Health Law

Illinois foodpoisoning linked to Subway . . . again

By Drew Falkenstein

Subway.  Foodpoisoning.  Illinois.  Again.  It seems like we were just talking about a major foodpoisoning outbreak linked to a Subway restaurant in Illinois.  Today, the Illinois Department of Public Health issued a press release stating that it is investigating at least 34 different Salmonella illnesses in 14 different counties.  Notably, the Department's press release states that Subway, who has been cooperative thus far, "has voluntarily withdrawn all lettuce, green peppers, red onion and tomatoes, from the suspected dates from its restaurants and has replaced the product with new, fresh produce."

Another produce outbreak underway?  The distribution of outbreak cases, not to mention recent lettuce recalls and other events, certainly make it seem so. 

Residents of Illinois, and the Subway restaurants that they frequent, have had a rough year when it comes to major foodpoisoning outbreaks.  On March 4, 2010, a Subway restaurant in Lombard, Illinois closed in the midst of a large Shigella outbreak that ultimately caused at least 125 confirmed illnesses, and likely hundreds of other illnesses.  The restaurant remained closed for over a month during the Dupage County health department's investigation.  The results of Dupage County's investigation have not yet been disclosed, but it is widely suspected that cross-contamination by ill employees was a cause of the outbreak. 

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on June 03, 2010 (boomark / email).