Health Law

E. coli bologna outbreak not Palmyra's first rodeo

By Marler Clark

The E. coli O157:H7 bologna outbreak linked to Palmyra Bologna Company's bologna products is not the first outbreak associated with the company's products.  Thanks to quick research at www.outbreakdatabase.com, Palmyra bologna caused a Salmonella outbreak in 1995.  Here are the details.

In 1995, an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium occurred in south central Pennsylvania and was linked to the consumption of Lebanon bologna. The Lebanon bologna was produced by The Palmyra Bologna Co. and had been distributed nationwide. Lebanon bologna was named after Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, and is a semi-dry, fermented sausage that is made from raw beef. Since the product is not heat treated to temperatures that would kill Salmonella in the raw meat, the producer must follow a combination of process controls to ensure that the product is safe to eat. Poor record keeping prevented an evaluation of this manufacturer's processes.

Details about the recall:

The current bologna outbreak has prompted a recall of about 23,000 pounds of potentially E. coli contaminated bologna. The products subject to recall in packaging for consumers include:

• 6-ounce packages of "SELTZER'S BEEF LEBANON BOLOGNA" with lot code "01351" and best-by date of "Apr. 20 2011" printed on the package.
• 12-ounce packages of "SELTZER'S BEEF LEBANON BOLOGNA" with lot code "01351" and best-by dates of "Apr. 20 2011" or "Apr. 21 2011" printed on the package.
• 16-ounce packages of "SELTZER'S BEEF LEBANON BOLOGNA" with lot code "01351" and best-by date of "Apr. 22 2011" printed on the package.

Each package bears a label with establishment number "EST. 474" inside the USDA mark of inspection, in addition to lot code "01351" and the best-by date as noted above. The products subject to recall were produced in December 2010 and were sent to distribution centers in Calif., Colo., Md., N.Y. and Pa. for further distribution to retail stores.

The products subject to recall in packaging for retailers include:

• Whole chub packages of "SELTZER'S BEEF LEBANON BOLOGNA" with lot codes "01351" or "06337" and best-by date of "Feb. 14 2011," "Feb. 15 2011," "Feb. 16 2011," or "Feb. 28 2011" printed on the package.
• Half chub packages of "SELTZER'S BEEF LEBANON BOLOGNA" with lot codes "01351" or "06337" and best-by date of "Apr. 6 2011," "Apr. 7 2011," "Apr. 16 2011," or "Apr. 19 2011," printed on the package.
• 12-pound bulk boxes of sliced "SELTZER'S BEEF LEBANON BOLOGNA" with lot code "01351" and best-by date of "Apr. 21 2011" printed on the package.

Each package bears a label with establishment number "EST. 474" inside the USDA mark of inspection, in addition to either lot code "06337" or "01351." They were sold to retailers and may have been further sliced and repackaged at retail. The products subject to recall were produced in December 2010 and were sent to distribution centers in Calif., Colo., Md., N.Y. and Pa. for further distribution to retail stores.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on March 23, 2011 (boomark / email).