CDC Declares Chicken Liver Salmonella Outbreak Over
After sickening 190 people in six states, the Salmonella outbreak linked to kosher broiled chicken livers from Schreiber Processing Corp. is over, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The outbreak, which peaked during the summer, stemmed from labeling confusion. The packaging described the product as "kosher broiled chicken livers," but the product was not ready-to-eat and required further cooking before eating.
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.
Among 39 ill persons for whom information is available, 28 (72%) 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 SalmonellaHeidelberg in samples of “kosher broiled chicken livers” and chopped liver products obtained from retail stores.
On November 8, 2011, Schreiber Processing Corporation, of Maspeth, N.Y., York, announced a recall of an undetermined amount of “kosher broiled chicken liver” products. The products were sold at retail stores and may have been used as ingredients in other prepared foods.
The outbreak hit New York the hardest with 109 people falling ill after eating the tainted livers. Illnesses in other states were as follows: New Jersey (62), Pennsylvania (10), Maryland (6), Ohio (2), and Minnesota (1).
Among persons for whom information is available in in these states, those sickened ranged in age from <1 to 97 years with a median age of 14 years. Forty-nine percent were female. Among the 154 ill persons with available information, 30 (19%) were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.
Salmonella poisoning, or salmonellosis, can have long-term effects including reactive arthritis which can cause heart complications or problems in the eyes, bones, or joints.
If you have legal questions about an illness or hospitalization associated with this outbreak, contact the foodborne illness lawyers at PritzkerOlsen P. A. for a free consultation.
