Food Poisoning Law Blog

In 2008, large-scale corporate farms and centralized production facilities continued to play a major role in America's E. coli problem.

But by far the largest E. coli outbreak of the year was centered at a lone family restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma.

The Country Cottage Restaurant outbreak started August. 15. By the time it was over, 341 people were sickened with E. coli O111 infections, 72 persons were hospitalized and one 26-year-old man, a gospel singer, was dead.

Fred Pritzker, a Minneapolis lawyer whose law firm is nationally recognized in the area of foodborne illness litigation, said that when taken all together, 2008 was a year in which America's deadly E. coli threat showed no signs of slowing down from a dangerous pace set in 2007.

Pritzker said the variety and number of serious outbreaks was due in large part to a failure of regulation. He also said it's easy to gloss over the problem if you don't see the individual suffering inflicted during and long after outbreaks.

"The agony and the suffering of these individuals is dramatic and significant,'' he said.

With hope for greater food safety in 2009, here's a listing by Pritzker Law of five major E. coli outbreaks in 2008: 

• Country Cottage Restaurant. The outbreak was linked in August to contamination by E. coli O111. A total of 341 outbreak-related cases were reported, 56 cases were in children, 72 persons were hospitalized and one died. The restaurant was shut down and reopened in late November under an agreement with health officials. While no single food item was found to be the source, officials believe several different foods became contaminated with the bacteria.
• Nebraska Beef Ltd. In late June, the Omaha company recalled 5.3 million pounds of trimmings for ground beef. Health officials linked the product to 49 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in seven states. About a month later, the same slaughterhouse recalled another 1.2 million pounds of meat linked to 31 confirmed E. coli O157:H7 cases in 12 states. Much of the recalled meat was supplied through the Kroger grocery chain, but the tainted beef also turned up elsewhere. At the Barbecue Pit in Moultrie, Georgia, there were at least eight confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7. In four of those illnesses, victims suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication that can lead to kidney failure.
• Goshen Boy Scout Reservation. Health officials this summer confirmed 25 cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection among attendees at a Boy Scout camp in Goshen, Virginia. The cases were matched through molecular fingerprinting and linked to frozen ground beef from California-based S&S Foods. S&S recalled about 153,630 pounds of ground beef products.
• Aunt Mid's Iceberg Lettuce. Michigan officials confirmed that bagged iceberg lettuce was the common source of illness in a September-October outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections that included 38 cases in Michigan, nine in Illinois and three in Ontario. At least 21 of those who were sickened spent time in the hospital. The outbreak strain of E. coli was never found at Aunt Mid's processing plant and investigators could never say if the lettuce became contaminated at the plant or in California, where it was grown. Aunt Mid's lettuce was associated with E. coli infections at the Lenawee County Jail, two Illinois restaurants and Michigan State University.
• Vermont Ground Beef. In September,Vermont Livestock Slaughter and Processing Co. in Ferrisburg, Vermont, recalled 2,758 pounds of ground beef products that had been distributed to restaurants in the state. The recall was prompted by an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. At least 10 people were sickened, including one who was hospitalized. An investigation by state and federal health officials found that the recalled beef may have caused the illnesses.

Pritzker Law & Associates, P.A. is one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of E. coli poisoning and other foodborne illnesses. For more information, visit http://www.pritzkerlaw.com or contact Fred Pritzker at (612) 338-0202. Pritzker Law has offices at Plaza VII, Suite 2950, 45 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402