Filberts E. coli Outbreak Probe Continues
E. coli investigators assigned to the filberts E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan will continue their probe this week, trying among other things to find where and how in the supply chain the in-shell hazelnuts became contaminated.
An official from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that part of the effort will be in Oregon, where the filberts are believe to have been harvested. Oregon grows more than 95 percent of the U.S. supply of hazelnuts. The nuts are gathered from the ground after they fall from trees that are 50 to 60 feet tall. It's possible the bacteria contamination occurred at that point, but the handling of the produce in packing, storage and distributions also will be probed.
In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be looking closely at PulseNet, the CDC's surveillance network for outbreaks. The system can match the genetic fingerprints of human pathogens that come from the same source. Doctors' offices around the country are required in many states to send E. coli samples and other pathogen samples to state labs for molecular subtyping. So far, the CDC has said there have been seven people infected by the same strain of E. coli O157:H7: One in Michigan and three each in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Forty-three percent have been hospitalized.
Hazelnut E. coli Recall
Meanwhile, retailers and consumers remain under warning not to sell or eat in-shell hazelnuts and mixed nuts containing hazelnuts distributed by D. DeFranco and Sons of Los Angeles, California. Six of the seven victims of the outbreak reported buying filberts from bulk bins in grocery stores, but the recall also involves Cello-bag packages of Sunripe brand hazelnuts with a sell-by date of June 30, 2011.
DeFranco recalled all hazelnut and mixed nut products distributed from November 2, 2010, to December 22, 2010. Recalled product was shipped to stores in Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Recalled products would have been purchased after November 2, 2010. Important to this recall, because of the bulk sales, is a list of retail stores that received potentially contaminated hazelnuts. National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen has compiled the complete hazelnut stores list on its website, obtained from the Minnesota Department of Health.
E. coli attorneys at PritzkerOlsen are accepting cases from this outbreak at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or a lawyer will call you immediately to follow up on a contact form that you submit online. Our firm is one of the very few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. We have collected tens of millions of dollars for E. coli victims all around the country, operating from our main office in Minneapolis. PritzkerOlsen also is actively engaged in various efforts to stop food poisoning by keeping dangerous pathogens out of our food supply.
