Potato Salad Food Poisoning
Pritzker | Ruohonen is a leader in the area of food poisoning lawsuits. As part of the food safety community, we alert consumers to food poisoning news. In the last few weeks, potato salad has surfaced as a potential safety risk. On June 30 the FDA announced the recall of Shernoff's Potato Salad due to possible Listeria contamination. Earlier in June, a food poisoning outbreak in Bowling Green, Ohio, sickened 100 people. Health officials are looking at contaminated potato salad as the likely source. Nick & Jimmy's Bar and Grill of Toledo, Ohio, had provided the potato salad at a catered event.
With potato salad being recalled and linked to food poisoning in the last few weeks, we looked at CDC foodborne outbreak statistics from 2000-2004 (CDC 2005 statistics will not be out until December 2006 or later) to find information about past foodborne outbreaks linked to potato salad. We found that potato salad has been the source of 17 food poisoning outbreaks involving several different foodborne pathogens.
Potato Salad Food Poisoning Outbreaks 2000:
- Salmonella
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Norovirus
Potato Salad Food Poisoning Outbreaks 2001:
- Campylobacter jejuni (2 outbreaks)
- Salmonella (3 outbreaks)
- Shigella sonnei
Potato Salad Food Poisoning Outbreaks 2002:
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Clostridium perfringens
- Norovirus
Potato Salad Food Poisoning Outbreaks 2003:
- E. coli
- Salmonella
- Norovirus
Potato Salad Food Poisoning Outbreaks 2004:
- Salmonella
- Norovirus
It is usually the eggs in the potato salad that are the source of the foodborne pathogen. Potato salad could also be contaminated with a foodborne pathogen by a sick food handler (the suspected cause of contamination at Nick & Jimmy's) or by contact with raw meat or another contaminated food. In the case of Shernoff's Potato Salad, it could have been Listeria in the manufacturing room. Listeria can hide in drain pipes and other areas.
To contact Pritzker | Ruohonen, a leading food poisoning litigation law firm, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900, e-mail fhp@pritzkerlaw.com or fill out the online, attorney-consultation form. Read about Listeria lawyer Fred Pritzker on the Pritzker | Ruohonen website, www.pritzkerlaw.com.