The Food and Drug Administration is tracking all brands of eggs recalled for possible Salmonella contamination. Click here for the official updated egg recall list to ensure whether eggs in your refrigerator are a known food safety risk.

Dates and codes can be found stamped on the packaging. The plant number begins with the letter "P", followed by a number (P-1946 in the example below). The Julian date follows the plant number.

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California, Minnesota, Colorado,  Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, Nevada and Wisconsin are among at least 18 states where eggs potentially contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis have been sold.

The California egg recall now includes retail brands and foodservice packages sold in southern California and Las Vegas by Moark LLC of Fontana. These retail brands are Albertsons, Yucaipa Valley, Farmer’s Gems and Mountain Dairy.

The 24,300 dozen eggs involved in the latest California egg recall were purchased from Hillandale Farms of Iowa, where there have been laboratory-confirmed Salmonella Enteriditis illnesses linked to shell eggs. Moark repackaged the eggs and sold them to retailers and wholesalers. 

To date, as many as 60 people in Los Angeles County have been confirmed to have the Salmonella strain associated with the recalled eggs. Statewide, California Salmonella egg cases exceed 200, health officials have said.

 Healthy people infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, 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 arterial infections, endocarditis or reactive arthritis, also known as Reiter's syndrome.

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Salmonella egg  investigations conducted by public health officials in 10 states since April have identified 26 restaurants or event clusters where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis has eaten.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in its latest update on the outbreak that shell eggs are a likely source of infections in many of these restaurants or event clusters. Information indicates that Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa, was an egg supplier in 15 of these 26 restaurants or event clusters.

The CDC warns that recalled eggs might still be in grocery stores, restaurants, and consumers' homes. Click here to see an updated list of brands, plant numbers and Julian dates included in the recall. 

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DeLauro chairs the House Appropriations agriculture subcommittee.

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Egg lawsuit stemming from the multi-state Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak will consider the history of health and safety violations at the plants involved in producing more than half a billion eggs that may be contaminated.

 Washington Post today published a story about  repeated health and safety violations by Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa. Other media outlets have written similar stories.

According to the Post story, the company has withstood a string of reprimands, penalties and complaints about its performance in several states.

Food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker said that if the news accounts are true, the owners of Wright County Egg "join a rogue's gallery of pernicious operators that endanger the public.''

Pritzker proposes new laws that impose meaningful sanctions -- such as criminal prosecution and loss of licensure for repeat violators of food safety laws. As founder and president of PritzkerOlsen, P.A., he is involved in virtually every foodborne illness outbreak in the United States as a representative for victims.

According to the Washington Post,  an example of problems at Wright County Egg occurred as recently as June. The owners agreed to pay a $34,675 fine stemming from allegations of animal cruelty against hens in its 5 million-bird Maine facility.

An animal rights group used a hidden camera to document hens suffocating in garbage cans, twirled by their necks , kicked into manure pits to drown and hanging by their feet over conveyor belts, the story said.

The federal investigation into the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that has sickened hundreds if not thousands of Americans is continuing. More than half a billion eggs have been recalled by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, also of Iowa. The Post story said Wright County Egg and Hillandale share suppliers of young chickens and feed, 

For families affected by this outbreak, PritzkerOlsen is providing free egg lawsuit case consultations at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) If you prefer to contact the firm online, please complete the form on the side of this Web page.

PritzkerOlsen is a leading food safety law firm that is actively involved in efforts to keep potentially lethal pathogens out of the public food supply. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of people injured or killed as a result of adulterated food, including eggs contaminated with Salmonella.

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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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Egg recall that began with Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, has now expanded from some 320 million eggs to more than half a billion, according to The Associated Press.

The latest recall was announced by Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the nation's largest egg seller and distributor, with headquarters in Jackson, Mississippi. Iowa is in the company's production network.

Cal-Maine announced it is recalling about 800,000 dozen eggs related to the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that federal officials say has sickened thousands of Americans. Many of the confirmed cases stemmed from restaurant outbreaks or clusters of illnesses resulting from food-catered social events.

The Cal-Maine egg recall applies to 32 truckloads of eggs it received from Iowa between April 9 and Aug. 19, the producer has said. The original producer wasn't named.

Besides Wright County Egg recalling 320 million eggs, Iowa's Hillandale Farms said Friday that it was recalling  more than 100 million eggs after laboratory tests confirmed Salmonella contamination. 

FDA spokeswoman Pat El-Hinnawy told the AP the Hillandale Farms and Wright County Egg recalls are related. The strain of Salmonella bacteria causing the poisoning is the same in both cases, Salmonella enteritidis.

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In the nationwide egg recall, the Food and Drug Administration has released an easy-to-read listing of recalled egg packages complete with brand name, plant number and Julian date.

On recalled egg cartons, the numbers are stamped on the outside end. The plant number is preceded by a letter "P" on the package. The Julian date follows.

As compiled by the Egg Safety Center, Here are the egg brands, plant numbers and Julian dates for the Wright County Egg Salmonella and Hillandale Farms egg recalls.

Note: This list will be updated with publicly available information as received. The information is current as of the date indicated. If we learn that any information is not accurate, we will revise the list as soon as possible.

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Hundreds of people have contracted Salmonella enteritidis infections in a national outbreak linked to eggs.  Prompted by this outbreak, on August 13 and August 18, Wright County Egg of Galt Iowa recalled over 300 million eggs because the companies eggs had been implicated as a possible source of the outbreak.  Now, Hillandale Farms of Iowa has recalled over 100 million shell eggs because "there have been laboratory-confirmed Salmonella enteritidis illnesses associated with the shell eggs."

The recalled Hillandale eggs were distributed to grocery distribution centers, retail grocery stores and foodservice companies.  People have contracted Salmonella enteritidis infections after eating at restaurants, events and at home. 

At least 26 restaurant-associated Salmonella enteritidis outbreaks may have been caused by eggs, according to the CDC. 

The recalled Hillandale eggs were distributed under the following brand names:

• Hillandale Farms
• Sunny Farms
• Sunny Meadow

They were distributed in 6-egg cartons, dozen-egg cartons, 18-egg cartons, 30-egg package, and 5-dozen cases.

Loose eggs were packaged under the following brand names: Wholesome Farms and West Creek in 15 and 30-dozen tray packs. The loose eggs may have been repackaged under a different brand..

The only eggs effected by this recall have plant numbers P1860 or P1663 and Julian dates as follows:

• P1860 – Julian dates ranging from 099 to 230
• P1663 – Julian dates ranging from 137 to 230

Only eggs with these plant numbers are effected - even though the brand name may be the same

Julian dates and plant codes can be found stamped on the end of the egg carton or printed on the case label. The plant number begins with the letter P and then the number. The Julian date follows the plant number, for example: P1860 230.

During this outbreak, new federal egg safety rules went into effect.  In addition to other safety measures, these rules require additional testing to prevent Salmonella outbreaks.  Policy makers, regulators and the consuming public have a right to know whether Hillandale Farms was adequately testing for Salmonella and following the most up-to-date safety rules. The public has a right to know why this outbreak happened.

Our law firm has received calls from people throughout the United States with questions about this recall and an egg lawsuit.  To contact an egg recall lawyer, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form.

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The announcement regarding this California Salmonella Egg outbreak came the same day that Iowa-based Wright County Egg expanded its Salmonella recall to include 380 million eggs.

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Like the peanut Salmonella outbreak of 2008-2009, the Salmonella Egg outbreak associated with Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, is triggering secondary recalls.

As a mega-producer, Wright County sells to other packagers. Hence, Los Angeles-based Country Eggs Inc. has announced a recall of shell eggs that it purchased from Wright County Egg.

Country Eggs is recalling specific Julian dates of shell eggs produced by Wright County because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis. 

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Texas Salmonella egg outbreak is under investigation and the Texas Department of State Health Services is advising consumers to heed the Salmonella egg recall from Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa.

Since mid-May in Texas, there have been more than 150 Salmonella Enteritidis infections in more than 40 counties throughout the state. The health department said in a press release: "Investigation is ongoing to determine if Wright County Egg products are linked to the illnesses.''

Wright County Egg company issued a recall on eggs from its facility in Galt, Iowa, on August 13 and then expanded the recall three days later to include 380 million eggs, or 32 million egg cartons. Wright County eggs are shipped to Texas by way of one or more intermediary distributors, the health department said.

Click here for a list of Wright County Egg brand names and other recall information.

Evidence of an association between Wright County Egg and this foodborne diarrheal illness has emerged from restaurant Salmonella outbreaks and clusters of Salmonella case among people who have attended the same social events. Sometimes raw or undercooked eggs are involved as ingredients in salad dressing or meringue.

Nationally, nearly 2,000 Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses are being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), FDA and state health agencies to determine how many were caused by contaminated eggs from Iowa. 

So far, no deaths have been reported. Most health adults survive Salmonella infections with no treatment, but they can be potentially lethal for young children, older adults and others with weakened or under-developed immune systems.

Minnesota, Colorado, California, Nevada, Wisconsin and Illinois are among other possible Salmonella egg hot spots.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is conducting its own investigation of the egg Salmonella outbreak and is in contact with victims. A Salmonella lawyer at the firm will provide you with a free case consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or you may complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

PritzkerOlsen  is a leading food safety law firm involved in virtually every foodborne illness outbreak in the United States. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of people injured or killed as a result of adulterated food, including eggs contaminated with Salmonella. 

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The latest Salmonella egg recall information is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in an outbreak investigation update. The CDC is reporting that a total of nearly 2,000 illnesses are being examined as possbily part of the nationwide Salmonella Enteritidis egg outbreak.

The associated Salmonella egg recall by Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, has been expanded to cover 380 million eggs, or 32 million egg cartons.

According to the CDC, public health officials in 10 states since April have identified 26 restaurants or events where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis has eaten.

Data from these investigations suggest that shell eggs are a likely source of infections in many of these restaurants or events. Preliminary information indicates that Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa, was an egg supplier in 15 of these 26 restaurants or events, the CDC said.

Formal tracebacks conducted by public health officials in California, Colorado, and Minnesota have found that shell eggs from five of these restaurants or events were from a single firm, Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa. California alone has had more than 200 of these cases so far this year -- far more than normal for the state during this time period.

An extensive federal investigation taking place at Wright County Egg in Iowa is looking for potential sources of contamination, such as feed,  the CDC press release said.

All indications are that this Salmonella Enteritidis egg outbreak could be one of the largest food poisoning episodes of 2010. 

 From May 1 to July 31, 2010, a total of 1,953 Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses were reported on CDC's national molecular subtyping network, PulseNet. The normal count of Salmonella Enteritidis cases over the same period is about 700.

 A key to the investigation is distinguishing the egg cases from non-outbreak background cases.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is providing free case consultations to anyone who has eaten eggs and fallen ill. For information about a Salmonella egg lawsuit, call the firm at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

PritzkerOlsen  is a leading food safety law firm involved in virtually every foodborne illness outbreak in the United States. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of people injured or killed as a result of adulterated food, including eggs contaminated with Salmonella.

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Nevada Salmonella Egg concerns have peaked because the state has seen a spike in Salmonella Enteritidis cases and Wright County Egg lists Nevada as a distribution point for eggs recalled because of possible contamination.

The Southern Nevada Health District has identified a very sizable increase in the number of Salmonella Enteritidis cases of a specific type in the community. The health district has not pinned down the cause, but it has reported 30 cases of this type since January 2010, which is four times more than normally reported.

The health district said it is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to investigate the nationwide increase in Salmonella Enteritidis. With help from CDC and FDA, health investigators from Minnesota, California and Colorado have all associated clusters and spikes of these infections to shell eggs produced by Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa.

Nevada consumers who have fallen ill after consuming egg products should seek immediate care from a physician and request a stool culture be taken. For answers to legal questions about a Nevada Salmonella egg lawsuit, call law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web site.

Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning. Minnesota, where we are based, is one of the first states to tie the increase in Salmonella Enteritidis to the Iowa egg mega-producer. 

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With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) associating a national outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis with eggs from Iowa, there is a solid framework for an egg Salmonella lawsuit.

The CDC's latest announcement on the Wright County Egg Salmonella outbreak said California, Colorado and Minnesota all have data suggesting the association. State and federal investigators have traced clusters of Salmonella infections from restaurants or events to the mass egg producer based in Galt, Iowa.

The company issued a recall three days ago and federal health officials announced Wednesday they have expanded the recall of eggs linked to the Salmonella outbreak to 380 million eggs, or 32 million dozen-egg cartons.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is continuing to accept cases for an egg Salmonella lawsuit and is conducting its own investigation into conditions that may have led to the hundreds of illnesses of Salmonella Enteritidis associated with contaminated eggs.

To contact aSalmonella lawyer at the firm, call 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 with a record of winning food poisoning lawsuits. We have collected millions for victims and are involved in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness.

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The following was released August 13, 2010:

Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa is voluntarily recalling specific Julian dates of shell eggs produced by their farms because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, 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 arterial infections, endocarditis or arthritis.

Wright County Egg Lawsuit

To determine who is part of a Salmonella enteritidis outbreak and the source of an outbreak, health officials use both microbiology and epidemiology. Both types of evidence can be used in a Salmonella lawsuit against the parties responsible for the contamination of the food product and the sale and distribution of the contaminated product.

The microbiology is a series of tests on samples of Salmonella taken from suspected food and the stools of people sickened.

Initial tests determine if the bacteria is Salmonella enteritidis. If testing confirms that you have Salmonella enteritidis, the law in your state requires that your doctor or the hospital has to report the test findings to the state health department. The state health department will usually do further testing (or send the sample to the Unites States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC) to confirm if the genetic fingerprint of your sample matches the genetic fingerprint of the salmonella strains from other people associated with this outbreak.

The epidemiology used involves primarily interviews with people who have been sickened and their families. Health officials get information about where the sick person has been, what he or she ate and other questions that will give direction as to a source of the outbreak.

Determining Victims of an Salmonella Outbreak

A series of events occurs between the time someone is infected and when public health officials determine that the patient is part of an outbreak. So, there will be a delay between the start of illness and confirmation that a patient is part of an outbreak.

Steps to confirmation that a person is part of an outbreak:

• Laboratory Salmonella diagnosis from a stool sample and genetic testing
• Diagnosis based on Salmonella symptoms

For  Salmonella enteritidis lawsuit purposes, it is valuable to have a state health department and/or the CDC determine that a person with a Salmonella infection is part of a foodborne outbreak.  This can be used as evidence in court that:

• The person with the Salmonella infection was a victim of the foodborne outbreak
• The restaurant, food processor and/or other party linked to the outbreak is liable for the victim’s damages

Victims of Salmonella outbreaks should consult an experienced Salmonella lawsuit lawyer regarding an Salmonella lawsuit's strength and the amount of damages that should be sought.

Salmonella Lawyer

If you have been diagnosed with Salmonella enteritidis and are or may be a victim of a foodborne outbreak, contact a Salmonella lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. for a free consultation regarding your legal rights and remedies.  You may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages. Call 1-888-377-8900.

Salmonella lawsuit lawyer Fred Pritzker has over 30 years of experience and has established a national reputation for excellence in the area of food poisoning litigation.  He has recovered millions for victims of food poisoning.


 

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Wright County Egg has voluntarily issued a recall on 228,000,000 shell eggs due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Wright County Egg is one of the largest egg producing companies in the country. It is based in Galt, Iowa. The egg recall is only applicable to shell eggs with plant codes of P1026, P1413 and P1946. The eggs were packaged between May 16th and August 13th and were sold to distributors and wholesalers in California, Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa.

The Wright County Egg voluntary recall was issued after the product was linked to Salmonella enteritidis illnesses were reported in California (266), Minnesota (7), Nevada and Colorado. The CDC reported that they have seen four times as many Salmonella enteritidis illnesses reported in June and July.

The Centers for Disease Control has issued an advisory to state health departments, hospitals, and nursing homes on specific measures to reduce the spread of Salmonella enteritidis. Government agencies and the egg industry are also working to reduce Salmonella enteritidis outbreaks by identifying and removing infected flocks from the egg supply and tightening quality assurance and sanitation measures. In addition, eggs from known infected commercial flocks will be pasteurized instead of being sold as grade A shell eggs.

Ways to Reduce the Risk of Salmonella enteritidis Infection

• Refrigerate whole eggs.
• Throw out cracked or dirty eggs.
• Thoroughly wash hands and cooking utensils with soap and water if they come into contact with raw eggs.
• Eat eggs soon after cooking. Do not have eggs out for more than 2 hours.
• Immediately refrigerate unused or leftover foods that contain eggs.
• Do not eat raw eggs (as in homemade ice cream, raw cookie dough or eggnog).
• Avoid restaurant dishes made with raw or undercooked, unpasteurized eggs (such as Hollandaise sauce or Caesar salad dressing).

Wright County Egg Recall - Lawyer for Salmonella Poisoning

Lawyer Fred Pritzker and his team of attorneys are investigating the Salmonella enteritidis outbreak linked to eggs produced by Wright County Egg. Contact PritzkerOlsen, P.A. law firm for a free consultation about an eggs salmonella lawsuit and class action lawsuit information. Call 1-888-377-8900.

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Salmonella Egg Recall

Wright County Egg, Galt, Iowa, is voluntarily recalling 228,000,000 shell eggs because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis. Salmonella bacterium can cause serious, life-threatening infections in small children, elderly people and anyone with a weakened immune system. Salmonella poisoning symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. If serious cases go untreated, Salmonella infection can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream. Once in the blood stream it can produce illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis or arthritis.

Wright County Eggs were distributed to retailers in California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. These retailers distribute nationwide, so check the eggs in your refrigerator for the follwing brands: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps. Look for codes starting with P and with Julian dates ranging from 136 to 225, with plant numbers 1026, 1413 and 1946 (e.g. P-1026 140). This recall is of shell eggs only.

If you have any of these eggs in your refrigerator, do not eat them. You may return them to the store where purchased for a refund.

There have been confirmed Salmonella enteritidis illnesses relating to the shell eggs in California, Nevada, Colorado and Minnesota. Traceback investigations are still being conducted.

Wright County Egg is fully cooperating with FDA’s investigation and they are diverting existing inventory of shell eggs to a breaker, where they will be pasteurized to kill any Salmonella bacteria present.

Salmonella Egg Recall Lawyer

If you have been sickened with Salmonella enteritidis, you need legal representation to obtain the best settlement to cover your medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.

PritzkerOlsen, P.A. is a leading foodborne illness litigation firm. We have helped thousands of clients recover millions in needed and deserved compensation. Call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or submit the contact form on this page. The consultation is free. Call today.

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