179 Confirmed Cases of Salmonella Heidelberg Linked to Chicken Livers and Chopped Liver in NY, NJ, PA, MD, OH and MN
From April 1 to November 16, 2011, a total of 179 illnesses due to Salmonella Heidelberg with the same PFGE pattern were reported in states where Schreiber Processing Company “kosher broiled chicken livers” were distributed: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Florida. With the chicken liver products, Schreiber Processing Corporation was doing business as Alle Processing Corporation/ MealMart Company. Some of the meat was distributed to retailers under the MealMart brand.
People contracted Salmonella Heidelberg after eating the chicken livers or chopped liver made from the chicken livers. Some people were sickened after eating the product at home, and others, at grocery stores or other locations. In all cases, victims have a claim against Schreiber Processing for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering compensation, and other damages.
The number of people who contracted Salmonella Heidelberg from chicken livers as follows: New York (99), New Jersey (61), Pennsylvania (10), Maryland (6), Ohio (2), and Minnesota (1). Among persons for whom information is available in in these states, ill persons range in age from <1 to 97 years with a median age of 13 years. Forty-nine percent are female. Among the 126 ill persons with available information, 25 (20%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
Salmonella Heidelberg Outbreak Investigation
Epidemiologic and laboratory investigations conducted by officials in local, state, and federal public health, agriculture, and regulatory agencies linked this outbreak to eating “kosher broiled chicken livers” from Schreiber Processing Corporation (doing business as Alle Processing Corporation/MealMart Company), and chopped chicken liver prepared from this product. These “kosher broiled chicken livers” are sold at retail stores and may be used as an ingredient in other prepared foods. These products appear to be ready-to-eat, but are in fact partially cooked, and therefore need to be fully cooked before eating. Consumers may have incorrectly thought the use of the word “broiled” in the label meant the chicken liver was ready-to-eat; however, these chicken livers must be fully cooked before eating.
Among 37 ill persons for whom information is available, 25 (68%) reported consuming chicken liver products in the week before their illness began. Laboratory testing conducted by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Laboratory Division identified the outbreak strain of Salmonella Heidelberg in samples of “kosher broiled chicken livers” and chopped liver products obtained from retail stores. In addition, New York City health officials found the outbreak strain was found in “kosher broiled chicken liver” products.
