Schnucks E. coli Outbreak: Possible Cross Contamination in Salad Bar Could Make Pinpointing Exact Food Source Difficult
A Missouri E. coli outbreak has been linked to Schnucks salad bars in the St. Louis area. The epidemiological evidence gathered to date is sufficient to form the basis of a lawsuit against Schnucks for E. coli poisoning and its complications, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), but for food safety purposes, it would be advantageous to determine what food product was the initial source of the contamination.
Through interviews with over two dozen victims, officials from the St . Louis County Health Department have learned that most of them ate something from a Schnucks salad bar. However, cross contamination issues will pose a challenge in determining which ingredient was the initial food source of the outbreak. What can happen is that a food product contaminated with E. coli bacteria can come into contact with a different food product, resulting in contamination of that product. For example, someone may inadvertently drop a piece of lettuce, in a bin of another kind of produce, or someone may use the same tongs for two different kinds of produce. This means one victim of this outbreak could have been sickened by one product from a Schnucks salad bar and another person could have been sickened by a different product. Because the illnesses were spread out over the St. Louis area in several counties, even with cross contamination issues, there should be enough evidence to determine the statistically likely food product that was the initial cause of the outbreak. Time will tell.
Schnucks said in a statement yesterday that while it has not been identified as the source of the outbreak, it has removed “all items in question from salad bars across the company including Logli and Hilander stores in Rockford, Ill.” The company also stated that as of October 31, no tests taken from Schnucks stores have come back positive for E. coli. This is not surprising because the incubation period for E. coli is several days, and salad bar ingredients are perishable.
St. Louis residents experiencing symptoms of E. coli poisoning should seek medical help immediately.Those with legal questions about and illness or hospitalization associated with this St. Louis E. coli outbreak should contact the experienced team of foodborne illness lawyers at PritzkerOslen P.A. Free case consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or submit our free consultation form and a lawyer will call.
