Investigation of E. coli Outbreak Linked to Spinach
Federal and state health and agriculture officials are looking at all possible sources of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has sickened over 100 people and has killed at least one. We have knowledge of at least 2 other people who may have died as a result of this outbreak.
According to a story in the New York Times:
The cause of the outbreak is still not clear. It could be irrigation water . . . or it could be a processing problem in a factory. In the humid environment of a sealed bag of spinach or salad mix, E. coli can multiply rapidly if the bag is allowed to get too warm, [according to Dr. David Acheson, the chief medical officer with the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition].Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, P.A., is one of the few in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation, including E. coli lawsuits. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of E. coli O157:H7 and other foodborne outbreaks. The firm has a national food poisoning lawsuit practice and represents clients throughout the United States. To contact Fred Pritzker, call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900, e-mail fhp@pritzkerlaw.com, or fill out our online consultation form.Some processors expose spinach to chlorine to kill E. coli, which can kill the bacteria on the leaf surface. But if the bacteria are in irrigation water they can enter the plant, and the chlorine will not reach them, Dr. Acheson said.
Natural Selection Foods LLC, the country's largest grower of organic produce, was cited as saying late Sunday that its work with federal and state heath inspectors confirmed that the contamination did not come from its organic spinach because manufacturing codes from packages of spinach that infected patients turned over to health officials all were from non-organic spinach.
The Food and Drug Administration and California Department of Health Services planned Monday to work toward tracing the infected greens to individual farms. The inquiry will review irrigation methods, harvest conditions and other practices at farms possibly involved.
Source: Spinach recalls expand in USA, New York Times, September 18, 2006.
