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

Ever since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an after-the-fact report about a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 68 people in 10 states and withheld the name of the Mexican-style fast food restaurant chain responsible, the food safety community has been buzzing.

Neither the CDC, nor any health official from any of the 10 states with victims has named the comany, referred to in the CDC’s first and only report on the outbreak, issued January 19, 2012, as Mexican Restaurant Chain A.

The CDC has a case-by-case policy in these matters and generally tries to protect companies from bad publicity by naming them only when the public can use that information to protect their health. Ih this case, neither the CDC nor any of the 10 state health departments involved said anything about the outbreak until it was over. So, in this case, the CDC’s inaction proves its own point. No, the teenager craving a taco in January can’t protect himself from becoming part of an foodborne illness outbreak that happened three months ago, but the teenager in October could have. Unfortunately, none of our public health officials gave him that opportunity.

And what about Restaurant Chain A?  Surely Mexican Restaurant Chains B-G must be wondering why Restaurant A has lacked the courage to step up and say, yes, it’s us. Given the rumors of a possible leak later this week by one of the state departments of health, it may be time for Restaurant Chain A to let the public know that their restaurants were linked the Salmonella outbreak and to provide information on any efforts the company is making to prevent future outbreaks.

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Commercially available Salmonella latched onto the lab coats, pens, keys, cell phones, mp3 players and whatnot of microbiology students and workers in an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium that sickened more than 100 people in 38 states, killing one.

In a final report on the year-long outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week reported a correlation between illness and a lack of biosafety training and awareness. Minnesota and Pennsylvania led the country with nine illnesses each while Georgia had six cases and the state of Washington had five. Several states had four case patients.

The illnesses began showing up in late August 2010 and the outbreak lasted through June 2011. Among those sickened by the organism were children at the homes of lab students and workers -- proof that the pathogen traveled on objects needlessly taken into a laboratory or on lab clothing that should only have left the facility for laundering.

The link between illness and lack of biosafety awareness and training was found in professional surveys among varying groups of lab workers and students.

"Staff working at laboratories that were associated with illness were less likely to have knowledge of biosafety training materials,'' the CDC report said. "In comparison, staff working in laboratories that were not associated with illness were more likely to train students and staff on the signs and symptoms of infection with Salmonella when conducting safety training.''

The CDC report included advice to students, lab workers and lab managers. One piece of advice for managers is to use either non-pathogenic or attenuated bacterial strains when possible, especially when teaching.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"73% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"75% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"80% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"85% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"90% Hannaford Regular Ground Beef"

"80% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"

"85% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"

"90% Taste of Inspirations Angus Ground Beef"

"85% Nature's Place Ground Beef"

"90% Nature's Place Ground Beef"

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

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

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Health officials are investigating twenty-two cases of Salmonella poisoning in Corinth, Mississippi. Investigators are looking at restaurants where those sickened reported eating. According to the Sun Herald, Don Julio's was closed on Thursday: 

Health officials had found no evidence of any food contamination at the restaurant, and it was not ordered to close, a sign on the door said.

However, concern about contamination of vegetables from a supplier and the safety of customers prompted the move. 

Salmonella is generally transmitted by food contaminated with the bacterium. Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning generally include severe diarrhea and abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, headache and muscle pain. In some cases there is blood in the stool. 

Salmonella can be fatal if the infection enters the bloodstream.

Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/12/09/3624275/corinth-eateries-safe-despite.html#ixzz1gBL8kH8r

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A Salmonella outbreak linked to kosher broiled chicken livers from Schreiber Processing Corporation has sickened at least 64 people in New Jersey, according to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

The majority of the cases have occurred in Ocean County. About 11 percent of the patients have required hospitalization, 48 percent are female, Donna Leusner, the department's spokeswoman, told CIDRAP News.

Chicken livers and chicken liver products, sold under the MealMart brand, are labeled “broiled” and appear cooked but are not. DHSS, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have identified these cases of illness associated with the Salmonella Heidelberg bacteria strain, a common bacteria associated with food poisoning in humans.

The cases of Salmonella Heidelberg, identified during the period of February through November, all had a common DNA fingerprint.  Public health investigations recognized a pattern of people reporting that they ate kosher broiled chicken livers or chopped liver before their illness began. The same Salmonella strain has been found in samples of broiled chicken livers and in samples of chopped liver made from the kosher broiled chicken livers.

In stores, broiled chicken livers are often re-packaged and sold in smaller quantities. Retail stores and other establishments in the following communities either re-packaged this product or used it to prepare chopped liver that was sold to customers:

• New Jersey:     Moonachie, Englewood, Lakewood, Freehold, Teaneck, Elizabeth, Howell,Highland Park, Passaic, Paterson
• New York:       Bronx, Brooklyn, Cedarhurst, Far Rockaway, Ferndale, Flushing, Kew Gardens Lawrence, Loch Sheldrake, Monsey, New York (Manhattan), Ocean Side, Parksville, Roslyn Heights, Schenectady, South Fallsberg, Suffern, Wesley Hills, Woodridge.
• Maryland:         Baltimore
• Pennsylvania:    Mckeesrocks, Philadelphia
• Minnesota:        New Hope

Consuming food contaminated with Salmonella can cause an infection called salmonellosis which can be life-threatening, especially to those with weak immune systems, infants and the elderly. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. Anyone who ate meat included in this recall and develops symptoms should seek medical attention.

Anyone with legal questions about an illness associated with this outbreak should contact the Salmonella lawyers at PritzkerOlsen P.A., a national leader in foodborne illness, for a free consultation by clicking here or calling toll free 1 (888) 377-8900.

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On March 9, 2011, the first Salmonella Heidelberg illness was reported in an outbreak that has sickened at least 78 people and killed one.  The same strain of Salmonella Heidelberg was found in a ground turkey sample purchased from a retail location in March. The contaminated ground turkey had been processed at a Cargill turkey processing plant in Arkansas. By April 11, at the latest, federal and state health officials had the evidence needed to connect Salmonella Heidelberg illnesses with Cargill ground turkey because PFGE patterns matching the outbreak strain were added to the PulseNet database beginning on April 11.

Why did it take until August 3 for Cargill to recall the ground turkey? Why did the USDA-FSIS warn consumers about ground turkey on July 29, but not mention Cargill? They knew at that time exactly where the contaminated ground turkey was coming from, yet this is what USDA-FSIS said on July 29:

CDC is partnering with state health departments to monitor the outbreak while FSIS focuses its investigation on potential identification of a contamination source(s).

People were scared of eating all ground turkey products, and all companies that processed, distributed and sold ground turkey products suffered. All USDA-FSIS had to do to prevent hysteria was let consumers know that it was Cargill ground turkey processed at the Arkansas plant that had sickened the victims of the outbreak.

Bill Tomson of The Wall Street Journal reported that the USDA-FSIS knew about the Salmonella Heidelberg contamination at the Arkansas turkey processing plant last year:

A routine USDA inspection last year of the Cargill plant in Arkansas turned up three samples contaminated with salmonella Heidelberg, the agency said. A USDA spokesman said the agency brought the findings "to the attention of the facility."

Elisabeth Hagen, the USDA's top food-safety official, told The Wall Street Journal that nothing could be done about the contamination at the time because Salmonella is not an adulterant under federal law unless the meat is linked to Salmonella illnesses.

It should not have taken almost 80 cases of Salmonella Heidelberg infection for Cargill to recall the ground turkey. Let’s hope in the future Cargill recalls products as soon as the company knows there is a potential for illness and death.

People from the following states have been sickened in the Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak linked to Cargill ground turkey products:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• California (one Californian died)
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Wisconsin

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National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is urging consumers to check their freezers for ground turkey products that may be contaminated and unsafe as part of  the Cargill Salmonella outbreak. One person has died and at least  77 others have been sickened. Nearly 40 percent of those infected by the outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg have been hospitalized. Treatment options have been limited because the pathogen in this outbreak is resistant to some commonly prescribed antibiotics.

Salmonella lawyers at PritzkerOlsen have established a claims center for victims -- a clearinghouse for Cargill lawsuit information -- available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by submitting your contact information. One of the leading practitioners of foodborne illness litigation in the United States, PritzkerOlsen is based near the worldwide headquarters of Cargill and has gone up against the multinational conglomerate in previous outbreaks.

Cargill this week acknowledged the link between its ground turkey products and the outbreak, recalling 36 million pounds of product made in Arkansas since February. Much of that has been eaten or returned to Cargill by retailers, but some still lurks in home freezers of consumers who are now at risk for becoming seriously ill.

The tainted ground turkey was sold under the Honeysuckle White brand and several other brands. Cargill's Springdale, Arkansas, plant sold the potentially tainted meat through the following retailers and corresponding locations:

1. Aldi, Nationwide

2. Giant Eagle, locations in PA, MD, WV and OH 

3. HEB, locations in TX 

4. Ingles, locations in SC, NC, AL, GA, TN and VA 

5. Kroger, Nationwide 

6. Meijer, locations in MI, IL, KY, IN and OH 

7. Stater Brothers, locations in CA 

8. Walmart, Nationwide 

9. WinCo, locations in WA, ID, NE, CA and OR 

 The products subject to recall bear the establishment number "P-963" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

PritzkerOlsen is continuing to investigate the outbreak, as are federal officials at USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The recent Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak linked to ground turkey has been characterized by an alarming discovery. The strain of Salmonella that has sickened 77 people in 26 states and killed one is, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics; this antibiotic resistance can increase the risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected individuals."

The topic of drug-resistant Salmonella is not limited to this outbreak. Recently, CBS News reported on another strain called Salmonella Kentucky. A recent European study published in the Journal of Infectious Disease shows that it is resistant to common antibiotics. According to the report, the pathogen made nearly 500 people sick between 2000 and 2008 in France, England, Wales and Denmark. It was usually associated with chicken. According to study author Dr. Simon Le Hello, of the Pasteur Institute in France:

"We hope that this publication might stir awareness among national and international health, food, and agricultural authorities so that they take the necessary measures to control and stop the dissemination of this strain before it spreads globally, as did another multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella, Typhimurium DT104, starting in the 1990s."

The study recommends that International public health surveillance systems are needed to limit the spread of such multidrug-resistant organisms.

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Salmonella food poisoning is defying U.S. prevention efforts even while progress is being made to stop a more feared pathogen: E. coli O157:H7. Those are the headlines from an annual report on foodborne illness produced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report found broad declines in several foodborne infections, including E. coli O157:H7. But Salmonella infections, which cause the largest numbers of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths of any pathogen under surveillance in the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), have not declined during the past decade, the CDC said. FoodNet conducts surveillance among 15 percent of the U.S. population for laboratory-confirmed infections with nine pathogens transmitted commonly through food.  

By comparison, the rate of E. coli O157 cases reported by FoodNet sites was .9 cases per 100,000 people, down substantially from 1997 when FoodNet measured 2 cases per 100,000 people. The nearly 50 percent reduction in E. coli O157 incidence is considered significant when compared to the lack of change in Salmonella incidence. 

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 A commercially available Salmonella Typhimurium strain used in laboratory settings has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has killed one person and sickened 72 others in 35 states. The lab Salmonella outbreak, announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), includes six cases in Pennsylvania, five each in Georgia and Washington, four in Minnesota and three in Wisconsin.

CDC is collaborating with public health officials in many states to investigate the outbreak associated with exposure to clinical and teaching microbiology laboratories. The lab Salmonella outbreaks includes small numbers of cases in a large amount of states:: AK (1), AL (3),  AZ (2), CA (1), GA (5), IA (1), ID (2), IL (3),  IN (1), KS (1), KY (3), MA (2),  MD (2),  MI (2), MN (4),  MO (2), NC (1),  ND (1),  NE (2),  NJ (2),  NM (3),  NV (1), NY (1),  OH (1),  OK (1),  OR (1),  PA (6),  SC (2),  SD (1), TN (2),  TX (1),  UT (3),  WA (5),  WI (3),  WY (1).  The CDC says 14 percent of patients have been hospitalized.

The outbreak was active from February through March, but new cases have diminished. Illnesses have been identified among students in microbiology teaching laboratories and employees in clinical microbiology laboratories. The New Mexico Department of Health found that the outbreak strain was indistinguishable from a commercially available Salmonella Typhimurium strain used in laboratory settings. This commercially available strain was known to be present in several teaching or clinical laboratories associated with ill students or employees infected with the outbreak strain.

Victims of this outbreak who have legal questions should contact 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) for a free case consultation with food safety lawyers at PritzkerOlsen, P.A.. Go here to contact the firm online, 

 If you work with Salmonella bacteria in a microbiology laboratory, the CDC advises that you watch for symptoms of Salmonella infection, such as diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Call your health care provider if you or a family member has any of these symptoms. The agency also has the following tips to avoid spreading dangerous bacteria used in labs:

• Wash hands frequently while working in and immediately after leaving the lab -- especially  before preparing food or baby bottles, before eating and before contact with young children.
• Do not bring food, drinks or personal items like car keys, cell phones and mp3 players into the laby. These items may become contaminated if you touch them while working or if you place them on work surfaces.
• Do not bring pens, notebooks, and other items used inside of the microbiology laboratory into your home.
• Wear a lab coat or other protective uniform over personal clothing. Leave it in the laboratory when you are finished. Dispose of protective clothing appropriately or deposit it for laundering by the institution. 

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The strain of Salmonella that has sickened 12 people in 10 states is resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics, which can increase the risk of hospitalization or treatment failure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced. States have reported antibiotic resistance of the outbreak strain of Salmonella Hadar to several clinically useful drugs including ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, cephalothin, and tetracycline

The CDC is helping states and USDA investigate the Jennie-O Salmonella outbreak, which has been associated with certain Jennie-O turkey patties sold at Sam's Club stores nationwide. The frozen boxes of 12 patties with a use-by date of DEC. 23, 2011, have been recalled by Jennie-O, a Minnesota-based subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corporation. Click here for Jennie-O recall information.

At least three of the case-patients in Colorado, Ohio, and Wisconsin specifically reported eating Jennie-O Turkey burgers the week before their illness began. Samples of Jennie-O ground turkey burgers were collected by public health agencies from the homes of case-patients in Colorado and Wisconsin. Both turkey burger samples were positive for the outbreak strain of Salmonella.

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Sam's Club stores nationwide sold Jennie-O turkey patties associated with a Salmonella outbreak in Wisconsin, Colorado, Ohio, California and six other states. One dozen people have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Hadar since December. The most recent onset of illness reported by authorities came in mid-March. 

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today what Jennie-O previously reported: That 55,000 pounds of recalled Jennie-O turkey patties recalled because of possible Salmonella contamination were sold nationwide, exclusively at Sam's Club stores. The 4-pound boxes of Jennie-O Turkey Store "All Natural Turkey Burgers with seasonings Lean White Meat" contain a dozen individually wrapped patties of uncooked ground turkey. The boxes have a sell-by date of December 23, 2011.

FSIS is continuing to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), affected state public health partners, and the company on the investigation. FSIS says it will provide information about any related recall activity. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician. Those people who fall ill may want information about a Jennie-O lawsuit. National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is providing free case consultations at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or online via our Jennie-O contact form.

Salmonella attorneys at PrizkerOlsen represent victims nationwide and have collected tens of millions of dollars for people who suffer illness in outbreaks of food poisoning. We are one of the very few law firms nationwide that practice extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we are involved in practically every outbreak holding wrongdoers accountable.

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The elderly are so vulnerable to Salmonella poisoning. For those sickened at West Shore Health Center by DeFusco’s zeppoles contaminated with Salmonella, the cases of Salmonella poisoning were even worse because these victims had health problems that further weakened their immune systems. Sadly, one of the few real pleasures these people still have, eating special sweet treats, almost killed some of them.

The elderly residents of West Shore Health Center in Warwick, Rhode Island, should be compensated for their medical bills, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages. In addition, the compensation needs to take into account how the Salmonella poisoning from the zeppoles has permanently altered their health, impeded their rehabilitation and generally lessened their quality of life.

So many of us at our law firm can relate to the families of these dearly loved elderly people. Having a sick family member is hard enough, and it is tragic that this hardship was made exponentially more difficult by the apparent negligence of DeFusco’s Bakery. It is hard to imagine that anyone in the food industry would store pastries in cardboard boxes that had held raw eggs. Most of our children know better than that, especially after the huge Salmonella outbreak that sickened about 2000 people nationwide (that is the CDC number, but the actual number is far higher).

Our law firm is one of a handful that represent Salmonella outbreak victims nationwide, and perhaps the only major Salmonella litigation law firm with an attorney, David Szerlag, who is licensed to practice in Rhode Island.

Attorney David Szerlag is part of our Salmonella litigation team at Pritzker Olsen law firm. He recently was one of the lead attorneys in multidistrict litigation (MDL) that resulted in a multimillion dollar settlement for people injured by a defective product. MDL is like a class action lawsuit. David was one of three attorneys who oversaw the pretrial procedures for dozens of attorneys throughout the United States. Contact our Salmonella lawyers for a free consultation about a DeFusco's Bakery lawsuit.

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Salmonella on cantaloupe traced to a single farm in Guatemala  may have caused an outbreak of Salmonella Panama that has sickened a dozen people in Oregon (5 cases), Washington (4 cases), California (2 cases), and Maryland (1 case). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is continuing to investigate in conjunction with FDA and various state health departments. Two of the victims of this food poisoning outbreak were hospitalized.

The cantaloupes were distributed through warehouse clubs in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

In the outbreak investigation, 11 of 12 ill persons reported eating cantaloupe in the week before illness. Ten of these 11 ill persons ate cantaloupes purchased at seven different locations of a national warehouse club. Information gathered with patient permission from membership card records helped determine that ill persons purchased cantaloupes sourced from a single farm in Guatemala.

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A post-mortem of the nationwide peppers Salmonella outbreak from 2008 shows that investigators were kept on the wrong trail for weeks while they relied on faulty food history information collected from victims and struggled to trace product through a convoluted supply chain.

The report was published in The New England Journal of Medicine by scientists from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. It ripped the produce industry for commingling and repacking produce with varying degrees of product documentation throughout the supply chain,

The report said these problems, and others, kept investigators on the wrong trail for weeks -- chasing what they believed were contaminated raw tomatoes -- while the number of infections continued to climb. Ultimately, the outbreak was linked to Mexican-grown serrano and jalapeno chili peppers based on a breakthrough by the Minnesota Department of Health. By the time the outbreak was over, about 1,500 people in 44 states were sickened and two people died.

Public awareness of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak began in early June 2008, when the FDA warned consumers to avoid eating fresh tomatoes, which it said were the likely cause of the outbreak. Initially it appeared to be related to salsa and/or guacamole served in Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in the Southwest. The report said investigators spent seven weeks on tomato tracebacks, which ultimately failed to "converge on any one geographic location, grower, or supplier,''

Finally, on July 9, a nationwide alert on hot chili peppers went out. Between the two nationwide alerts, about 500 people fell ill with laboratory-confirmed infections. Eventually, the investigation led to two Mexican farms. At one, officials found Salmonella in irrigation water but it was not the outbreak strain. The other yielded water samples with the Saintpaul serotype. However, the researchers also noted that investigators from Colorado had collected a pepper carrying the outbreak strain from a sick resident's home and were able to trace it to a different Texas-based distributor, but from there the trail went cold.

National food safety lawyers PritzkerOlsen, P.A., represented victims of this outbreak and is involved on behalf of victims in practically all major outbreaks of Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, Shigella, Hepatitis and other foodborne disease. Our attorney group is one of just a few firms nationally that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected tens of millions of dollars over the years for victims of food poisoning. At the same time, PritzkerOlsen is actively involved in numerous efforts to prevent outbreaks and our clients provided important testimony in Washington, D.C., that led to the recent passage of the sweeping Food Safety Modernization Act.

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The Salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts and certain Jimmy John's restaurants in Illinois now has 112 reported cases in 18 states and the District of Columbia as follows:

California (1), Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), District of Columbia (1), Georgia (1), Hawaii (1), Iowa (1), Illinois (59), Indiana (10), Kentucky (1), Massachusetts (2), Missouri (22), New York (1), Pennsylvania (3), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (1), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (3).

Only certain Jimmy John's restaurants in Illinois have been implicated in this outbreak.

From November 1, 2010, through January 4, 2011, CDC received report of 112 cases of  Salmonella serotype I 4,[5],12:i:-. 

Among 111 persons for whom information is available, illness onset dates range from November 1 to December 24, 2010. Case-patients range in age from 1 to 75 years-old, with a median age of 28 years-old. Seventy-five patients (or 68%) are female. Among persons with available information, 24% reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Because the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern associated with this particular Salmonella serotype commonly occurs in the United States, some of the cases identified may not be related to this outbreak.

Our law firm is representing a woman from Illinois who was hospitalized for several days with a Salmonella infection contracted after eating alfalfa sprouts on a Jimmy John's sandwich. She developed a type of reactive arthritis called Reiter's syndrome . To contact our firm about a Jimmy Johns Salmonella lawsuit, call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or submit our free consultation form.

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Illinois health officials say an outbreak of Salmonella has sickened at least 46 people in nine Illinois counties since November 1 -- a development that possibly could be associated with contaminated alfalfa sprouts on sandwiches at Jimmy John's. 

Stories by MSNBC and the Chicago Tribune said the outbreak remains under investigation but that food history interviews conducted with some victims pointed to sprouts at Jimmy John's as a common denominator.

"Many people who have become ill reported eating alfalfa sprouts at Jimmy John’s restaurants in nine counties in Illinois - Adams, Champaign, Cook, Kankakee, McHenry, McLean, Peoria, Will and Winnebago,'' the MSNBC story said. As part of the outbreak investigation, officials are probing alfalfa sprout producers and distributors, the story said.

If you or a loved one has been sickened in this apparent Jimmy John's Salmonella outbreak in parts of Illinois, contact a foodborne illness lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page. Our firm is a national leader in litigation involving public outbreaks of Salmonella and other types of  food poisoning and we have collected millions of dollars over the years for outbreak victims and their families.

Most healthy adults recover from Salmonella infection without seeking medical treatment, but the organism can lead  to severe illness and death, especially in young children, the elderly and others who have underdeveloped or weakened immune systems. Pritzker Olsen currently represents Salmonella victims and also has represented people whose Salmonella infections developed into reactive arthritis, or Reiter's Syndrome,   

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A  Salmonella outbreak at Homewood at Crumland Farms nursing home in Frederick, Maryland, has sickened eight people, including one resident who died after being hospitalized with the infection. The Frederick News Post quoted Frederick County Health Department and the nursing home's executive director as saying the outbreak started in July and has continued into November.

A second person hospitalized in the Homewood at Crumland Farms Salmonella outbreak has returned to the home, said Eric Nichols, Homewood's executive director. He said the person who died had other health complications.

A Salmonella outbreak at a nursing home is particularly risky because young children, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems are most susceptiple to severe illness. In the 2008-2009 peanut butter Salmonella outbreak that swept the United States, law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., represented the families of three older adults who died with the outbreak strain of Salmonella. The firm has recovered money for the survivors and is continuing to press wrongful death Salmonella lawsuits against parties responsible for the sale and distribution of contaminated peanut butter.

The Homewood Salmonella outbreak in Maryland is still under investigation and no source has yet been revealed.

Darlene Armacost, communicable disease program manager for the Frederick County Health Department, told Frederick News Post that the last onset of a case was in early November and,  "We are still monitoring the situation." Health department officials have inspected Homewood repeatedly, Armacost said. The entire Environmental Health Services branch of the department, the section that inspects restaurants, has visited the kitchen many times, she said. Employees have been tested. The cause may never be known, she said. 

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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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The focus of the Clearview Salmonella investigation is the football dinner served two weeks ago to the Clearview High School football team, Lorain County's chief public medical officer said.

 Lorain County General Health District  Commissioner Kenneth G. Pearce told The Morning Journal newspaper of northern Ohio that investigators still can't say with certainty that the outbreak stemmed from the football dinner. But lab testing by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH)  has confirmed 8 cases of Salmonella B from individuals who attended the function. Lorain County General Health District sent 8 samples to ODH and all 8 were confirmed positive for Salmonella B. The investigation is ongoing.

Many other Clearview school children were out sick at the same time, but Pearce told the newspaper that many of those cases appeared to be upper respirartory illnesses, like strep throat. The Norwalk virus, or norovirus, has been discounted as a cause, he said.

Salmonella outbreaks are caused when food is contaminated with the feces of infected animals or when infected food handlers fail to wash thoroughly after going to the toilet. Healthy adults normally recover from their gastro-intestinal illness with no treatment, but severe illness or death may be caused by Salmonella in young children, older adults and others with compromised immune systems. Salmonella poisoning is not to be taken lightly and can have long-term effects, including arthritis and arterial infections.

Clearview families who have legal questions about this outbreak and Salmonella litigation to recover damages may call law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this web page. A Salmonella attorney at our firm will provide a free case consultation and explain what action is required. PritzkerOlsen is one of the few law firms in the United States practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and over the years we have collected millions of dollars for families and individuals who have fallen victim to food poisoning. 

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In the coming week, public health investigators in Oklahoma will strive for answers in the Salmonellaoutbreak centered in Mustang Public Schools, located in the greater Oklahoma City area.

So far, there has been no public guidance to identify sources or even possible sources to this outbreak, which has sickened 12 elementary-aged school children in four Mustang schools. Also previously confirmed were two adult cases in Oklahoma County, including one person hospitalized. Carter County has a young adult with a confirmed case of Salmonella.

Oklahoma Health Department's Communicable Disease Division Director is Laurence Burnsed. He told The Oklahoman newspaper that the source of the outbreak could be food that is widely distributed to several areas of the state, but there's not enough information yet to suggest a food that people should avoid. The state also will be looking at scattered Salmonella cases in Iowa and Nebraska that may be related.

Meanwhile, Mustang school parents received a letter from the school district saying that the school is working diligently with the state health department to determine the origin of the cases. "Salmonellosis is not necessarily related to food preparation,'' a school district official wrote to parents.

Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., has begun its own investigation into the outbreak and a Salmonella attorney at the firm is handling case calls from victims of this outbreak at 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE). Families also may use the online contact form on the side of this Web page. Our firm is currently handling a Salmonella lawsuit on behalf of victims in the nationwide egg Salmonella outbreak. We are a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation with years of experience in the complicated legal process of helping families recover medical expenses, compensation for pain and suffering and other costs associated with food poisoning.

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An Oklahoma school Salmonella outbreak is under investigation by the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Mustang Public Schools in Canadian County.

The Mustang school Salmonella outbreak among elementary-aged children was confirmed by Mustang Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Belinda Rogers in a letter to parents that went out this week. The parents were told that officials from the state health department would likely be interviewing them as part of a study to find the cause of the outbreak. KOCO.com reported that the outbreak has sickened at least 10 children in Mustang, two adults in Oklahoma County and a third adult in Carter County.

KOCO.com quoted a state health official as saying the cases appeared to have started between September 2 and September 13. The state official said the cases involved children at Centennial, Lakehoma, Mustang Valley elementary schools and the city's pre-Kindergarten school.

"Salmonella begins with a contaminated product, and we are working diligently with the State Department of Health officials to determine the origin of the cases,'' Deputy Superintendent Rogers said in her letter to parents.

Even though healthy adults often endure Salmonella infections without seeking medical attention, parents are reminded that the pathogen is capable of causing serious illness and death. Children under the age of 5, older adults and other people who have weakened immune systems are most at risk.

If you or a child in your family has been a victim in this Salmonella outbreak, call PritzkerOlsen, P.A., for answers to legal questions about compensation and to receive a free case consultation. Our firm is a leader, nationally, in the area  of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning. To reach a Salmonella lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

Our law firm currently represents Salmonella victims and is involved in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness as an aggressive and deeply experienced advocate for families.

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by Fred Pritzker

Here we go again - another foodborne illness recall – this time involving hundreds of millions of eggs that may be contaminated with Salmonella. According to the CDC, nearly 2,000 people have been sickened so far and the number is inevitably going to rise.

The company, Wright County Egg based in Galt, Iowa, and its owner, Jack DeCoster, are no strangers to food safety and environmental problems. News accounts indicate the company has been fined for insanitary conditions, hiring illegal workers, and – just this year – DeCoster pleaded guilty to numerous counts of animal cruelty. He has also been sued for sexual harassment, according to the news report. A more detailed account of this sorry history may be found at http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=11440513.

I’ve been a food safety lawyer for many years. My firm is involved in just about every major foodborne illness outbreak in the United States. Thus, I’ve litigated cases against big and small operators, those that care about food safety, those that don’t give a damn and everything in between.

There has to be a special place in hell, however, for companies (and their owners) that habitually put profits over people and blithely violate safety laws resulting in human suffering and death.

DeCoster, if the news accounts are true and the outbreak is definitively traced back to his company, joins a rogue’s gallery of pernicious operators that endanger the public.

Every industry and profession (including lawyers, I might add) has a small number of rotten eggs (sorry, it was just too hard to pass up) that habitually violate the rules. Fortunately, in most other businesses, these violators don’t have the ability to sicken and kill large numbers of innocent people. Not so for food processors. And that’s why laws have to be enacted that allow easier criminal prosecution of companies and their owners that willfully and/or repeatedly harm consumers. That’s also why laws have to be enacted to strip companies of their right to do business when it becomes clear their products are unsafe.

This is not such a radical idea. Any professional who commits a serious crime or repeatedly violates professional standards has his/her license revoked. Without a license, a professional cannot work and the public is no longer at risk. Why do food processors have the “right” to repeatedly violate the law and put the health and safety of the public at risk?

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Salmonella Typhi is the bacterium that causes typhoid fever. The investigation by CDC and state public health officials in California and Nevada has found four confirmed cases in Clark County, Nevada, three confirmed illnesses in California and two additional California cases listed as "probable.''

Mamey, also called “zapote” or “sapote,” is a tropical fruit grown primarily in Central and South America. Five of the seven Typhoid Fever patients interviewed by investigators reported consuming frozen mamey fruit pulp in a milkshake or smoothie, also called a “batido” or “licuado.”

Upon further investigation, it was found that 4  of 5 ill persons consumed Goya brand frozen mamey fruit pulp, the CDC reported. "These results suggest that eating frozen mamey fruit pulp is a likely source of these illnesses,'' the agency said.

One day prior to the outbreak announcement from CDC, Goya Foods Inc. of Seacaucus, New Jersey, recalled its 14 ounce packages of Frozen Mamey Pulp, due to a potential health risk from Salmonella.

The recalled Goya brand Mamey Pulp was distributed in the states of AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, and WA through retail stores. The product comes in a 14 ounce plastic package and is not marked with a lot number or expiration date. The UPC is 041331090803.

If you or a loved one has been sickened in this zapote outbreak, contact national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen for a free case consultation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

Over the years we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning and our firm has a record of winning Salmonella lawsuits and other food poisoning lawsuits.

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Update to information below: This Salmonella Hartford outbreak has been associated with Taco Bell restaurants, according to health officials.

A multistate Salmonella outbreak is being investigated by public health officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced. The outbreak involves two strains of the pathogen: Salmonella Hartford and Salmonella Baildon.

Although no restaurant or food service establishment has been named in connection with the outbreak, the CDC points to a Mexican-style food chain as a possible common link between the illnesses. According to the CDC, "In each study, analysis indicates that eating at a Mexican-style fast food restaurant chain, ... is associated with some illnesses."

Salmonella Hartford Outbreak

So far, the CDC is reporting that 75 people from 15 states have become ill with a matching strain of Salmonella Hartford since early April. The cases are distributed geographically as follows: CO (1), GA (1), IL (5), IN (11), KY (23), MA (2), MI (3), MT (1), NC (1), NH (1), NY (1), OH (19), PA (1), SC (1) and WI (4). Patients range in age from 1 to 80 years old and 15 hospitalizations have so far been reported.

No particular food item was cited as a potential source of the outbreak, but, according to the CDC, "Ill persons (60 %) were significantly more likely than well persons (21%) to report eating at Restaurant Chain A in the week before illness." Outbreak victims reported eating at 13 different locations of this restaurant chain in the week before their illness and four locations were identified in connection with more than one ill person.

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Two Salmonella outbreaks associated with a Mexican style fast food chain sickened at least 155 people before both outbreaks fizzled.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreaks but didn't identify the restaurant chain that was implicated in food history interviews with victims. Further investigation was unable to pinpoint what type of food or ingredient caused either one of these outbreaks, but the probe is ongoing.

The Salmonella Hartford outbreak sickened 75 people in 15 states, including 32 percent who were hospitalized. The leading states in the outbreak were Kentucky (23 cases), Ohio (19 cases), and Indiana (11 cases). The outbreak peaked in early June.

The Salmonella Baildon outbreak sickened 80 people in 15 states, including 27 individuals who were hospitalized. The two leading states were Wisconsin with 22 cases and Illinois with 20 cases. The outbreak peaked in late June.

According to a joint investigation with CDC, FDA and state partners, there were no locations in the restaurant chain common to both strains of Salmonella. Neither outbreak is considered to be ongoing.

Law firm Pritzker Olsen also is investigating the two outbreaks. If you or a loved one suffered a confirmed Salmonella illness after eating at a Mexican style fast food restaurant, attorneys from our office can provide you with a free case consultation and answer any legal questions you may have about fair compensation.

A Salmonella attorney at the firm can be reached at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the online contact form on the side of this Web page. Pritzker Olsen is a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation. We represent victims of food poisoning in practically every major outbreak and our attorneys have collected millions for clients. 

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On June 17, 2010, ConAgra Foods announced a  recall of Marie Callender's Cheesy Chicken & Rice single-serve frozen entrees in connection with a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella.

This recall is still in effect because some of the orginally recalled product may remain in consumers' home freezers. The chance of illness from the recalled Cheesy Chicken & Rice entres has not changed 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 29 people in 14 states already were sick with the identical strain of Salmonella Chester when the outbreak and recall were announced. Had ConAgra been slow to heed a phone call from CDC's foodborne outbreak chief, Ian Williams, many more people would have been infected.

The latest entry in CDC's Public Health Matters Blog discusses the fact that food manufacturers aren't always quick to initiate recalls when agencies call to report the likelihood of a link between an outbreak and their product.

But in the case of the Marie Callender's Salmonella outbreak, Williams and ConAgra's global chief quality officer knew each other from food safety conferences. The recall was announced even before CDC had laboratory confirmation of the outbreak strain of Salmonella from a previously unopened box of Marie Callender's Cheesy Chicken and Rice.

As the situation exists today, there is still a chance some consumers could fall ill from the bacteria if  they pull the product  from their freezers at home, unaware of the recall. Law firm Pritzker Olsen is continuing to accept cases from this outbreak and it is not too late to file a claim depending on the circumstances.

For a free case consultation, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

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Thirty-four people in 17 states have been sickened in the MiceDirect Salmonella outbreak that came to light in the U.S. with MiceDirect's July 23 recall of frozen mice and other reptile food.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced its investigation late yesterday with results of testing on patients and with an epidemiological study that has suggested an association between the outbreak and handling of frozen mice as reptile feed.

Six percent of patients confirmed to be infected with the MiceDirect outbreak strain of Salmonella have been hospitalized, but there have been no deaths. The illnesses confirmed by CDC have onsets dating to December 2009, but the same strain of Salmonella was reported in MiceDirect customers in Britain earlier  in 2009.

Law firm Pritzker Olsen is conducting its own investigation of the outbreak and is in communication with families affected by the snake feed outbreak. To contact a Salmonella attorney for a free case consultation and answers to legal questions, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

Pritzker Olsen is a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions for our clients. The firm is actively involved in efforts to curb outbreaks of Salmonella and other human pathogens. We represent food poisoning victims in practically all major outbreaks investigated by CDC.

MiceDirect is based in Cleveland, Georgia, and its parent company is Biggers & Callaham LLC.

Recall Information: The frozen reptile feed was distributed in all states, except Hawaii, through pet stores and by mail order and direct delivery.

Frozen mice and other reptile feed was shipped in plastic bags with the following product codes M-SP100, M-P100, M-PF100, M-F100, M-H100, M-W50, M-A50, M-JA25, R-P100, R-F50, R-PUP50, R-W50, R-S50, R-M20, R-L10,R-J5, R-C5, R-M3 followed by E9, F9, G9, H9, I9, J9, K9, L9 or A10, B10, C10, D10, E10, F10, G10 and whole frozen chicks in 25 count bags. 

 The number of ill persons identified in each state with this strain is as follows: AL (1), AZ (1), CO (1), GA (7), IA (1), IL (3), MA (3), MI (1), MO (3), NC (3), NV (1), NY (2), SC (1), TN (1), VA (1), WI (3), and WY (1).

Infected individuals range in age from infant  to 57 years old and the median age is 12 years. Fifty-three percent of patients are male.  

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Sixty-five patrons of Bullock's Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, were sickened by Salmonella enteritidis believed to be present in meringue on dessert items.

That is the conclusion of an epidemiological study by the Durham County Health Department assisted by several state agencies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified similar outbreaks of Salmonella enteritidis in other locations throughout the country.

 In all the outbreaks, including the Bullock's outbreak, the food item implicated in food history surveys was commercially distributed pasteurized egg whites, sold by the same restaurant supplier, and manufactured in the same plant as the product delivered to Bullock’s Restaurant.

However, neither the CDC nor officials in North Carolina have identified the maker of the egg whites. At least in the case of the Bullock's Restaurant Salmonella outbreak, lab testing of egg whites could not directly prove that this wholesale ingredient was definitively contaminated with Salmonella.

The North Carolina Bar-B-Que Salmonella outbreak at Bullock's at 3330 Quebec Drive in Durham happened from April 20 - 24. If you or a loved one was sickened in this outbreak and have legal questions about compensation owed to you, contact law firm Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.

Our firm has years of experience with liability law pertaining to restaurants in outbreaks of foodborne illness. Restaurants have an obligation to serve safe food to you that is free of pathogens from any ingredient, piece of equipment or employee. 

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At least seven people who ate at the Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, Illnois have contracted Salmonella infections (salmonellosis), according to the Cook County Department of Public Health. The food source of the outbreak has not been determined.

Even if food arrives at a restaurant already contaminated with Salmonella or another foodborne pathogen, the restaurant is liable for any illnesses caused by the food if the restaurant serves it.

In addition, people who get Salmonella food poisoning from a restaurant have a claim against the restaurant for money damages even if the food source of the outbreak is not found. Our law firm recently represented several people who ate at a restaurant and contracted salmonellosis. The food that made them sick had been consumed and thrown away, so the food source of the outbreak could not be determined. Our lawyers still won the case.

To contact a lawyer about a Salmonella lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or submit our online form for a free consultation.

Source: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/seven-ill-from-salmonella-outbreak-at-country-club-in-glencoe.

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A woman from central Illinois who was hospitalized in the Illinois Subway restaurant outbreak has retained law firm Pritzker Olsen to represent her in Subway Salmonella litigation. 

The 52-year-old resident of Tazewell County is one of at least 97 people who have tested positive for the same strain of Salmonella Hvittingfoss in an outbreak linked to more than 40 Subway locations in 28 Illinois counties.

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The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is taking steps to prevent a secondary outbreak of Salmonella Hvittingfoss tied to Subway restaurants in 28 Illinois counties.

The health agency is now requiring Subway workers in 46 restaurants associated with the outbreak to be tested and cleared before returning to work. IDPH said in a press release that several food handlers at certain Subway restaurants in Illinois have tested positive for Salmonella Hvittingfoss.

The fear is that they will contaminate others and the outbreak will continue to spread. The demand of the health department is that infected workers have two consecutive test results that are negative for Salmonella serotype Hvittingfoss before being allowed to return to work.

The Subway Salmonella outbreak has now sickened 90 people in 28 counties, including 25 people who have been hospitalized.

Illness onsets have been reported between May 5 and June 4. Victims range in age from 2 to 79.

Case patients have reported eating at Subway restaurants located in these counties -- Bureau, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, Dekalb, DeWitt, Ford, Fulton, Henry, Knox, LaSalle, Livingston, Macon, Marshall, McLean, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Rock Island, Sangamon, Schuyler, Shelby, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren, Will and Winnebago.

Law firm Pritzker Olsen has been in direct contact with victims of this outbreak and is accepting cases at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). You may also contact our firm using the contact form on the right side of this Web page. We will provide you with a free case consultation and answer your questions about Illinois Subway Salmonella litigation.

Our firm currently  represents an Illinois woman in a lawsuit against Subway over food poisoning she suffered after eating a veggie sandwich at the Subway restaurant in Lombard, Illinois. She couldn't eat for days and missed two weeks of work.

Our firm routinely represents consumers in Salmonella, E. coli, Shigella, and other foodborne illnesses cases against large multi-national food and restaurant companies. Over the years we have collected millions for our clients and we are involved in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness.

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 More evidence of a multi-state Marie Callender's Salmonella outbreak has been uncovered by the Minnesota Department of Health.

The agency reported finding Salmonella Chester in a previously unopened Marie Callender's frozen meal from the home of a case patient. That patient is one of at least two people sickened in Minnesota as part of the outbreak. The bacteria is being tested to see if it matches the outbreak strain.

Pritzker Olsen law firm is closely following the research and conducting its own investigation. If you or a loved one has suffered diarrhea and stomach cramps after eating a Marie Callender's frozen meal, contact a physician immediately and ask for a stool culture to be taken.

For answers to legal questions about possible compensation, call Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the online contact form on the right side of this Web page. We are seeking direct contact with victims of this outbreak -- which is likely to grow beyond its current status of 30 illnesses in 15 states.

Our firm is a national leader in foodborne illness litigation and we are involved on the side of victims in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness, recovering millions for survivors of food poisoning.

Marie Callender's Recall Information

ConAgra Foods, which has operations in Council Bluffs, Iowa, has announced a nationwide recall of Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice single-serve frozen entrees. All packages, regardless of date, are covered by the recall. The company said the Marie Callender's recall was announced in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigation of the Salmonella Chester outbreak.

Marie Callender's Salmonella Chester Investigation

 According to the CDC, the number of ill people identified in each state with this strain is as follows: CA (4), CO (2), GA (6), IL (1), KY (1), MA (2), MN (2), MO (1), NC (1), OK (1), OR (2), SC (2), TN (1), UT (1), and VA (3).

Case patients range in age from less than 1 to 88 with a median age of 37. Among 15 victims with available information, six were hospitalized. Illnesses began between April 5 and May 29, but could still be occurring.

Food history interviews were conducted with 14 ill and 21 well persons. Among the ill, 86 percent reported eating a frozen meal and 100 percent who reported eating a frozen meal said it was a Marie Callender's frozen meal. "Preliminary analysis of this study suggests eating a Marie Callender’s frozen meal as a possible source of illness.''

This map show the number of known cases per state. CDC and state and local public health partners are continuing surveillance to identify new cases and identify the contaminated product or products that are causing illness.

A ConAgra spokeswoman told CIDRAP News that many meal components, including chicken, are pre-cooked during the manufacturing process. But others are not, including vegetables. Consumers are reminded by this outbreak to thoroughly cook all frozen meals purchased in grocery stores.

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Knox County, Illinois, has a Subway restaurant in Abingdon that state health officials have associated with two illnesses in the Illinois Subway Salmonella outbreak.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has confirmed a total of 75 people have been sickened in 23 counties, many of whom have gone to the hospital.

Law firm Pritzker Olsen is currently in direct communication with victims of this outbreak and is conducting its own investigation to prepare for possible Subway Salmonella litigation in Illinois courts.

Our firm has a food poisoning lawsuit on file against Subway in Illinois state court on behalf of a woman from DuPage County who was recently sickened by a veggie sandwich she ate from the Subway on East Roosevelt Road in Lombard, Illinois.

We are accepting additional cases from the latest Subway outbreak in Illinois. To receive a free consultation with a lawyer at our firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the far right hand side of this Web page.

Pritzker Olsen is a leading national practitioner of foodborne illness litigation involved in practically every major outbreak of Salmonella, E. coli, Shigella, Campylobacter and other foodborne pathogens. Over the years we have collected millions for our clients, many of who were sickened by contaminated food at restaurant chains.

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The central and downstate Illinois Salmonella outbreak associated with Subway restaurants has grown from 34 to 48 cases.

Today's update on the Subway Salmonella outbreak came from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The agency said 17 outbreak victims have been hospitalized with infections of a rare Salmonella strain known as Hvittingfoss.

The outbreak involves people who reported eating at Subway locations in 18 Illinois counties. The grouping includes Bureau, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles, Fulton, LaSalle, Macon, Marshall, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Sangamon, Schuyler, Shelby, Tazewell, Warren, and Will.

Illnesses are reported to have started between May 11 and May 25 and cases range in age from three to 88-years-old. So far, a specific food source has not been identified as the source, but epidemiologists found a strong correlation between illness and eating at Subways in certain Illinois counties..

Outbreak victims looking for legal help are urged to call a Salmonella lawyer at Pritzker Olsen by dialing 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. We currently are accepting cases from this outbreak.

Pritzker Olsen is a national leader in foodborne Illness litigation and we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning. Earlier this year we filed a Subway foodpoisoning lawsuit on behalf of a woman who was treated for Salmonella infection after eating at the Subway in Lombard, Illinois. 

We are involved as an advocate for victims in nearly every major food poisoning outbreak.

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A Salmonella outbreak associated with Caldwell Fresh Foods alfalfa sprouts has so far sickened 20 in 10 states and hospitalized four, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced.

Caldwell Fresh Foods has recalled the following products, which include two other brand names:

• Caldwell Fresh Foods - 4-ounce plastic cups and one pound plastic bags, and 2-pound and 5 pound plastic bags in cardboard boxes with sticker affixed with the printed words Caldwell Fresh Foods.
• Nature's Choice - 4-ounce plastic cups
• California Exotics brands - 5-ounce plastic clamshell containers
• SOLD AT: Various delis and retailers nationwide. In California, locations include: Kings Super Market, Numero Uno Stores, Cárdenas Markets, Trader Joe's Stores, Gonzalez Northgate Markets, Wal-Mart stores Jons Markets, and Canton Foods

Sprouts Contaminated with Salmonella

Sprouted seeds, typically from plants like alfalfa or mung beans, are grown in moist, warm environments where harmful pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli can thrive. In fact, Salmonella outbreaks in the past have been associated with sprouts.

The risk of contamination for sprouts can be so high, in fact, that according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):

"The FDA currently advises all consumers to cook sprouts before eating them. And it recommends that the young, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems should not eat sprouts."

The food safety lawyers at Pritzker Olsen law firm have represented victims of Salmonella food poisoning from many types of foods, including peanut butter and pepper. Anyone who suspects they may be sick with salmonella food poisoning should see a doctor immediately and be tested for the pathogen.

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