Hannaford Ground Beef Outbreak Raises Food Safety Record Keeping Issue
The Northeast Salmonella outbreak associated with Hannaford supermarket ground beef has raised an old issue with federal meat investigators. The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) notes in its five-state Hannaford recall notice that the probe of where the problem started has been impeded by "limited'' meat grinding records at Hannaford.
.jpg)
Retailers are not currently required to maintain detailed grinding logs that would show what beef cuts and trim go into each batch of store-made hamburger. The Hannaford Salmonella recall notice makes a reference to the issue and notes that FSIS is "pursuing rulemaking to address the concern.'' Detailed logs stating the identities of raw beef suppliers are needed for tracebacks to the original source of contamination to stop recurring outbreaks and expand recalls to protect as many consumers as possible.
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys supports the additional regulation and is currently investigating the Hannaford outbreak in Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and New York. At least seven people have been hospitalized and seven more have confirmed illnesses all caused by infections of Salmonella Typhimurium, a bacteria that is resistant to some types of antibiotics. If you or a loved one has been injured in this outbreak, call an experienced foodborne illness lawyer who understands the complexities of infectious disease and who is liable for them when the agent of illness is ground beef sold by a multi-state supermarket chain.
Contact a Pritzker Salmonella lawyer for a free case consultation at 1-888-377-8900. You owe us nothing until we win your case.
