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Food Poisoning Law Blog 
Covers news, issues and developments in food safety law.
Post Frequency: 1.9/day Last Entry: November 15, 2009 at 09:12:07 Recent Entries: 557
By Pritzker, Ruohonen & Associates
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Ohio Kale Listeria Warning Issued After Positive Test
Posted on November 15, 2009Kale from a farm in Oxnard, California, tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes when examined by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, prompting the state to issue a health advisory for consumers to avoid a certain batch of the leafy greens. The potentially contaminated Kale in question comes in 10-ounce bags of branded "Cut n'Clean Greens" from San Miguel Produce Inc...
Research on Long-Term Effects of E. coli HUS
Posted on November 14, 2009When a person is victimized by E. coli HUS food poisoning, the acute phase of disease is normally highlighted by about seven days of extremely painful diarrhea, which turns bloody in 80 percent of cases. This symptom is severe enough in many cases to require hospitalization, with patients often treated for dehydration...
Ground Beef E coli Outbreak from California to Maine
Posted on November 03, 2009The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that a total of 28 people in 12 states have been sickened by the same strains of E. coli O157:H7 in a ground beef outbreak associated with hamburger meat from Fairbank Farms in Ashville, N...
New England Ground Beef E coli Outbreak and Recall
Posted on October 31, 2009A cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut have been associated with fresh ground beef made in New York and sold in meat cases at Trader Joes, Price Chopper, Shaw's, BJ's, Ford Brothers and Giant stores...
E. coli Probed at Sponsel's MN Harvest Petting Zoo
Posted on October 30, 2009In petting zoo E. coli outbreaks, the primary mode of transmission is from feces of an animal to the mouth of the person by unconscious hand-to-mouth contact. That's because animal fur, skin, saliva and living areas can become contaminated with fecal germs...
Supplier Of E. coli Ground Beef Announces Recall
Posted on October 27, 2009The Centers for Disease Control has associated the Lincoln Middle School E. coli outbreak in Rhode Island with contaminated ground beef served at Camp Bournedale during a school trip. The camp and meat supplier, South Shore Meats Inc., are both located in Massachusetts...
Petting Zoo Ecoli HUS Strikes Minnesota Boy, Age 3
Posted on October 24, 2009A 3-year-old boy who was sickened by an E. coli O157:H7 infection after visiting an apple orchard and petting zoo in the greater area of Minneapolis-St. Paul has been released from the hospital after being treated for a life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS...
Hamburger Caused Lincoln School E coli Outbreak
Posted on October 24, 2009The Lincoln Middle School E. coli outbreak at Camp Bournedale in Plymouth, Massachusetts, was caused by contaminated ground beef that was not cooked properly for a meal of hamburgers. That's what camp owner and director Arnie Gerson told news reporter Rich Harbert after state and federal health officials finished their investigation of what food sickened a group of sixth graders who were on a three-day visit from Lincoln, Rhode Island, earlier this month...
Texas E. coli beef recall by Culebra Meat Market
Posted on October 22, 2009A commercial meat market in San Antonio, Texas, is recalling 4,000 pound of beef cuts that could be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The recalled meat from Culebra Meat Market was distributed earlier this month to restaurants around San Antonio and to at least one of the company's retail stores...
Lincoln Middle School E coli Outbreak Rhode Island
Posted on October 22, 2009The USDA, CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health are investigating what food may have caused the Lincoln Middle School E. coli outbreak during a school trip to Camp Bournedale in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Fifteen students who attended the camp October 13-16 reported getting diarrhea -- a prime symptom of E...
Botulism Fears Prompt Baby Food Recall
Posted on October 21, 2009Plum Organics, a California maker of baby food, is recalling a batch of Apple & Carrot Portable Pouch products because there is a risk of contamination from the bacteria clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism. The recall covers 4.22-ounce containers of the food, which were sold nationally at Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us retail stores...
Cargill Is Second Meatpacker to Recall Beef Tongues
Posted on October 18, 2009Cargill Corp. is the second meatpacking company in a week to recall beef tongues that may not have had tonsils completely removed. The recall announcement by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is Class II, meaning it's a health hazard situation where there's only a remote possibility of adverse health consequences...
Vatrans Sausage Recalled Sold Without Inspection
Posted on October 17, 2009A food company from Tracy, California, sold 11,500 pounds of various sausage combinations without ever having the meat inspected. Now the USDA has announced a recall of the meat, some of which was sold last spring. The sausage from Vatran's Fine Foods Inc...
Meatpacker Recalls 16 Tons of Beef Tongues
Posted on October 16, 2009Omaha meatpacker J.F. O'Neill Packing Co. is recalling 33,000 pounds of beef tongues packed between July 1 and October 8. The tongues may not have had tonsils completely removed, which is not compliant with USDA regulations that require their removal...
Listeria Sandwich Maker Fisher Rex May Have Closed
Posted on October 15, 2009A family owned sandwich maker from Raleigh, North Carolina, has stopped production and may have shut down -- at least temporarily -- in the wake of a Listeria monocytogenes finding by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Fisher Rex Sandwich Co...
New York Senator Calls for 'E. coli Eradication Act'
Posted on October 14, 2009You can add U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York to the list of federally elected officials who are gung-ho about reforming America's faltering food safety system -- a system that we here at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys have been decrying for years as we represent victim after victim of food poisoning...
Company Recalls Michigan Salmonella Sprouts
Posted on October 14, 2009A food company based in Ionia, Michigan, has pulled its sprouts from the market in response to the state's investigation of a sprouts Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least twelve people. Lansing television station WLNS is reporting that Living Foods Inc...
Listeria Prompts Recall of Baking Classics Nuts
Posted on October 12, 2009The Elgin, Illinois, company that makes Baking Classics brand nuts is recalling two products over concerns they could possibly be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. In a news release, John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc. said no illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalls of 2-ounce bags of Baking Classics brand Mr...
MI Sprouts Salmonella Outbreak Hits in 7 Counties
Posted on October 10, 2009Two Michigan residents have been hospitalized and 10 others sickened in a MI Salmonella Sprouts outbreak that has prompted a public health warning. State and local health and agriculture officials are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine the precise source of the sprouts Salmonellosis outbreak...
WI Raw Milk Outbreak Could Lead to Criminal Charges
Posted on September 30, 2009State and county officials in Wisconsin are considering whether criminal charges should be filed against a family farm in Elkhorn that sold raw milk associated with a Wisconsin raw milk Campylobacter outbreak. Walworth County Assistant District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld told the Janesville Gazette newspaper that it's a crime in Wisconsin to sell raw milk...
Research Discovers How Listeria Travels Cell to Cell
Posted on September 28, 2009Researchers from Canada, the United States and Germany have learned howListeria monocytogenes spreads inside a person's body -- a discovery they hope will inform new approaches to keep the foodborne pathogen in check. According to Exchangemagazine.com, University of Toronto professor Scott Gray-Owen led a team of scientists from his own university, the University of Central Florida and the University of Wurzburg, Germany...
Family Acted Quickly in Memphis BBQ Salmonella
Posted on September 26, 2009When an outbreak of Salmonella hit the Harston Family Reunion this summer in Memphis, Tennessee, organizers Toby and Shandalin Taylor called Fred Pritzker, founder and president of national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen attorneys...
Food Poisoning Lawyer Shares Expert Opinions
Posted on September 23, 2009Top executives from U.S. produce companies gathered at separate conventions this summer in Monterey, California, and Austin, Texas, to hear PritzkerOlsen principal Elliot Olsen tell them how an outbreak of foodborne illness can put a company out of business in 24 hours...
Report: School Lunch Food Poison Recalls Ineffective
Posted on September 22, 2009After 40 years of administering the nation's school lunch program, you would think the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service would have a streamlined, fail-proof, highly technological and effective system for recalling potentially contaminated food items it provides for 31 million school children across the country...
35 Sick in WI Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak
Posted on September 16, 2009A Wisconsin Campylobacter raw milk outbreak that hospitalized one person and sickened 34 others was caused by contaminated raw milk sold under a cow share program by Zinniker Family Farm of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. That's what the Food Safety Division of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection reported today in a news release...
Shredded Lettuce Salmonella Outbreak Suspected
Posted on September 14, 2009A Salmonella outbreak that may have been caused by shredded lettuce sickened at least 124 people nationwide, but the outbreak has subsided and investigators may never pinpoint the cause. That is the report out of Oregon today in a story produced by reporter Lynne Terry of The Oregonian...
Alas, Another Peanut Product Salmonella Recall
Posted on September 12, 2009Just when you thought the world was safe from contaminated peanuts, a Michigan candy maker has thrown another log on the peanut product Salmonella recall and outbreak fire that started almost one year ago with the first traces of matching illnesses later linked to Peanut Corporation of America...
Burrito Listeria Recall in Butcher Boy brand
Posted on September 12, 2009A ton of individually wrapped burritos -- none of which have individual package coding -- are under Listeria recall by a California food company after the product was shipped to a Minnesota warehouse for further distribution. The burrito recall, announced Friday, was spurred by the company's own finding of Listeria monocytogenes -- a potentially deadly bacterium in a batch of "Butcher Boy Red Chile Beef and Been Burritos'' made August 3 at the Riverside, California, plant of Windsor Foods...
Two Tri Cities Child E. coli Cases Investigated
Posted on September 11, 2009Health officials in the Tri Cities area of northeast Tennessee are investigating the cause of two life-threatening child E. coli cases in the past month. Both children are being treated at Johnson City Medical Center, where one is in pediatric intensive care and another was scheduled late this week to receive a blood transfusion...
Canned Soup Recalled for Underprocessing
Posted on September 09, 2009Bay Valley Foods LLC of Pittsburgh is recalling 6,490 pounds of Stater Bros. brand "Chunky Grilled Steak with Vegetables" soup after the company discovered it was possibly underprocessed when made last November. The soup recall, announced by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), is categorized as carrying a high health risk...
E. coli Cookie Dough: "Old Bacteria In A New Place"
Posted on September 09, 2009Two experienced microbiologists who work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say they were as surprised as anyone to find E. coli O157:H7 in Nestle cookie dough this year. Writing in a new Public Health Matters blog for the CDC, Gerry Gomez and Mike Humphrys said the lab work they did at the CDC was examined in conjunction with similar work by 13 public health laboratories around the country...
Listeria Prompts Recall of Kids' Meal Kits
Posted on September 03, 2009A finding of Listeria monocytogenes in kids' ready-to-eat meal kits has prompted the recall of certain Dinolunch and Lunch Buddies brand food packages. The recall affects 39,514 pounds of product made by Big Boy Food Group of Warren, Michigan. The positive test for Listeria was made by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service...
Eggo Waffle Recall Due to Positive Listeria Test
Posted on September 03, 2009Kellogg Company has temporarily shut down a frozen foods plant in Atlanta after the Georgia Department of Health detected Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of buttermilk Eggo waffles at the plant. While no illnesses have been reported, the company recalled certain packs of Eggo Cinnamon Toast waffles (10 count) and Eggo Toaster Swirlz Cinnamon Roll Minis (eight count)...
Mi Ranchito Carbonic Acid Poison Closes Restaurant
Posted on September 02, 2009Managers of a Mexican style restaurant in Lenexa, Kansas, are blaming a sudden outbreak of food poisoning illness among its customers to a backflow problem with the restaurant's soda machine. The restaurant, Mi Ranchito, is closed under an emergency license suspension, by health officials...
Salmonella Cantaloupe Recall by Melon Acres
Posted on August 30, 2009An Indiana melon grower has recalled 27 bins of cantaloupe after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found Salmonella in a sample batch. The melons were shipped through Farm-Wey Produce of Lakeland, Florida, to Aldi's in Greenwood, Indiana; and Meijer stores in Lansing, Michigan; Newport, Michigan and Tipp City, Ohio...
WI Raw Milk Outbreak: Campylobacter Flashback
Posted on August 29, 2009Wisconsin's last big Campylobacter outbreak caused by raw milk occurred in 2001 and warranted special attention from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the current WI raw milk outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni, officials are investigating where the unpasteurized milk came from that sickened at least 13 people...
Wisconsin Campylobacter Outbreak Due to Raw Milk
Posted on August 29, 2009The state of Wisconsin is investigating to find the source of raw milk that has led to 13 confirmed cases of Campylobacter jejuni, a pathogen that has the potential to cause serious illness and even death. More cases are expected to be confirmed soon, as there are other people sick in households where people are confirmed victims of the Campylobacter food poisoning...
Beef Brisket Listeria Recall at Texas Company
Posted on August 25, 2009A Texas company has recalled 207 pounds of smoked and fully cooked beef brisket that was distributed to Department of Defense commissaries in Oklahoma and New Mexico. The product was made August 11 by Lone Star Brisket Co. of Thorndale, Texas. Routine testing by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) detected Listeria monocytogenes, which prompted the recall...
Another Soft Cheese Listeria Warning
Posted on August 22, 2009There have been numerous warnings lately about Mexican-style soft cheeses that may be contaminated with various different food bugs -- none of which should be taken lightly. The latest caution is a recall notice citing the possibility of Listeria monocytogenes in a Quesos Mi Pueblito product made in Passiac, N...
Los Angeles Warns of Soft Cheese Contamination
Posted on August 20, 2009The director of public health in Los Angeles County is warning consumers in Southern California not to eat Latin-American style cheeses from street vendors or unlicensed manufacturers. Bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria, bovine Tuberculosis or Brucella may contaminate the products, which often are made from unpasteurized dairy products, may have been made under insanitary conditions or haven't been properly refrigerated...
Produce Group Hosts Food Safety Lawyer Elliot Olsen
Posted on August 19, 2009Top executives from U.S. produce companies gathered in Austin, Texas, today to hear national food safety lawyer Elliot Olsen tell them how an outbreak of foodborne illness could put them out of business in 24 hours. It's happened before and likely will happen again, but Olsen's central message to the industry had an unexpected twist...
Food Poisoning Victims Face Long-Term Health Risk
Posted on August 15, 2009Getting poisoned by Salmonella or Campylobacter is not just a short-term health concern. That's what a medical team in Denmark has concluded in a study that found these pathogens to increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease, for 15 years or more after a person suffers from an initial infection of either diarrheal illness...
McDonald's Hepatitis A Outbreak Hits 30 cases
Posted on August 13, 2009Health officials in the Quad City Region of Illinois say the McDonald's Hepatitis A outbreak has grown to include 30 cases. To contact Pritzker Olsen about a a McDonald's hepatitis A lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit the free consultation form for review by Attorney Fred Pritzker...
Inspectors Saw Cattle Being Pulled into Cargill Plant
Posted on August 12, 2009The Cargill-owned beef processor in California that recently recalled 826,000 pounds of ground beef products out of concern it might be tied to a ground beef Salmonella outbreak was caught last year stunning cattle and dragging them into the plant unconscious...
Nestle E. coli Outbreak Hospitalized 35 People
Posted on August 11, 2009There's still a chance that more people will become infected in the Nestle E. coli outbreak, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued its final update on the cookie dough outbreak that has sickened at least 80 individuals -- mostly young women -- since early March...
Safeway Was Big Distributor of Recalled Cargill Beef
Posted on August 07, 2009Safeway, Von's and Sam's Club are among retailers in nine states warning consumers that ground beef involved in a massive Cargill beef recall could be contaminated with a drug-resistant strain of Salmonella Newport. Colorado has been hardest hit by the outbreak...
New outbreak highlights overuse of antibiotics and underuse of traceback and notification systems
Posted on August 06, 2009By FOOD SAFETY ATTORNEY FRED PRITZKER A new Salmonella outbreak was announced today: over 825,000 pounds of ground beef products processed by Fresno, CA-based Beef Packer, Inc. and distributed to retail distribution centers in Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah...
Colo. Soopers Salmonella Beef Warning Repeated
Posted on August 01, 2009Colorado health officials are worried that ground beef contaminated with Salmonella is still contributing to an outbreak associated with King Soopers Inc. The Denver-based King Soopers recalled nearly half a million pounds of ground beef on July 23 after evidence showed contamination with Salmonella typhimurium DT104 -- a microorganism that is resistant to many antibiotics prescribed for treatment of Salmonella infection...
Pritzker Files Suit in Memphis Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on August 01, 2009Pritzker Olsen attorneys, one of the nation's leading food safety law firms, has filed a Memphis Salmonella lawsuit in Shelby County Circuit Court in Tennessee on behalf of a husband and wife who ate food catered from A&R Bar-B-Q restaurant of Hickory Hill Road...
More Than 24 Victims in Memphis Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on July 31, 2009Public health officials in Memphis say that preliminary tests show that more than two dozen people were infected with Salmonella after eating food served by a local barbecue restaurant. The Memphis Salmonella outbreak spiked when more than 150 people from throughout the region and different parts of the country gathered for a picnic July 10 at Shelby Farms as part of the three day 2009 Harston Family Reunion...
Attorney Fred Pritzker Representing Victim of Salmonella Outbreak Associated with A&E Bar-B-Q in Memphis
Posted on July 30, 2009FOX13 out of Memphis interviewed Attorney Fred Pritzker for their story on the Salmonella outbreak associated with the A&E Bar-B-Q located at 3721 Hickory Hill, Memphis, Tennessee. Mr. Pritzker is representing a victim of the outbreak. (There is a short commercial before the news report because we have embedded the video in the form required by FOX13...
Salmonella Outbreak in Memphis, TN
Posted on July 29, 2009Pritzker Olsen law firm has been retained to represent victims of a Salmonella outbreak in Memphis, TN that started on or after July 10, 2009. The matter is currently being investigated by the Tennessee Department of Health. The outbreak victims were attending the 2009 Harston Family Reunion in Memphis...
Officials Investigate Memphis Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on July 29, 2009The Memphis and Shelby County Health Department is conducting an active investigation into the Hickory Hill location of A&R Bar-B-Q restaurant in Memphis. The announcement was made in conjunction with the Tennessee Department of Health shortly after national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen issued a press release about a Memphis Salmonella outbreak ...
McDonald's Outbreak: Last Chance for Hepatitis Shots
Posted on July 28, 2009Tuesday is the last day for free hepatitis A shots through the Rock Island County Health Department. The county has administered more than 5,200 shots of vaccine or a drug called immune globulin since investigators associated an outbreak of hepatitis A in western Illinois to the McDonald's restaurant in Milan...
Health Department Had Issues with Illinois McDonald's
Posted on July 25, 2009The McDonald's hepatitis outbreak in western Illinois could have been a product of shortcomings at a local medical center and the restaurant itself in Milan, Illinois. The Illinois McDonald's outbreak of hepatitis A has sickened at least 24 people, including 11 who were hospitalized...
Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Colorado Beef
Posted on July 23, 2009A Colorado company is recalling 466,236 pounds of ground beef products that may be linked to a Colorado Salmonella outbreak of at least 14 matching Salmonella illnesses reported in the state. The firm is called King Soopers Inc. of Denver. The Salmonella type -- as confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment -- is Salmonella Typhimurium DT104...
Shots Given in Illinois McDonald's Hepatitis Outbreak
Posted on July 22, 2009More than a thousand people in northwestern Illinois have been vaccinated to help contain the McDonald's hepatitis outbreak that health officials suspect was caused by two McDonald's employees who were sick with hepatitis A in Milan, Illinois, and continued to work...
Milan McDonald's Outbreak "Utterly Preventable''
Posted on July 22, 2009An employee at the Milan, Illinois, McDonald's restaurant has gone public with her story that she told a manager at the restaurant in late June that she had been diagnosed with hepatitis A. But the restaurant remained open until last week, when it was ordered closed by the Rock Island County Health Department in connection with a possible McDonald's hepatitis A outbreak...
Vaccine Given in Illinois McDonald's Hepatitis Outbreak
Posted on July 19, 2009State and county health officials in western Illinois are preparing to provide hepatitis A vaccinations and an immune drug called globulin to portions of the population in connection with a possible McDonald's hepatitis A outbreak. Jim Bohnsack, county board chairman in Rock Island County, told Quad Cities Times health reporter Dierdre Cox Baker that the county health department ordered the McDonald's in Milan, Illinois, to be closed in connection with the outbreak investigation...
Illinois Hepatitis Outbreak Not to be Taken Lightly
Posted on July 18, 2009People sometimes shrug at the physical harm caused by hepatitis A -- an infectious virus most often spread by infected restaurant workers who do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom. In Rock Island County, Illinois, right now an Illinois hepatitis A outbreak has sickened at least 19 people and health officials at the state and county level are urging strict hygiene by restaurant workers and others to help contain the outbreak...
McDonald's, Hepatitis A Outbreak Probed in Illinois
Posted on July 17, 2009A McDonald's restaurant in Milan, Illinois, closed early Thursday amid media reports that its employees have been screened for hepatitis A in connection with an Illinois hepatitis A outbreak. A parent of one of the McDonald's employees told WQAD...
Sickening Secrecy in Missouri Over E. coli
Posted on July 16, 2009The Missouri Department of Natural Resources admitted this week that it withheld a report about high E. coli levels in parts of Lake of the Ozarks around Memorial Day "because they were concerned about the impact it would have on tourism and the public...
Plant That Kindled Nestle E. coli Outbreak Reopens
Posted on July 15, 2009By FRED PRITZKER Minneapolis, July 15, 2009 -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that Nestle is back in business making and selling refrigerated cookie dought following the Nestle outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 associated with this popular and no doubt profitable product...
Cleanliness an Issue During Nestle Plant Inspection
Posted on July 14, 2009Investigators from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently found two cleanliness flaws at the cookie dough plant in Danville, Virginia, that spawned the multi-state Nestle E. coli outbreak. The four investigators signed a report July 9 that said the workmanship of certain hopper valves "does not allow proper cleaning...
Anaheim Peppers Recalled by Georgia Company
Posted on July 12, 2009A Georgia company has recalled a lot of its Anaheim peppers after the New York State Department of Agriculture found Salmonella in a sample. Anaheim peppers are a very mild chile, six to 10 inches long, that are normally used in cooking. The recalled peppers were shipped in mid June to retailers in New York, Massachusetts and Ohio by Herring Produce of Lake Park, Georgia...
Cookie Dough Outbreak is a Shame on Nestle
Posted on July 12, 2009Nestle Toll House cookie dough has been linked to a Nestle E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 72 people in about 30 states. PritzkerOlsen, P.A., one of America's leading food safety law firms, is representing several people sickened in the outbreak...
Iowa Boy With HUS May be JBS Swift Outbreak Victim
Posted on July 10, 2009Well-wishers from around the country are praying for the recovery of a 1-year-old boy from Iowa who has been hospitalized with a severe complication of E. coli O157:H7 disease -- a possible victim of the multi-state JBS Swift beef outbreak. The story of Isaiah Romero was first carried by KSFY-TV in Sioux Falls, where the boy has been receiving medical attention this week at Sanford Children's Hospital...
At least 3 types of E. coli tied to Nestle outbreak
Posted on July 10, 2009A U.S. Food and Drug Administration official says health investigators have nearly exhausted all leads and may not ever find out what caused cookie dough in the Nestle E. coli outbreak to become contaminated with the pathogen. ABC's ace reporter Brian Hartman quoted the official, Dr...
Pasta Shop Suspected in Local Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on July 07, 2009A pasta shop in Central Virginia is being investigated as the possible source of a Salmonella outbreak among six dinner guests who ate lasagna purchased from the shop's frozen foods inventory. WVIR-TV quoted the shop owner as saying the establishment is not to blame and that the lasagna was sold with instructions for safe cooking...
FDA Acts to Curb Salmonella in Chicken Eggs
Posted on July 07, 2009Vice President Joe Biden today announced findings of the President's Food Safety Working Group, and one of the first real concrete changes of the initiative occurred simultaneously when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a new preventative rule to curb Salmonella in eggs...
New Findings in Colorado Stock Show E. coli Outbreak
Posted on July 06, 2009Since 1996 there have been more than 100 human infectious disease outbreaks involving animals in public settings reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2000, two E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks at animal shows in Pennsylvania and Washington prompted the CDC to issue guidelines to acknowledge the risk factors: Direct animal contact and inadequate hand washing...
Cause of Texas Salmonella Outbreak Unsolved
Posted on July 04, 2009Health investigators in Texas are examining a cluster of 25 Salmonella illnesses in and around Lockhart, Texas, but they have not yet found a cause. Doug McBride, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, told the Austin American-Statesman newspaper that a few of those infected with Salmonellosis have been hospitalized...
Nestle E. coli FAQs Answered by Food Safety Lawyers
Posted on July 03, 2009A problem arises when a person believes they were sickened by E. coli O157:H7, but in doctor visits never gave a stool sample -- the surest method of proving the cause of foodborne illness. The question has arisen again in the Nestle cookie dough E...
Flour Supplier investigated in Nestle E. coli outbreak
Posted on July 02, 2009State and federal health officials are expanding their investigation into the Nestle E. coli outbreak by examining the supplier of flour to Nestle's cookie dough plant in Danville, Virginia. The Danville News quoted Food and Drug Administration spokesman Stephanie Kwisnek as saying the flour supplier will be looked at with help from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services...
JBS Swift E. coli Outbreak Short on Recall Information
Posted on July 02, 2009By FRED PRITZKER As Americans prepare for 4th of July cookouts, we once again are faced with recalls due to beef contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly pathogen. Late last week, the U.S.Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the agency in charge of the safety of our meat supply, announced a JBS Swift beef recall of 41,000 pounds...
Nestle Cookie Dough Outbreak Update: More People Sick and E. coli Found in Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough
Posted on July 01, 2009The CDC provided updated Nestle cookie dough outbreak information today: CDC is collaborating with public health officials in many states, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to investigate an outbreak of E...
Evidence Implicating Raw Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough as the Source of an E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak
Posted on June 30, 2009Federal investigators continue their investigation of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with consumption of raw Nestle Toll House cookie dough that has sickened at least 69 people in 29 states. The evidence implicating the cookie dough consists of both epidemiological and microbiological evidence...
Report: Nestlé Plant at Center of E. coli Outbreak Refused FDA Inspections
Posted on June 29, 2009by Attorney Fred Pritzker A Wall Street Journal report says that inspection reports covering the past five years show that officials at Nestlé's Danville, Va. plant, which manufactured the suspected E. coli O157:H7 tainted cookie dough, "refused to allow a Food and Drug Administration inspector to review consumer complaints or inspect its program designed to prevent food contamination...
JBS Swift Beef Recall
Posted on June 29, 2009Beef Recall Alert: JSB Swift Beef Company, a Colorado firm, has recalled about 380,000 pounds of beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The recall was prompted by an outbreak that has sickened at least 18 people nationwide...
Important Tips for Preventing Cross-Contamination
Posted on June 25, 2009by Attorney Fred Pritzker The recent multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products is still under investigation by state and federal health authorities. At this stage of the investigation, there is no solid hypothesis as to how cookie dough became contaminated with a pathogen generally found in the feces of cattle...
What To Do If You Suspect an E. coli Infection
Posted on June 24, 2009National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen Attorneys is receiving hundreds of calls and emails from people concered about E. coli O157:H7 exposure from the Nestle Toll House cookie dough outbreak. Here are some important facts to keep in mind. The symptoms of E...
Pritzker Olsen Calls For Nestle to Pay Victims' Bills
Posted on June 23, 2009Nestle Toll House cookie dough packages are printed with a warning against raw consumption of the product. In a press release, the founder and president of national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys explains the emptiness of the warning and calls on Nestle to immediately pay medical bills and lost wages for victims of the ongoing Nestle cookie dough E...
Minnesota, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts Have Most Nestle Cookie Dough E. coli Cases
Posted on June 20, 2009The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has weighed in with its first report on the Nestle cookie dough E. coli outbreak and recall, saying that young females dominate the known universe of victims. The CDC also named all states involved in the outbreak...
E. coli Probe Centers on Toll House Cookie Dough
Posted on June 19, 2009The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has warned consumers in that state not to eat Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough, which health investigators believe may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The announcement, carried by Channel 9 News in Denver, quoted state health officials as saying there are at least 66 E...
Nestle Cookie Dough Production Halted at Plant
Posted on June 19, 2009Pritzker Olsen Attorneys has begun its own investigation and is compiling information for a possible Nestle cookie dough lawsuit in connection with the ongoing, 28-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that has been associated with raw Nestle cookie dough...
Nestle Cookie Dough Recalled: E. coli Investigated
Posted on June 19, 2009Federal and state health investigators have associated an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in 28 states with consumption of raw, prepackaged Nestle cookie dough. The company has announced a Nestle cookie dough recall affecting all varieties. In addition, the U...
Judge Delays Filing Deadline for PCA Salmonella
Posted on June 13, 2009A judge in Virginia has extended the deadline for Salmonella victims of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) to file claims against the company in bankruptcy court. The deadline had been set for Monday, June 15. But U.S. Bankruptcy Judge William E...
CDC Issues Retropsective On Food Poisoning in 2006
Posted on June 12, 2009With the caveat that only a small percentage of food poisoning cases in the United States are part of an identifiable outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a retrospective report on foodborne illness outbreaks that happened in 2006...
Food Manufacturers Stand In Way of Progress
Posted on June 09, 2009A string of national Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks over the past year, coupled with strong new leadership at FDA provided momentum for the passage of meaningful food safety legislation in Congress. In his latest editorial on behalf of millions of Americans who have suffered from food poisoning, national food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker laments how powerful lobbyists for the food manufacturing industry are trying to water down needed reforms...
Agencies To Meet With Public on Listeria
Posted on June 07, 2009Little is known about how Listeria monocytogenes occurs in retail facilities. That's why the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is teaming up with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a risk assessment of the problem...
E. coli Victim Still Suffering One Year Later
Posted on June 06, 2009Foodborne outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 happen year-round in the United States, but summer is clearly the high season for frequency of the infectious disease. It was one year ago this month when a client of PritzkerOlsen, P.A., consumed the potentially deadly bacteria on beef cooked at a popular restaurant in Moultrie, Georgia...
Salmonella Hits School Children in Missouri
Posted on June 05, 2009An elementary school in Lee's Summit, Missouri, is working with health department officials there to determine what caused a Salmonella outbreak at the very end of the school year. Mary Naudet, principal of Richardson Elementary School, told the Lee's Summit Journal newspaper that at least two students in the Kids' Country program became ill from the outbreak strain of Salmonella...
E. coli O157:H7 Found In Oregon Company's Beef
Posted on June 03, 2009SP Provisions, an Oregon beef processor, announced a recall today of 39,973 pounds of bagged ground beef, bagged "chili grind'' ground beef and 15-pound packages of hamburger patties. The recall announced that the meat may be contaminated with E...
E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Emerging in Maine
Posted on June 03, 2009Maine's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has increased its surveillance of E. coli O157:H7 infections now that seven cases have been confirmed in the state since April 17. According to a public health alert written by Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine CDC, four of the seven cases are "considered part of a national cluster'' of genetically related infections...
FDA Laboratory Grants Will Help Fight E. coli O157:H7
Posted on June 02, 2009The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has awarded $1.05 million in grants to three states to increase laboratory testing capacity, including capacity for analyzing food and bacteria during outbreaks of foodborne illness. The agreement enhances federal and state cooperation and is designed to strengthen our national response to food emergencies, including outbreaks of E...
Food Safety Report Card Worse Than Meets The Eye
Posted on May 31, 2009The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infections Program collects data annually from 10 states on diseases caused by pathogens in food. The preliminary report covering 2008 showed no improvement on curbing foodborne illness, but national food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker says a closer look at the data shows the problem runs deeper...
FDA Sets Zero Tolerance for E. coli in Bottled Water
Posted on May 29, 2009The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published its final rule in the Federal Register today establishing a zero tolerance for E. coli in bottled water. The new federal code makes it illegal to sell bottled water containing E. coli. The FDA's new rule requires bottlers to conduct tests at least once a week for total coliform in source water if it comes from any source other than a public water supply -- which already is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency to have zero E...
E. coli Lawyer Says Devastating Loss Was Preventable
Posted on May 28, 2009Fred Pritzker, founder and president of national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, has no mercy for food manufacturers and restaurants that distribute and serve food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 or other lethal pathogens...
Triathletes in Oklahoma Suffer Possible E coli Infections
Posted on May 27, 2009A high E. coli count in the Oklahoma River didn't stop organizers of the Boathouse International Triathlon from staging the event May 16-17 in Oklahoma City. Now public health officials are investigating what caused at least 20 of the athletes who swam in the river to suffer harsh gastrointestinal illnesses...
A Night For Abby -- Ohio's Child Victim of E. coli
Posted on May 27, 2009Abby Fenstermaker was a healthy and happy little girl from the Cleveland area who turned 7 years old on April 25. Less than four weeks later, she was dead from complications of an E. coli O157:H7 infection that may have come from hamburger contaminated by the manufacturer...
Girl's Death Prompts Call for Strong Food Safety Law
Posted on May 23, 2009Food safety bills in Washinton are regularly introduced with much fanfare and then sent to committee, where they languish and die. With high-season for food poisoning already upon us, national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys issued a press release Friday asking Congress to get moving...
Two Restaurants Named in Ohio E. coli Outbreak
Posted on May 23, 2009Health officials have named the two Cleveland area restaurants that were investigated as part of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak , that hospitalized two people, sickened a third and may be linked to the death of a 7-year-old Cleveland girl...
E coli Infection Kills Cleveland Girl - New Food Safety Laws Needed
Posted on May 22, 2009On Sunday, a seven-year-old girl died from an E. coli infection that may be linked to an E. coli outbreak associated with consuming ground beef produced by Valley Meats LLC. In response to this outbreak, the company recalled over 95,000 pounds of ground beef products that had been sold to restaurants and food service accounts...
Ohio Plant Has History With E coli Recall
Posted on May 22, 2009It appears as though the processing plant belonging to Valley Meats LLC of Coal Valley, Illinois, has prior experience in a recall of ground beef related to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. Valley Meats LLC is the USDA-licensed meat processing plant that on Thursday recalled 48 tons of frozen beef patties and refrigerated ground beef as part of an investigation into an E...
Sticking Up For Valley Meats E. coli Victims
Posted on May 22, 2009An E. coli outbreak associated with ground beef has sickened people in Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania and may have killed a seven-year-old girl in Cleveland, Ohio. One day after the outbreak was announced, national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys issued a press release calling on the meat processor and any restaurants involved in the outbreak to agree to pay medical bills and lost wages for victims and their families...
Web Has Changed Disease Detection For The Better
Posted on May 21, 2009More than a month before the peanut butter Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak was ever publicly announced , computer programs at Google were tracking clearly defined spikes in consumer searches for information about "Salmonella," "Diarrhea,'' "Recall'' and "Peanut Butter...
E coli Death of Girl May Be Linked to Recalled Beef
Posted on May 21, 2009A 7-year-old Cleveland girl has died from an E. coli O157:H7 infection that may have stemmed from contaminated ground beef recalled Thursday by an Illinois company. The recall of 48 tons of frozen patties and refrigerated ground beef applies to meat produced March 10 by Valley Meats LLC of Coal Valley, Illinois...
E. coli Food Poisoning Increases in Summer Months
Posted on May 20, 2009If you are someone who senses that E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and other food poisoning outbreaks spike upwards during the summer months, it's not your imagination. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says quite simply: Yes. Foodborne illnesses do increase after Memorial Day...
Investigating Possible Lettuce E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak
Posted on May 19, 2009Pritzker Olsen, P.A., one of the nation's leading food poisoning and food safety law firms, is investigating a possible E. coli O157:H7 outbreak involving lettuce. If you or a loved one has been affected by this outbreak, please contact us immediately...
Addressing Lettuce E. coli Outbreaks Through Grants
Posted on May 17, 2009Lettuce E. coli outbreaks have been a documented health hazard for more than 15 years and the leafy green vegetable industry has provided at least lip service for the need to diminish the threat of human disease coming from its crops. The latest pronouncement is a "Partners in Research'' grant program awarding a total of $500,000 to seven scientific projects with the stated goal of lowering the risk and producing a safer product throughout the food chain...
Time Line of the Pepper Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on May 16, 2009National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is representing victims in the pepper and spice Salmonella outbreak that first came to light in late March. The outbreak, associated with bulk white and black pepper, other dry spices and oil-based seasonings manufactured by Union International Food Co,...
E. coli in Cantaloupe: It Has Happened Before
Posted on May 16, 2009If current claims being investigated by national food safety law firm Prtizker Olsen Attorneys are confirmed, it won't be the first time a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 is associated with cantaloupe. The cantalope's rough skin makes a natural breeding ground for foodborne pathogens...
Food Safety Law Firm Investigating E. coli Claims
Posted on May 15, 2009National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys is investigating claims related to a possible multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 related to cantalope. Please contact us as soon as possible if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with an E...
New Food Safety Program is "Tinkering on the Margins''
Posted on May 15, 2009Fred Pritzker, the founder and president of national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, has seen private sector food safety programs come and go during many years of representing people injured or killed by E. coli O157:H7, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Listeria, botulism, Shigella and other types of food poisoning...
Food Companies Try Shifting The Onus For Safety
Posted on May 15, 2009Reporter Michael Moss of The New York Times has written a compelling story highlighting a sickening trend in the food industry: Shifting the onus for food safety onto consumers with cooking instructions and warnings on product packaging. As Mr. Moss illustrates, it has started with frozen pot pies...
E. coli 0157:H7 Found in Retailer's Ground Beef
Posted on May 13, 2009Random testing by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) found evidence of E. coli 0157:H7 in ground beef sold at a retail store in Hot Springs, Arkansas, leading to a consumer product recall. The FSIS announced Tuesday that Hot Springs retailer Bob's Food City is recalling 375 pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E...
U.S. Justice Dept. Joins Suit Against Slaughterhouse
Posted on May 13, 2009The U.S. Department of Justice has intervened on the side of the Humane Society of the United States in litigation against a southern California beef slaughterhouse that was caught on tape abusing cattle. The lawsuit claims that the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co...
Raw Milk Dairy Reopens After Campylobacter Outbreak
Posted on May 13, 2009A raw milk dairy in Montrose, Colorado, has been allowed to reopen under enhanced sanitation requirements and new testing protocols. The Kinikin Corner Dairy was ordered to halt distribution April 7 after at least 11 people in the area became ill with Campylobacter, a foodborne illness that carries risks of nerve cell damage...
CDC Still Telling Consumers Not to Eat Sprouts
Posted on May 08, 2009Officials investigating a widely dispersed outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul first focused on a single grower of alfalfa sprouts in Nebraska before fanning out and finding matching Salmonella contamination at sprout growers in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin...
E. coli Prompts Recall of Alex & George Hamburger
Posted on May 05, 2009E. coli O157:H7 found in a test sample of ground beef produced by a New York state wholesaler has prompted a recall of 4,663 pounds of the meat. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which discovered the contamination in routine testing, announced the recall late Monday...
Pritzker Olsen Representing Victim of Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Spices
Posted on May 05, 2009National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen is representing Shirley Jane Schultz, one of the victims of a multistate Salmonella outbreak that has been linked to contaminated Union International Food Company spices, according to news reports. Ms. Schultz, a 77-year-old from Nevada, was severely sickened and spent over a week in the hospital...
Spice Salmonella Victim Hires PritzkerOlsen
Posted on May 04, 2009A 77-year-old woman from Dayton, Nevada, who spent more than a week in the hospital with a Salmonella infection has chosen national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen to represent her. Shirley Jane Schultz was diagnosed April 9, less than two weeks after California-based Union International Food Co...
Spice Salmonella Victim Hires Pritzker Olsen
Posted on May 04, 2009A 77-year-old woman from Dayton, Nevada, who spent more than a week in the hospital with a Salmonella infection has chosen national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen to represent her. Shirley Jane Schultz was diagnosed April 9, less than two weeks after California-based Union International Food Co...
Recall of Alfalfa Seeds Associated with Salmonella Saintpaul
Posted on May 02, 2009Alfalfa seeds from Italy have been associate with a multistate Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. After preliminary epidemiology regarding the ongoing outbreak of illness from Salmonella Saintpaul in people who had eaten alfalfa sprouts was shared with the supplier of the seeds, the supplier made the decision to voluntarily withdraw certain alfalfa seeds from the market...
New Hampshire Camp Reopens After Salmonella
Posted on May 02, 2009An environmental camp for school children operated in Madison, New Hampshire, has reopened after a Salmonella outbreak sickened dozens of middle school classmates. National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is representing victims of the outbreak, which the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has traced to a kitchen mixer...
Peanut Butter Crackers Still Causing Salmonella
Posted on May 01, 2009Peanut butter crackers containing Salmonella are still making people sick and the outbreak caused by Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) is expected to continue for the next several months. That's what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is saying this week in its latest written update on the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that has sickened 714 people in 46 states...
Outbreak of E. coli at Day Camp Petting Zoo
Posted on May 01, 2009This week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a CDC publication, has an article about an E. coli outbreak associated with a day camp petting zoo: On June 7, 2007, the Pinellas County Health Department in central Florida was notified by a private physician regarding a positive laboratory result for Shiga toxin--producing Escherichia coli O157 (STEC O157) infection in a child aged 9 years...
FDA Seizes Salmonella Peanuts From Westco
Posted on April 30, 2009U.S. Marshals have seized $34,500 worth of Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) peanuts and products containing the peanuts from Westco Fruit and Nut Co. Inc., a private firm that refused to voluntarily recall food suspected of containing a strain of Salmonella blamed for nine deaths...
Salmonella at Camp May Have Come From Mixer
Posted on April 30, 2009An electric mixer used to make scrambled eggs and chocolate pudding may have caused a Salmonella outbreak at a student camp in New Hampshire earlier this month. WMUR-TV in Manchester, New Hampshire, has reported that the state Department of Health and Human Services determined that pudding at Stone Environmental Camp was contaminated with Salmonella...
CDC: Listeria Outbreak Linked to Alfalfa Sprouts
Posted on April 29, 2009At the same time federal health officials investigate a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul caused by alfalfa sprouts, they also are probing a sprouts-related outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes . The Salmonella outbreak, with 31 confirmed illnesses in 6 states, has garned most of the publicity...
FDA and CDC Confirm Salmonella in Sprouts
Posted on April 27, 2009An outbreak of 31 cases of Salmonella Saintpaul has prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a general advisory for consumers not to eat alfalfa sprouts. National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen represents victims of the outbreak and is accepting additional cases from all affected states To reach a Salmonella lawyer at the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), or complete a free case consultation form...
Alfalfa Sprouts Linked to Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on April 27, 2009Pritzker Olsen law firm is representing people sickened in a mutistate Salmonella outbreak linked to raw alfalfa sprouts. This outbreak continues to widen, and the FDA and CDC are recommending that consumers not eat raw alfalfa sprouts, including sprout blends containing alfalfa sprouts, which have been linked to widespread Salmonella serotype Saintpaul contamination...
Alfalfa Sprouts Cause Salmonella Outbreak Again
Posted on April 26, 2009The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to announce soon a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella associated with alfalfa sprouts and the announcement may be coupled with an advisory for consumers to avoid eating sprouts. National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen attorneys already represents victims in this outbreak and is accepting additional cases from all the states involved...
CJ United Spices, Onions Tied to Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on April 25, 2009National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen attorneys is representing one of the victims of a western states Salmonella outbreak caused by contaminated spices. In total, at least 60 people have been sickened in four states, including 45 people in California, where the adulterated spices were produced...
Sprouts in Southeast Michigan Causing Salmonella
Posted on April 24, 2009Michigan health officials are seeing a growing number of Salmonella cases that investigators believe are associated with contaminated alfalfa sprouts used in sandwiches. According to multiple media reports, the Michigan Department of Community Health is still looking for the origin of the sprouts...
Paramedics Attend To Restaurant Patrons in Raleigh
Posted on April 23, 2009Paramedics were called to a restaurant Friday night in Raleigh, North Carolina, to attend to at least nine cases of possible foodborne illness. Independent Weekly quoted a Wake County health official saying that an outbreak of illness was under investigation, but the official wouldn't even say if the patients ate at the same restaurant...
Salmonella Hits Students at Overnight Camp
Posted on April 23, 2009Nearly 70 middle school students in the Salem, New Hampshire, public school district called in sick this week as part of the fallout from a Salmonella outbreak. The outbreak occurred at an overnight camp late last week near North Conway, New Hampshire...
Pistachio Salmonella Investigation Trudges On
Posted on April 19, 2009The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to investigate what links there are between Salmonella found in contaminated pistachios and the same strain of Salmonella found in ill people whose cases are part of the CDC's collective food poisoning database known as PulseNet...
Salmonella Spice Outbreak -- Recall Expanded
Posted on April 17, 2009The California food wholesaler whose spices have been linked to a multi-state Salmonella outbreak in the West has expanded its consumer product recall to include all Uncle Chen and Lian How sauces, oils and oil blends. Union International Food Co. of Union City also said its recall now covers all types of dry spice products in 15-pound and smaller containers and 30-pound boxes and smaller packages of crushed chili...
"Gross Contamination" of Cheese Found in Illinois
Posted on April 17, 2009The Illinois Department of Public Health has confirmed three cases of Campylobacter jejuni and suspects at least four more resulted from consumption of home-made white cheese sold out of cars and trucks in parking lots at churches and markets in the Rockford area...
Salmonella Victims Have Cruise Ship in Common
Posted on April 16, 2009National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., has been retained by a 55-year-old man who nearly died as a result of an infection caused by a rare form of Salmonella that may be associated with a cruise ship on which he vacationed. In addition to the Minnesota man there have been reports of other passengers on the same vessel who were sickened with the same rare strain of Salmonella Oranienburg...
Study: Many Consumers Ignoring Food Product Recalls
Posted on April 15, 2009Most consumers pay attention to food recalls, but only about 60 percent take action by looking for recalled food in their homes, a Rutgers Food Policy Institute study has found. A news release about the study said 40 percent of consumers who pay a great deal of attention to food recalls also think that the foods they purchase are less likely to be recalled than those purchased by others...
A Modest Proposal: Enough Insurance for Victims
Posted on April 12, 2009By FRED PRITZKER Late last summer there was a devastating outbreak of E. coli O111 traced back to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma. 341 people were sickened and one person died. While the source of the outbreak – the restaurant – was quickly identified, the disease-causing organism was not isolated on the restaurant premises or in the food and water served there...
Apple Valley Chipotle Restaurant Linked to Outbreak
Posted on April 10, 2009Health officials have verified that the high-volume restaurant in Apple Valley, Minnesota, linked to an outbreak of Campylobacter in mid-February was a Chipotle Mexican Grill. The outbreak was first announced by the Minnesota Department of Health in early March, with no restaurant identified...
Salmonella Peanut Plant Fined $14.6 million
Posted on April 10, 2009The State of Texas has leveled a $14.6 million fine against the peanut processing plant in Plainview owned by Peanut Corp. of America -- the company blamed for a national Salmonella outbreak associated with nine deaths and 700 illnesses. Virginia-based Peanut Corp...
Campylobacter Outbreak Closes Raw Milk Dairy
Posted on April 10, 2009A raw milk dairy in western Colorado has been ordered by state regulators to stop distribution until further notice -- an action prompted by 11 cases of Campylobacter. The shutdown of Kinikin Corner Dairy LLC of Montrose, Colorado, was ordered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment...
Girl Scouts Caught Up in Salmonella Pistachio Recall
Posted on April 10, 2009It's been hard to keep up with all the food product recalls related to Salmonella-tainted pistachios grown and roasted in California. The sweeping domino affect of one large distributor (Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc.) selling more than 1 million pounds of adulterated pistachios to re-baggers and other food companies has now tumbled onto Girl Scouts of the USA...
Oklahoma Poured 6,500 Hours Into E. coli Probe
Posted on April 10, 2009The Oklahoma State Department of Public Health issued a report this week that provides an excellent example of the impact that food poisoning has on our society -- beyond the ultimate price of human health and life. For starters, the most important thing to remember about the E...
Food Safety System Needs Improvement
Posted on April 10, 2009by Fred Pritzker The CDC recently issued its report entitled 'Preliminary FoodNet Data on the Incidence of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food --- 10 States, 2008.' (MMWR April 10, 2009 / 58(13);333-337) This innocuous sounding document is statistical confirmation of what food safety lawyers already know: our food safety system needs improvement...
Salmonella in Sprouts: The Problem Persists
Posted on April 08, 2009The multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul that led to a recall of alfalfa sprouts by Nebraska's CW Sprouts Inc. is another reminder to consumers that people in high-risk categories for systemic infections should not eat raw sprouts...
FDA Finds Salmonella At Setton Pistachio Facilities
Posted on April 07, 2009State and federal food safety inspectors found Salmonella organisms in "critical areas'' of productions facilities at Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced. The inspectors also found the potential of cross-contamination of raw and roasted products, the FDA said in a press release...
12,000 Pounds of Salmonella Egg Rolls Recalled
Posted on April 04, 2009A Haywood, California, company is recalling 12,460 pounds of frozen chicken egg rolls because they contain black pepper associated with a Salmonella outbreak in western states that has sickened at least 42 people. The egg rolls were made by EDS Wrap and Roll Foods LLC...
Salmonella Sprouts Lawsuit; Outbreak Grows
Posted on April 03, 2009The multi-state Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts has grown to more than 120 confirmed cases and national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is continuing to hear from victims of the outbreak. The firm, which is involved in virtually every major outbreak of foodborne illness, is representing victims in claims against CW Sprouts Inc...
Setton Expands Salmonella Pistachio Recall
Posted on April 03, 2009An affiliate of the California company at the center of a nationwide Salmonella recall of pistachio products issued a supplemental recall today covering 19 different pistachio products, including chocolate covered varieties. At this stage of the investigation, national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P...
Dining Hall Closed After MSU Students Get Sick
Posted on April 01, 2009One of the first indicators last year to the development of a regional outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 was a rash of student illnesses at Michigan State University. Eventually, health investigators traced those cases and others to E. coli contamination of lettuce packaged by a Detroit supplier...
Salmonella Pistachio Product Recalls Growing
Posted on April 01, 2009Fisher brand pistachios are among the latest products recalled as a result of Salmonella pistachio contamination found in bulk wholesale shipments from Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. in California. The number of entries in the searchable master list of pistachio product recalls has quickly grown to at least 65...
White Pepper "Link'' to Salmonella Outbreak Cited
Posted on March 31, 2009The Washoe County Health District in northern Nevada and health officials from Carson City, Nevada, say that investigators have linked "Uncle Chen" brand white pepper to a four-state outbreak of Salmonella. A broader association had been drawn to white and black pepper made by Union International Food Co...
FDA Issues Salmonella Pistachio Warning
Posted on March 31, 2009The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recommending that consumers avoid eathing pistachios and pistachio products until the agency knows more about a potentially widespread case of Salmonella contamination. This is how the situation has developed...
More Nuts to You, American Consumer
Posted on March 31, 2009By FRED PRITZKER There's another potential Salmonella outbreak associated with tons of nuts used in a wide variety of consumer products. Sound familiar? Near the end of a prior Salmonella outbreak (involving peanuts processed by Peanut Corporation of America that sickened hundreds and killed nine), a California-based company, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc...
Spices Linked to Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on March 30, 2009At least 42 people, including 33 in California, have been sickened by the same strain of Salmonella -- an outbreak that health investigators have linked to white and black pepper spices sold by Union International Food Co. of California. The company has recalled its pepper spices and other seasonings, including cayenne pepper, paprika, chopped onion, onion powder, garlic, curry powder, mustard powder, and wasabi powder...
Upstream, Downstream; Everyone Must be Responsible
Posted on March 28, 2009By FRED PRITZKER The whole point of a food recall is to prevent additional foodborne illness after producers and their adulterated products are identified. That's why it's so important for food companies, food distributors, food retailers and federal, state and local authorities to promptly and effectively remove from the marketplace any food known or reasonably certain to cause illness or death...
The Opaque World of American Food Safety
Posted on March 27, 2009By FRED PRITZKER The buzzword de jour is 'transparency.' Transparency in financial markets, transparency in budgets, transparency in political contributions, transparency in just about everything except the one thing everyone pays for and no one can live without: food...
Pistachio Nut Salmonella Recall
Posted on March 27, 2009CONSUMER ALERT: FDA is advising consumers not to eat any brand of shelled or unshelled pistachios, or any food products containing pistachios, such as baked goods, trail mix, and other snack foods, until FDA determines which pistachios and pistachio products are affected by the recall being conducted by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc...
Former FDA Executive Says It's Time For A Change
Posted on March 26, 2009A former deputy commissioner for policy at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is among those who support the idea of stripping food safety responsibility from the agency and creating a new Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services...
Pistachio Nut Salmonella Recall
Posted on March 26, 2009An Illinois based candy and nut company has recalled a variety of products containing pistachios that could be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Georgia Nut Company said in a letter to customers that it detected the problem while sampling and testing pistachio nuts from a third-party supplier from California...
Officials Investigate 5 E. coli Cases in Hartford
Posted on March 25, 2009Connecticut health officials have informed officials at Aetna Insurance in downtown Hartford that five employees there have been infected with E. coli bacteria in the past three to four weeks. The Hartford Courant newspaper reported that the cause of the outbreak is still under investigation...
Jersey Company Refuses to Recall Peanut Products
Posted on March 23, 2009The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to eat peanuts and peanut-derived products from a New Jersey company after the firm took the unusual stance of refusing to issue a voluntary product recall. The firm at the center of the controversy is Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc...
Congressional Panel Pounds on King Nut Companies
Posted on March 19, 2009Members of Congress are now leveling criticism at food companies that did business with Peanut Corporation of America without running their own checks on the safety of peanut products they were buying. The calls for wider food safety accountability in the 46-state Salmonella outbreak that has claimed nine lives and sickened more than 700 people came Thursday at a hearing in Washington, D...
Final Update on Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on March 17, 2009The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided what it says is its last formal update on the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to Peanut Corporation of America. Since early September, 691 confirmed cases of the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported in 46 states...
Obama: Food Poisoning Is 'Unacceptable Hazard'
Posted on March 14, 2009Saying that the rise of food poisoning in America has become an "unacceptable hazard to human health,'' President Barack Obama today announced changes designed to streamline and beef up food safety laws and inspection. The president devoted his weekly address to the issue and officially announced Dr...
Connecticut Considering Tougher Regulations on Retail Raw Milk
Posted on March 13, 2009Last summer, an E. coli outbreak linked to raw milk produced at a Simsbury, Connecticut dairy sickened 7 people, two of them toddlers who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening illness that causes kidney failure. In response, the Connecticut General Assembly is considering legislation that puts a few more restrictions on the sale of raw milk: Raw milk would only be able to be 'sold or offered for sale, transferred, exchanged or bartered only on the premises where the retail raw milk was produced' (Sec...
Alfalfa Sprouts Salmonella Outbreak Widens
Posted on March 13, 2009The alfalfa sprouts Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak has widened to at least 100 cases as public health officials in Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas continue to study the source of the outbreak. In Nebraska alone there were 47 laboratory-confirmed illnesses and another 27 probable cases as of Friday...
Sprouts Salmonella Outbreak in Five State
Posted on March 12, 2009State and federal health investigators continue working to establish a definite link between sprouts sold by a Nebraska company and a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak in five states. An epidemiological investigation by the state of Nebraska associated initial illnesses in Nebraska and Iowa with sprouts sold by Omaha-based SunSprout Enterprises Inc...
E. coli Vaccine Given Conditional License
Posted on March 12, 2009The United States Department of Agriculture has given its first approval to a vaccine to reduce E. coli O157:H7 in cattle. The product is made by Willmar, Minnesota,-based Epitopix LLC, a spin-off of Willmar Poultry Co. Other companies have been working on E...
Sprouts Salmonella Outbreak Now in Five States
Posted on March 12, 2009State and federal health investigators continue working to establish a definite link between sprouts sold by a Nebraska company and a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak in five states. An epidemiological investigation by the state of Nebraska associated initial illnesses in Nebraska and Iowa with sprouts sold by Omaha-based SunSprout Enterprises Inc...
FDA Gives Guidance to Industry on Salmonella
Posted on March 11, 2009In response to the ongoing, peanut-derived Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that has killed nine people and sickened 683 others, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published food industry guidance for reducing the bacteria in products containing peanut butter and other peanut-derived ingredients...
Reports Say FDA Has A New Chief
Posted on March 11, 2009Press reports indicate that President Obama has chosen Margaret Hamburg, the fomer New York City health commissioner, to head the troubled Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On the food side of the FDA, the nominee would inherit an agency that has been criticized repeatedly for failing to keep the food supply safe from deadly pathogens...
E. coli Spreads at Chicago Area Daycare Center
Posted on February 25, 2009The Cook County Health Department has mandated that all children and adults at the KinderCare Learning Center in the Village of Lemont, Illinois, be tested for E. coli. Twenty-one children and one adult have become infected with the pathogen in an outbreak that began earlier this month, the Southtown Star newspaper reported...
Seafood Firm Neglected Food Safety Obligations
Posted on February 24, 2009A Minneapolis seafood firm that failed to adhere to food safety laws has been blocked from operating under a ruling in federal court. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the injunction this week against Captain's Select Seafood Inc...
Salmonella Outbreak Spoils Consumer Confidence
Posted on February 23, 2009The Salmonella outbreak caused by Peanut Corporation of America has raised consumer doubts about the safety of our food supply. The University of Minnesota Food Industry Center said that only 22.5 percent of consumers in a recent survey said they were confident that the food supply was safer than a year ago...
Peanut Corporation Ignored Texas Recall Order
Posted on February 21, 2009Peanut Corporation of America apparently ignored an order from theTexas Department of State Health Services to recall all the products ever made at its plant in Plainview, Texas. That's what the state agency said in a press release Friday...
Oklahoma E. coli O111 Outbreak Revisited
Posted on February 21, 2009The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has finished its first round of testing of some 70 private water wells located within a five mile radius of the restaurant that caused a major E. coli O111 outbreak last year. According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the testing is being done as part of the Oklahoma Attorney General's review of what caused the outbreak...
Listeria Advisory Issued for 'Simply Potatoes'
Posted on February 20, 2009A finding of Listeria monocytogenes in a test sample of refrigerated "Simply Potatoes Southwest Style Hash Browns'' prompted the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on Friday to issue a consumer advisory. The agency said in a press release that no illnesses have been associated with the product, but the food company that makes the potatoes issued a voluntary recall including some related products...
Trustee Selected in Peanut Corporation Bankruptcy
Posted on February 18, 2009The U.S. Trustee has appointed a trustee in the bankruptcy/liquidation of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), the company responsible for a nationwide Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 642 people and killed nine. The trustee is Ron Creasy of Roanoke, Va...
More Signs of Salmonella at PCA's Texas Plant
Posted on February 17, 2009A Food and Drug Administration spokesman says there are additional indications that peanut products containing Salmonella also came from the Plainview, Texas, plant of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) Until recently, the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believed the sole source of the nationwide Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak was PCA's plant in Blakely, Georgia, which has been shut down for more than a month...
Ninth Salmonella Victim Was a Dedicated Mom
Posted on February 15, 2009Randy Napier will never forget the strife his mother went through to raise six children on her own -- once working a factory job for 98 cents an hour in the 1960s to hold things together. She was too proud to accept government assistance. "She dedicated her life to raising us,'' Napier told the Akron Beacon Journal of Ohio...
Peanut Corporation of America -- Another Madoff?
Posted on February 15, 2009"What about the rights of the Nellie Napiers? Who's protecting them? By Fred Pritzker MEDINA, Ohio -- Feb. 15, 2009 -- I represent the families of three elderly women who died as a result of complications from Salmonella contracted from peanut butter produced by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA)...
Colorado E. Coli Outbreak Still Growing
Posted on February 14, 2009Denver Public Health has recorded another seven E. coli O157:H7 infections in Colorado, bringing the number of cases there to 27 in an ongoing outbreak. Spokeswoman Dee Martinez told the Denver Post that the health agency's investigation is continuing...
Officials Trace Salmonella Illness to PCA's Texas Plant
Posted on February 14, 2009Health officials in Colorado say they have traced the Salmonella illnesses of six people to the Plainview, Texas, processing plant of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). If the finding holds up, it would widen the scope of the PCA peanut butter Salmonella investigation, which has centered for the past six weeks on the company's plant in Blakely, Georgia...
Peanut Corporation of America Out of Business
Posted on February 13, 2009The main company responsible for a nationwide Salmonella outbreak that has killed nine people and sickened more than 636 others in 44 states has closed its doors for good -- filing for liquidation Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Virginia. The immediate affect on victims of the food poisoning tsunami is unclear, but is not favorable and is likely to create even more public outrage...
Company's Salmonella E-mails Talk Money
Posted on February 12, 2009Two top executives of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) refused to testify Wednesday before a Congressional subcommittee investigating a nationwide Salmonella outbreak that has been associated with nine deaths and more than 600 illnesses...
Texas Calls for Recall of all Peanut Corporation of America Products Shipped from Plainview, Texas Plant
Posted on February 12, 2009A state health department has taken a firm stand against Peanut Corporation of America (pay attention FDA, and you might learn something). From a press release issued today by the Texas Department of State Health Services: The Texas Department of State Health Services today ordered Peanut Corporation of America to recall all products ever shipped from its Plainview plant...
"Cancer Couldn't Claim Her, But Peanut Butter Did"
Posted on February 11, 2009Outraged over the tragic Salmonella death of his 72-year-old mother, Minnesota's Jeffrey Almer gave passionate testimony Wednesday before a Congressional subcommittee that corporate greed and government neglect have led to a food poisoning outbreak that has shattered lives across America...
Keeping Track of an Outbreak
Posted on February 10, 2009With the current Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak in its sixth month, the Associated Press has released a timeline that goes all the way back to 2006. That's when the source of the outbreak – the Blakely, Georgia, processing plant of Peanut Corporation of America – first had problems...
PCA Closes Plainview Plant
Posted on February 10, 2009Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) has closed its Plainview, Texas, plant after lab tests indicated the possible presence of Salmonella in some products. The shutdown comes one month after (PCA) closed its peanut processing plant in Blakely, Georgia...
Federal Agents Raid Peanut Corporation of America
Posted on February 09, 2009The FBI on Monday raided facilities owned by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), the company that federal authorities blame for the nationwide Salmonella outbreak that has been associated with eight deaths, including three in Minnesota. The Associated Press said agents executed search warrants at PCA headquarters in Lynchburg, Virginia, and at the company's idle processing plant in Blakely, Georgia...
Food Safety Changes Proposed in Georgia
Posted on February 09, 2009Food companies in Georgia would be required under a proposed new law to notify state health inspectors within a day if internal tests show a contaminant in a plant. The Georgia Senate Agriculture Committee considered the measure Monday in response to problems uncovered at a peanut processing plant in Blakely, Georgia, that has been blamed for a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak associated with eight deaths...
Peanut Butter Salmonella Hearing Set To Go
Posted on February 08, 2009The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee is set to hold an important hearing Wednesday in Washington, D.C., on the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that has been linked by federal authorities to peanut butter and peanut products made at the Blakely, Georgia, plant of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA)...
Peanut Product Recall Rolls On
Posted on February 07, 2009Dr. Stephen Sundlof of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave testimony this week in which he said more than 1,000 entries have been made into the agency's searchable database for product recalls related to the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak. Products in 16 categories made by more than 75 different companies are in the database and the recall list continues to grow...
Families, School Groups Urged To Take E. coli Precautions on Trips to Livestock Shows, Petting Zoos
Posted on February 06, 2009FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Fred Pritzker 1-888-3777-8900 (toll-free) MINNEAPOLIS, MN – February 6, 2009 – Eating contaminated food is still far and away the most common way for people to become infected with E. coli O157:H7, a deadly pathogen that sickens more than 70,000 Americans each year...
Safety Guidelines for Attending Animal Exhibits
Posted on February 05, 2009The primary reservoir for E. coli O157:H7 is ruminant livestock. And although the most common route of infection in humans is foodborne, a significant number of illnesses each year are caused by contact with animals. With Colorado health officials currently investigating a possible link between a growing number of E...
Stock Show a Denominator in Colorado E. coli Cases
Posted on February 05, 2009Health officials in Denver are investigating a correlation between a growing number of E. coli O157:H7 infections and attendance at the National Western Stock Show. Dr. Chris Urbina of Denver Public Health told the Denver Post that 20 people have been infected with the same strain of E...
Peanut Butter Salmonella Recall Information
Posted on February 04, 2009To ensure that you have the latest, most accurate information on peanut product recalls related to the ongoing Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak, PritzkerOlsen Attorneys presents this database created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
Bloggers Asked to Help in Peanut Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on February 03, 2009With an overwhelming number of peanut product recalls associated with the current Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak, federal government agencies have reached out to bloggers and other non-traditional media to spread the word. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a special teleconference today with help from the U...
Firm to File 2nd Salmonella Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Posted on January 31, 2009Press Release Minneapolis, Minn...
Federal Criminal Investigation of Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on January 30, 2009The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration have launched a joint criminal investigation into the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that federal health officials have said was caused by the Blakely, Georgia, processing plant of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA)...
Peanut Butter Salmonella Case Exposes Loophole
Posted on January 29, 2009Federal lawmakers say they will hold hearings soon to examine ways to strengthen food safety laws to protect against a repeat of food poisoning outbreaks like the current one involving Salmonella Typhimurium and peanut products made at a plant in South Georgia...
Attorney Fred Pritzker Comments on FDA Report of Peanut Corporation of America Sanitation Violations
Posted on January 28, 2009I just reviewed the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection records for the Peanut Corporation of America Blakely, Georgia plant implicated in the national Salmonella outbreak. In ten separate observations, the FDA inspectors noted a series of shocking sanitation violations including: Shipping product after it tested positive for at two separate Salmonella subtypes Failure to clean and sanitize the peanut paste production line after Salmonella was isolated from the product produced on that line Failure to confirm the effectiveness of the heating process designed to kill pathogenic bacteria (including Salmonella) during the production process (the so-called “kill step) Failure to safety store finished product (product that had already been subject to the kill step was stored in close proximity to raw product) and failure to properly clean storage areas) Failure to properly construct and maintain the plant’s roof (resulting in huge gaps that allow rainwater to seep into the plant and onto production areas) Failure to use production equipment capable of being properly cleaned Failure to use a negative pressure ventilation system (negative room pressure would direct air flow away from the finished product areas) and failure to segregate raw and finished product Failure to have properly designated hand cleaning sinks Failure to properly clean utensils and food production equipment Failure to prevent insect and pest contamination By any measure of safety and sanitation, these findings show a callous disregard for consumer health and disease prevention...
Pritzker | Olsen Sues Peanut Butter Maker in Salmonella Death
Posted on January 26, 2009On the same day federal health officials reported more than 500 people in 43 states have been sickened by the same outbreak strain of Salmonella, national food safety law firm Pritzker | Olsen P.A. filed the first wrongful death lawsuit against the Virginia company linked to the outbreak...
Important Information about the Peanut Butter Outbreak From One of America's Leading Food Safety Law Firms
Posted on January 24, 2009Federal and state agencies have confirmed that the sources of the outbreak of illnesses caused by Salmonella Typhimurium are peanut butter and peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant. Peanut butter is sold by PCA in bulk containers ranging in size from five (5) to 1,700 pounds...
Third Minnesotan Dies After Salmonella Infection
Posted on January 23, 2009A third Minnesota nursing home resident has died after becoming infected with the same strain of Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria that is causing hundreds of illnesses nationwide. State Health Department officials told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the woman was in her 80s, but they wouldn't disclose her name nor say what day she died...
Salmonella Found at Peanut Butter Plant
Posted on January 21, 2009Salmonella has been found inside the Blakely, Georgia, peanut processing plant that federal health officials currently consider to be the only source of a 43-state Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that has sickened at least 486 people. The outbreak is ongoing and so far has been associated with six deaths, including the death of Shirley Mae Almer, 72, of Minnesota...
Peanut Butter Crackers Associated With Salmonella
Posted on January 20, 2009The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with certain state health departments, recently conducted a case control study that found an association between the national Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak and pre-packaged peanut butter crackers...
Salmonella Found In Austin Peanut Butter Crackers
Posted on January 19, 2009The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found Salmonella bacteria in an unopened package of Austin Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter -- a grocery and vend item made by Kellogg Company. Kellogg announced the finding and urged consumers to destroy the product, which was already under a recall because Peanut Corporation of America had been a supplier of peanut paste used to make Austin and Keebler snack crackers...
Salmonella Prompts More Peanut Product Recalls
Posted on January 18, 2009The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has established a special web page to list all product recalls associated with the peanut butter Salmonella outbreak that has been associated with six deaths and more than 470 illnesses in 43 states. Joining Kellogg Company with recalls of products containing potentially adulterated ingredients are HyVee Inc...
Peanut Butter Salmonella Probe Expanding
Posted on January 17, 2009In a fast-moving investigation of a deadly, ongoing peanut butter Salmonella outbreak, state and federal health investigators are finding more and more evidence pointing to a Georgia peanut processing plant as the source of the problem. The plant in Blakely, Georgia, has been shut down by its owner, Peanut Corporation of America, as more studies are conducted...
Pritzker Law Sues For Family in Salmonella Death
Posted on January 15, 2009I n the 4-month-old Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that state and federal officials have said is likely being caused by contaminated peanut butter, Shirley Mae Almer of Minnesota was the first infected patient to die...
Food Safety Lawyer Voices Call to Action
Posted on January 13, 2009Leading food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker has watched the multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium unfold from his front-row seat in Minneapolis. It was the Minnesota departments of Health and Agriculture that once again traced what is believed to be the problem: Tainted King Nut brand peanut butter sold to non-retail food service accounts such as nursing homes, hospitals, schools, restaurants and other commercial kitchens...
Salmonella Outbreak May Have Contributed to 3 Deaths
Posted on January 12, 2009Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak Update Health investigators in Minnesota have confirmed that Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria found in a five-pound tub of King Nut creamy peanut butter genetically matches the strains of Salmonella associated with an outbreak of 410 illnesses in 43 states...
Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak Update
Posted on January 11, 2009Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak The latest information from the CDC: 399 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 42states.The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (1), Arizona (8), Arkansas (3), California (55), Colorado (9), Connecticut (6), Georgia (5), Hawaii (1), Idaho (10), Illinois (4), Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Kansas (2), Kentucky (3), Maine (3), Maryland (7), Massachusetts (39), Michigan (20), Minnesota (30), Missouri (8), Nebraska (1), New Hampshire (10), New Jersey (13), New York (12), Nevada (6), North Carolina (1), North Dakota (10), Ohio (53), Oklahoma (2), Oregon (5), Pennsylvania (12), Rhode Island (3), South Dakota (2), Tennessee (9), Texas (5), Utah (3), Vermont (4), Virginia (12),Washington (11), West Virginia (2), Wisconsin (3), and Wyoming (2)...
Minnesota Ties Peanut Butter to Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on January 09, 2009Minnesota health investigators have found preliminary evidence that could tie five-pound tubs of King Nut brand creamy peanut butter to the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened almost 400 people in 42 states. Thirty of the 388 confirmed cases in the outbreak are in Minnesota, where a woman in her 70s died after getting sick from the bacteria...
Officials Working "Vigorously" to Find Outbreak Source
Posted on January 08, 2009The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday it is working "vigorously'' to identify the specific contaminated product that is causing a national outbreak of Salmonella Thyphimurium. The CDC's written update on the 4-month-old outbreak did not specify what food or foods are being looked at as a potential cause...
Multi-State Salmonella Outbreak Under Investigation
Posted on January 07, 2009The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with health officials from several states, is trying to identify the source of an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium that has sickened more than 300 people. Reports varied slightly Wednesday on the scope of the outbreak...
Inmates Beware: Hooch Carries Risk of Botulism
Posted on January 06, 2009After reviewing the circumstances around food poisoning in five California prison inmates who drank illicit, homemade pruno, a group of health experts wants convicts across the country to be warned that jailhouse hooch carries the risk of botulism...
Listeria Concern Triggers Large Recall of Bacon Bits
Posted on January 03, 2009A 120-year-old Wisconsin company is recalling 3,590 pounds of bacon bits that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced late Saturday. The smoked, pre-cooked bacon bits were made by Patrick Cudahy of Cudahy, Wisconsin, on Nov...
Legal Requirements for Proving Foodborne Illness
Posted on January 03, 2009A recent California court case resulted in a good, common-sense decision that bodes well for people who litigate claims of foodborne illness against restuarants. Fred Pritzker, whose law firm is one of the few in the country to practice extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation, offers his analysis of the case in the paragraphs below...
CDC Warning: Do Not Consume Raw Milk
Posted on January 01, 2009The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new food safety warning against consumption of raw milk and any products made from it. The CDC's latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reviewed an October 2007 outbreak of illness caused by Campylobacter jejuni to illustrate that unpasteurized milk and cheese and other products made from it carry the risk of infection from milkborne pathogens...
Listeria Concern Prompts Burrito Recall
Posted on December 31, 2008Burritos made in Denver and sold at retail convenience stores on Dec. 24 and 25 have been recalled by the maker after tests by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) determined they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The FSIS said in a press release that Home Fresh Sandwich Distributors Inc...
The Year in E. coli: Major Outbreaks of 2008
Posted on December 30, 2008In 2008, large-scale corporate farms and centralized production facilities continued to play a major role in America's E. coli problem. But by far the largest E. coli outbreak of the year was centered at a lone family restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma...
E. coli Rate Rises Again in Ground Beef Sample Tests
Posted on December 27, 2008For the third year in a row, the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef has increased in sample tests conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). A review of the latest 2008 FSIS data by Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation, indicates that ...
St. Louis Meat Company Recalls Sausage
Posted on December 26, 2008Routine testing found Listeria monocytogenes at a St. Louis sausage shop, prompting a recall on Christmas Day of 750 pounds of product sold over the shop's retail counter in unmarked butcher paper. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service detected the bacteria and announced the recall of 750 pounds of various sizes of Krakow sausage from T...
Health Officials Rule Out Water in E. coli Case
Posted on December 23, 2008Health officials in Solano County, California, have ruled out the municipal water supply in the town of Dixon as the potential source of an E. coli infection that killed a 15-year-old boy who lived there. In early December, part of Dixon was put under a boil water advisory after a utility pipe broke and E...
Food Safety Tips to Keep the "Happy" in Holidays
Posted on December 21, 2008Nothing kills the after-glow of a holiday gathering worse than a case of food poisoning that you picked up from your aunt's under-cooked turkey or your brother-in-law's homemade egg nog. So, to help keep everyone festive throughout the holidays, the food safety experts at Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates offer the following guidelines to keep your kitchens merry...
California Child Dies of E. coli Infection
Posted on December 20, 2008Public health officials in Solano County, California, are investigating what caused an E. coli infection that killed a young child from Dixon, a town that was under a boil water advisory in early December. The officials aren't releasing any identifying information about the child for privacy reasons...
Ohio Firm Recalls Sausage in Response to Listeria
Posted on December 19, 2008One-pound packages of Sopressata mild sausage may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and are being recalled by DeNiro Cheese of Youngstown, Ohio, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said late Friday...
Melamine Discovery Prompts Recall of Biscuits
Posted on December 18, 2008The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) found melamine in test samples of biscuits sold by a company from Vietnam, a discovery that has prompted a recall of four varieties of Wonderfarm brand biscuits. Tests conducted by the MDA laboratory found several of the cookies had melamine levels that exceeded the U...
Listeria Prompts Company To Suspend Production
Posted on December 14, 2008A Framingham, Mass., food company has suspended manufacturing of its imitation cream cheese and imitation peanut butter as it investigates what caused Listeria monocytogenes to contaminate a test sample. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in news release that Cambrooke Foods LLC also is recalling all batches of the imitation cream cheese and "Peanot Butter'' from distributors' shelves and consumers' kitchens...
U.S. To Start Random Melamine Tests On Some Food
Posted on December 12, 2008The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said this week it will begin testing sample batches of meat and poultry products to check for melamine, a chemical contaminant in food that has sickened more than 50,000 Chinese children this year...
Study Finds Gaps in Food Safety
Posted on December 09, 2008Twenty states and Washington, D.C., did not meet or exceed the national average for identifying the pathogens responsible for foodborne disease outbreaks, according to a newly released study of America's preparedness for health emergencies. The sixth annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism report said the national average for states finding the causitive agent in food poisoning outbreaks is 44 percent of the time...
FDA Food Protection Plan Doesn't Satisfy DeLauro
Posted on December 05, 2008The U.S. congresswoman who chairs the House Agriculture-FDA Appropriations Subcommittee remains convinced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be stripped of its food safety responsibility. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who also sits on the influential House Appropriations and Budget Committee, repeated her criticism of the FDA this week, just days after the agency said it was making progress under the Food Protection Plan it launched in 2007 to improve its effectiveness...
Rare Bacterial Infection Strikes 2 Infants in New Mexico
Posted on December 03, 2008State and national health officials are investigating how two babies in New Mexico became infected by Enterobacter sakazakii, a bacteria that has been associated in the past with powdered infant formula. One of the kids, a 7-month-old boy from Holloman Air Force Base in Otero County, died Nov...
Nebraska Hospital Sued Over E coli Misdiagnosis
Posted on December 02, 2008Doctors in Nebraska misdiagnosed an elderly woman who was afflicted by E. coli O157:H7 and have refused to change the cause of death on her death certificate, according to a lawsuit filed by family members. Nebraska state epidemiologist Dr...
FDA Heralds Progress in Food Safety
Posted on December 01, 2008The government agency in charge of safekeeping more than 50 percent of America's food supply issued a statement Monday touting progress on several fronts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is no stranger to criticism about its inspection of food plants and its prevention of foodborne illnesses...
Listeria Test Prompts Sandwich Recall
Posted on November 29, 2008A Massachusetts company has recalled 5,250 pounds of "Blimpie" ready-to-eat frozen beef sandwich portions because they may be contaminated with Llisteria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced late Friday...
Pot Pie Salmonella Case Raises Microwaving Concerns
Posted on November 27, 2008Companies and regulators should consider studying whether microwave cooking is safe for certain not-ready-to-eat frozen foods, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week in a report on the 2007 national Salmonella outbreak associated with Banquet pot pies...
E. coli Threat Prompts Burger Recall in New Jersey
Posted on November 25, 2008A government sampling procedure at a food company in New Jersey indicated that certain ground beef products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a finding that has prompted the firm to recall 345 pounds of the meat. The announcement Tuesday by the U...
Promising Shigella Vaccine Licensed to Non-Profit
Posted on November 24, 2008A promising Shigella vaccine developed at the University of Maryland in Baltimore could make its way into developing nations to treat sick children now that it has been licensed to a non-profit group funded in part by Bill and Melinda Gates. The deal was announced in a press release Monday by the university's School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development...
Feds Sue Raw Milk Producer To Stop Shipments
Posted on November 22, 2008The federal government is suing a California organic dairy producer, alleging that the company labeled shipments of unpasteurized milk as "pet food'' even though the product was intended for human consumption. The U.S. Justice Department, in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration, filed the lawsuit earlier this week in an effort to ban Organic Pastures Dairy Co...
Mutant Version of E. Coli Found in British Herd
Posted on November 19, 2008A new version of E. coli 026 that is resistant to families of antibiotics, including penicillins, has been found on a British dairy farm for the first time. The emergence of the so-called superbug, announced this week in minutes of a meeting of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, is thought by some to be related to heavy use of antibiotics on farms...
Study: Regulatory Response to Outbreak Was Broken
Posted on November 17, 2008Federal agencies provided a slow and disjointed response to the multi-state Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak of 2008, a combination of shortcomings that left Americans vulnerable to the sickness for too long and unduly hurt fortunes in the tomato industry, according to an academic report released Monday From its inception in late May to its official end on Aug...
Iowa College Still Passionate About Irradiation
Posted on November 16, 2008Fifteen years have passed since Iowa State University first launched its Linear Accelerator Facility, but animal science professors at the school are still passionate about their study of irradiation of meat and other food. The use of irradiation destroys most microorganisms and decreases the chance of potentially deadly E...
PETA Wants Meat-Eaters to Pay More For Insurance
Posted on November 15, 2008The largest current outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infection in North America appears to be centered in southeastern Ontario, where health officials suspect that the disease is spreading via romaine lettuce. Given that possibility and the fact that other widespread foodborne illness cases in the past two years have been linked to veggies, officials at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) may have a hole in their argument when it comes to urging the health insurance industry to raise rates for meat-eaters...
Food Plant Closes 16 Months After Botulism Outbreak
Posted on November 14, 2008The Castleberry's canning plant that spawned a rare foodborne botulism outbreak last year was permanently closed by its owner Friday after 82 years of operation in Augusta, Georgia. Television stations in the area reported that all 327 employees of the plant will lose their jobs...
Maine School Fighting Hepatitis A
Posted on November 13, 2008School officials and health workers in Kennebunkport, Maine, continue to fight an outbreak of Hepatitis A that began in September. The most recent case was confirmed last week in a fourth student at Conoslidated School. The confirmation came just one day after most of the student body and staff received vaccine delivered by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...
Two E. coli Cases Confirmed in Tennessee
Posted on November 12, 2008Health officials in Tennessee have launched an intensive food poisoning investigation, interviewing more than 180 sick people and confirming two cases of E. coli O157:H7. The Elk Valley Times newspaper in Fayetteville, Tenn., reported Wednesday that state laboratory tests confirmed two E...
Link Suspected Between E. coli Cases in U.S., Canada
Posted on November 10, 2008Southern California is 2,100 miles away from southeastern Ontario, but health officials have found a genetic match between 21 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 in Canada and five E. coli cases in Southern California, South Dakota and New Jersey. The Canadian cases are located in a tight geographical cluster between Halton, Niagara and Waterloo, Ontario...
E. coli Fears Prompt Youth Football Cancellations
Posted on November 10, 2008The presence of elk droppings on the football field at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County, Colo., prompted local health officials over the weekend to cancel youth-league games. The concern stemmed from recent findings that eight confirmed E...
Listeria in Hot Dogs Prompts Recall
Posted on November 08, 2008More than 28,000 pounds of hot dogs made in Alabama are being recalled by the manufacturer after regulatory testing found the meat products could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recall was announced Saturday, Nov. 8, by the USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) after the problem was discovered by the Georgia State Department of Agriculture...
Two Children With HUS Survive, Leave Iowa Hospital
Posted on November 06, 2008A 5-year-old boy from Illinois and a 7-year-old girl from Iowa have been released from University of Iowa Children's Hospital after battling severe complications from E. coli O157:H7 infections over the course of a month.. Health officials say the two cases are among a recent cluster of six confirmed E...
Home-Canned Beans Lead to Botulism in Ohio
Posted on November 03, 2008Three members of an Ohio family who ate home-canned green beans and became poisoned with Botulism are in their seventh week of hospitalization, but steadily recovering. This weekend, more than 400 people attended a medical fundraiser for the trio at St...
Shigella Advisory Issued in Michigan County
Posted on November 02, 2008Health officials in Muskegon County, Michigan, have issued an illness advisory after lab tests confirmed that several people got sick from the same strain of Shigella bacteria. The county's press release said the lab tests were done as part of an investigation into an abnormal rise in gastrointestinal illness reports...
Petting Zoo of Interest in E. coli Cases
Posted on November 02, 2008A petting zoo in Greenville, N.C., has been temporarily closed as a precaution while health officials investigate the cause of at least two recently confirmed E. coli infections in children. The infections were among several identified last week by the Beaufort County Health Department...
8 Children Contract E. coli in the Evergreen Mountain Area (Colorado)
Posted on November 01, 2008Jefferson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is investigating a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 infections in 8 children, aged 4-12 years of age, in the Evergreen mountain area...
Iowa Sees Spike in E. coli Cases
Posted on November 01, 2008Iowa health officials have confirmed an unusually high number of E. coli O157:H7 infections in the state since late September, prompting them to remind residents of ways to reduce the risk of contamination. In a press release Friday, the Iowa Department of Public Health said most of the 29 cases do not appear to be related...
Restaurant Closes After Salmonella Sickens 20
Posted on November 01, 2008As health officials in the area of Syracuse, N.Y., continue to investigate the source of a Salmonella outbreak at a popular restaurant, the owners of the establishment have closed it until Friday for an intense cleaning, overhaul of food safety practices and testing of employees...
Officials in Iowa Warn Against Drinking Raw Cider
Posted on October 30, 2008Health officials in Iowa are hinting that consumption of unpasteurized apple cider may be associated with at least one of five recently confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 in the southeast part of the state Patricia Quinlisk, medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, told The Hawk Eye newspaper in Burlington that authorities won't release the source of a communicable disease unless it poses an immediate health risk to the public...
New drug could help neutralize toxins from E. coli
Posted on October 29, 2008Scientists from Canada and Japan have designed a drug that they envision could be used in the future with antibiotics to treat the most severe E. coli infections. Their study, summarized in the Oct. 28 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, says the drug protected mice from potentially deadly and exceptionally potent injections of Shiga toxins produced by E...
Sweet and Sour Bambi?
Posted on October 27, 2008Health officials in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., are expected to decide this week whether to permanently shut down a local Chinese restaurant where workers reportedly were butchering a deer in the kitchen. The China King restaurant in the Town of Hamburg has been closed since the incident happened late last week...
Two children hospitalized in Iowa with HUS
Posted on October 24, 2008A 7-year-old girl from southeastern Iowa and a 5-year-old boy from neighboring Illinois have been hospitalized with complications from E. coli 0157:H7. The two children are among four people in the area who have confirmed cases of E. coli infection. Health officials in both states have not determined the source of the illnesses...
Colorado E. coli Outbreak Sickens 14 People
Posted on October 23, 2008The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is investigating an E. coli outbreak that has been associated with a Jimmy John’s in Boulder, Colorado. Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) began investigating the Colorado E. coli outbreak in September when 7 students and a sorority adviser at the University of Colorado at Boulder became ill...
Four E. coli cases confirmed in Iowa, Illinois
Posted on October 22, 2008Health officials in southeast Iowa and neighboring Illinois have confirmed four cases of E. coli O157:H7, with the latest case confirmed by the Hancock County Health Department in Illinois on Thursday. Health officials have not determined the source of the illnesses...
USDA Should Prohibit Use of Distillers' Grain as Cattle Feed
Posted on October 20, 2008A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study has shown “conclusively that there is a link between distillers’ grain [ethanol by-product] and the prevalence of E. coli,” according to University of Minnesota associate professor Francisco Diez, who was interviewed by Minnesota Public Radio for a report on the USDA study...
Snohomish County E. coli Cases May be Connected
Posted on October 20, 2008Snohomish County health officials are investigating at least 6 cases of E. coli that may be related. According to the Seattle Times: Dr. Gary Goldbaum says that while at least six cases have been confirmed, health officials still don't know what caused people to become ill...
Vermont Hamburger Recall Prompted by E. coli Outbreak
Posted on October 17, 2008Vermont Livestock, Slaughter and Processing Co., LLC, a Ferrisburg, Vermont firm, has recalled approximately 2,758 pounds of ground beef products because they may be contaminated with O157:H7www.pritzkerlaw.com/escherichia-coli-O157/. Vermont health officials have confirmed 10 cases of E...
IHOP Salmonella Outbreak Update
Posted on October 16, 2008Our law firm is representing several victims of a Texas Salmonella outbreak linked to The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) on Western Street in Amarillo, Texas. Health officials have linked 25 cases of Salmonella poisoning to a September IHOP Salmonella outbreak and more than 100 to a June IHOP Salmonella outbreak...
Vermont E. coli Outbreak Linked to Ground Beef Served at Restaurants
Posted on October 16, 2008Eight Vermont E. coli O157:H7 cases have been linked to ground beef served at three Vermont restaurants, according to the Vermont Department of Health. These eight confirmed cases — including a child who was hospitalized, but has been released — had E...
Update to E. coli Outbreak Associated with Aunt Mid's Lettuce
Posted on October 15, 2008The Michigan Department of Community Health has provided a nice summary of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has been associated with iceberg lettuce distributed by Aunt Mid’s Produce Company. Below is the information from the MDCH. 1...
E. coli Takes the Lives of Two Children in Kansas
Posted on October 14, 2008Two children in Kansas have died from E. coli infections. According to the Kansas Department of Health, the E. coli deaths are not related, and health officials have not determined the source of either E. coli infection. According to a KSN-TV: It is not known how 18-month-old Tanner Strickland, of Liberal, who passed away Wednesday, contracted the bacteria...
Aunt Mid's Lettuce Came from California
Posted on October 10, 2008Not surprisingly, Michigan agriculture officials have determined that iceberg lettuce associated with an E. coli outbreak that has sickened people in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Canada came from California, which produces the majority of the commercial lettuce in the United States...
Young Victim of Oklahoma E. coli O111 Outbreak Recovering
Posted on October 08, 2008A 20-month-old little girl is recovering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), an illness she developed after contracting an E. coli O111 infection. She stayed in the hospital for 12 days and needed dialysis treatment to get her kidneys working again...
Meat Served at Forest Ranch Fundraiser Tests Positive for E. coli O157:H7
Posted on October 07, 2008Butte County Public Health continues its investigation of a California E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak that sickened at least twenty-seven people. The outbreak occurred among attendees of an event held in the community of Forest Ranch on September 6. The event was a fundraiser for the Forest Ranch Volunteer Fire Department...
Source of Amarillo, Texas IHOP Salmonella Outbreak Found: Pritzker Law Firm Representing Victims
Posted on October 07, 2008Health officials have found the source of the Amarillo, Texas IHOP Salmonella outbreak, the warming bath that the restaurant used to keep the syrup warm. Health officials found the outbreak-strain of Salmonella in a culture taken from the warming bath...
Michigan E. coli: Evidence and Liability
Posted on October 06, 2008The Michigan E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with iceberg lettuce distributed by Aunt Mid’s Produce Company has sickened at least 34 people. At least 6 people in Illinois have also been sickened in this outbreak. According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, some of the Michigan cases consumed shredded or chopped iceberg lettuce in restaurants or institutions purchased from Aunt Mid's Produce Company, a Detroit-based wholesale distributor...
University of Colorado E. coli Outbreak
Posted on October 02, 2008Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) is investigating an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has sickened at least eight people, seven of them students at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU). The investigation began September 23rd. Health officials have not determined the source of the outbreak, but initial investigations indicate that on-campus dining is not related to the illness...
Illinois E. coli O157:H7 Cases Associated with Aunt Mid's Produce Company
Posted on September 30, 2008The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has identified Aunt Mid’s Produce Company as the distributor of iceberg lettuce consumed by six Illinois residents during late August to mid-September who have been diagnosed with E coli 0157. The Michigan Department of Community Health has also identified Aunt Mid’s Produce Company as one of the wholesale processors who sold institutional-sized iceberg lettuce to establishments which served 26 people who were diagnosed with the same strain of E coli...
Aunt Mid's Lettuce Associated with Multi-State Outbreak
Posted on September 27, 2008Health officials have associated cases of E. coli O157:H7 with bagged, industrial-sized packages of iceberg lettuce sold to restaurants and institutions by Aunt Mid's Produce Company, a Detroit-based wholesale distributor. Health officials have indicated that additional distributors may be involved in this E...
24 Michigan E. coli Cases Linked to Cases in Illinois, New York, Ohio and Oregon
Posted on September 26, 2008Seven MSU E. coli O157:H7 cases have been linked by genetic testing to 17 additional cases of E. coli throughout the state of Michigan. The Michigan E. coli cases are located as follows: 7 students at MSU 3 students at Michigan University 5 inmates at Lenawee County Jail 3 people in Macomb County 2 people in Wayne County 2 people in Kent County 1 person in St...
Aurora, Colorado Home Daycare Associated with E. coli Death and Illness
Posted on September 26, 2008Last week a 3-year-old boy from Aurora, Colorado died after contracting an E. coli infection. The boy attended an unlicensed home daycare center in Aurora, Colorado. Health officials have focused their investigation on the home daycare center, which has been closed...
Six-Year-Old E. coli Victim Fighing For Her Life
Posted on September 24, 2008The E. coli outbreak associated with a barbecue benefit for volunteer firefighters in Forest Ranch, California has sickened at least 21 people, according to health officials. Four people were hospitalized, one of them a six-year-old girl. This little girl is fighting for her life at the U...
Colorado Toddler Dies from E. coli O157:H7 Infection
Posted on September 24, 2008A 3-year-old Aurora, Colorado boy died from an E. coli O157:H7 infection. Health officials are focusing their investigation on the toddler’s child-care facility, an unlicensed home day care: Health officials are focusing on a home child-care facility as the possible source of an aggressive type of E...
Six-Year-Old E. coli Victim Fighting For Her Life
Posted on September 24, 2008The E. coli outbreak associated with a barbecue benefit for volunteer firefighters in Forest Ranch, California has sickened at least 21 people, according to health officials. Four people were hospitalized, one of them a six-year-old girl. This little girl is fighting for her life at the U...
Child in Colorado Dies from E. coli Poisoning
Posted on September 21, 2008The Tri-County Health Department officed in Greenwood Village, Colorado has reported that it is investigating the death of a 3 1/2-year-old Aurora boy who died from E. coli poisoning. Most of the E. coli outbreaks in the last several weeks have been caused by contaminated beef products...
Beef Tri-Tip Source of Forest Ranch, California E. coli Outbreak
Posted on September 20, 2008As we predicted, beef tri-tip is the source of the E. coli outbreak that has sickened attendees of a BBQ Benefit in Forest Ranch, California. The BBQ Benefit took place on Saturday, September 13, 2008 at Fire Station 24. Beef processors have recalled millions of pounds of beef products in the last several months...
Amarillo IHOP Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on September 20, 2008For the second time this year, the Amarillo IHOP on Western Street has been associated with a Salmonella outbreak. According to the Amarillo Public Health and Environmental Health departments, the outbreak has sickened at least 10 people, and 7 of those ate at the IHOP located at 2100 S...
E. coli Outbreak Associated with Barbecue for Volunteer Fire Stations
Posted on September 19, 2008Saturday, September 13, 2008, the community of Forest Ranch, California gathered for a benefit barbecue for volunteer fire Station 24 and Station 23. What attendees did not know was that deadly E. coli bacteria had contaminated some of the food. According to Butte County health officials, at least 13 people were sickened, 4 of them seriously...
Michigan State Univeristy E. coli Outbreak Update
Posted on September 18, 2008At least 10 Michigan State University (MSU) students have been hospitalized with E. coli O157:H7 infections. The Ingham County Health Department has reported that 4 additional students may also have E. coli infections. If the food source of this MSU E...
Forest Ranch, California E. coli Outbreak
Posted on September 18, 2008According to news reports, health officials in Butte County, California have associated an E. coli outbreak in Forest Ranch, CA with a fundraiser that was held in Forest Ranch earlier this month. At least 4 people contracted E. coli infections after attending the fundraiser, which was held to raise money for a volunteer fire station in Forest Ranch...
10 Michigan State University Students Contract E. coli Infections
Posted on September 17, 200810 Michigan State University (MSU) students have contracted E. coli O157:H7 infections. The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is investigating this outbreak. To date, health officials have not uncovered the source of this outbreak. Because students make their food purchases on campus with a MSU card, health officials can determine what the students ate and where...
Ladies' Tea at Bethany Free Will Baptist Church in Broken Arrow, OK May Hold Key to Source of E. coli 0111 Outbreak
Posted on September 15, 2008As part of the investigation into the E. coli 0111 outbreak linked to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), the Tulsa Health Department, and a team from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating an event catered by the Country Cottage restaurant at the Bethany Free Will Baptist Church in Broken Arrow, OK on Aug...
Campylobacter Outbreak Associated with Hendricks Farm & Dairy in Franconia, PA
Posted on September 15, 2008Since September 1, at least seven confirmed cases of Campylobacter have been associated with drinking raw milk from Hendricks Farm & Dairy in Franconia, PA, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The people sickened live in unrelated households in Pennsylvania and in a neighboring state...
Alaska Campylobacter Outbreak Traced to Pea Farm
Posted on September 13, 2008According to the Anchorage Daily News, a Campylobacter outbreak that has sickened 18 in Alaska has been traced back to Mat-Valley Peas in Palmer, Alaska. The 18 people became sick starting August 1 after eating raw peas. The pea farm sells the product in 5 and 10-pound bags with clear cooking instructions, which under most circumstances would have prevented the bacterial outbreak...
Raw Cream Campylobacter Recall
Posted on September 13, 2008Organic Pastures of Fresno County, California is recalling Grade A raw cream due to the detection of Campylobacter in the product. According to KCRA, the recall is statewide, and affects all products of Grade A raw cream from the company that is dated Sept...
Locust Grove E. coli 0111 Outbreak Update
Posted on September 11, 2008According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), at least 231 persons have become ill as the result of an E. coli 0111 outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma that has been linked to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma. Of that number, 185 were adults, 43 were children and the ages of three cases have not yet been confirmed...
Food Poisoning and E coli are Popular Google Searches
Posted on September 09, 2008The most popular Google searches are not "food poisoning" and "e coli," according to Google's Zeitgeist. This is good. But according to the Google Adwords keyword tool, "food poisoning" was searched on Google 165,000 times and "e coli" was searched 246,000 times in August...
Investigation into Oklahoma E. coli 0111 Outbreak Continues
Posted on September 08, 2008The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), with the aid of 3 CDC staff, interviewed an additional 310 people over the weekend who ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK, from August 15 through August 17. Over 200 people who ate at the restaurant on these dates contracted E...
Sprouters Northwest Alfalfa Sprout Recall Due to Salmonella Risk
Posted on September 06, 2008Sprouters Northwest, Inc. of Kent, Washington has recalled alfalfa sprouts, onion sprouts, and salad sprouts because they may be linked to a recent Salmonella Typhimirium outbreak in Oregon and Washington State. To date, 13 cases of Salmonella Typhimirium infection have been associated with the consumption of raw alfalfa sprouts...
More Interviews May Lead to Source of E. coli 0111 Outbreak
Posted on September 05, 2008The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) said today it has determined the need to interview about 320 additional persons as part of its ongoing investigation into the source of an E. coli 0111 outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma. The E...
Oklahoma E. coli 0111 Outbreak Update
Posted on September 04, 2008Many of the persons who were hospitalized as a result of the Oklahoma E. coli 0111 outbreak have recovered and are being released from area hospitals. State health officials believe the total number of persons hospitalized at the peak of the outbreak exceeded 50; about 27 are currently hospitalized...
La Clarita Queseria, Queso Fresco (Fresh Cheese) Recalled Due to Possible E. coli Contamination
Posted on September 02, 2008The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets alerted consumers to a recall of La Clarita Queseria, Queso Fresco (Fresh Cheese) because it may be contaminated with E. coli. The recalled cheese is contained a foil-wrapped, 14-oz. net weight package with a code of Sept...
Oklahoma E. coli 0111 Outbreak Not Caused by Well Water
Posted on September 02, 2008An Oklahoma E. coli 0111 outbreak has sickened over 200 people. The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has linked the outbreak to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma. Last week, news reports indicated that the source of the outbreak may have been the restaurant's well water...
Oklahoma E. coli 0111 Outbreak Sickens over 100 People and Kills One
Posted on August 29, 2008The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has notified the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) that it has identified E. coli 0111 from laboratory specimens CDC has analyzed as part of the ongoing investigation into the diarrheal illness outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma linked to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma...
Two Infants Strangled to Death in Simplicity Bassinets
Posted on August 29, 2008This is a food poisoning blog, and we usually only report on food recalls, but we feel that it is important to notify our readers that two infants have died in Simplicity bassinets. The company that purchased Simplicity assets at auction in April of this year refuses to recall the Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible "Close-Sleeper" bassinets involved in the deaths because the company claims it is not responsible for the deaths...
Toddler Struggles to Fight E. Coli
Posted on August 29, 2008A young boy from Nebraska is in Colorado with a serious E. coli infection. The boy, only 21 months old, became sick on August 10. According to The North Platte Bulletin, the toddler had diarrhea and was taken to the Perkins County Community Hospital, but was moved to the Great Plains Regional Medical Center after becoming severely dehydrated...
Oklahoma E. coli Kills One and Three on Dialysis after Developing Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
Posted on August 28, 2008The Oklahoma State Department of Health has reported that the outbreak that has resulted in one death and dozens sickened is an E. coli outbreak. The Oklahoma State Department of Health's public health laboratory found "a type of E. coli bacteria" in 10 patient specimens tested...
Ohio Confirms Contaminated Sandwich
Posted on August 28, 2008Capitol Blog reports that the Ohio Department of Agriculture has confirmed a contaminated submarine sandwich with Listeria monocytogenes. The sandwich was discovered at a Circle K store in Willoughby, Ohio. Although the sandwich tested positive for Listeria, there have been no illnesses associated with that particular sandwich or any others at this point...
Update Regarding Country Cottage E. coli Food Poisoning
Posted on August 28, 2008The Oklahoma State Department of Health has issued an update regarding the E. coli outbreak that has been linked to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma. According to the update: The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has narrowed the focus of its investigation into a severe diarrheal outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK...
South Dakota Boy Fights HUS
Posted on August 27, 2008A family from Brandon, South Dakota is learning the hard way about the dangers associated with E. coli. Their four-year-old son was diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which is usually caused by E. coli. HUS can lead to kidney failure and possibly death...
Outbreak Linked to Country Cottage May Be E. coli
Posted on August 26, 2008The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has issued an update of what appears to be an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has been associated with the Country Cottage restaurant in Lotus Grove, Oklahoma. The Country Cottage "E. coli" outbreak may have sickened over 50 people...
Death of Oklahoma Man Possibly Caused by E. coli
Posted on August 26, 2008A 26-year-old newlywed from Pryor, Oklahoma died on Sunday from what appears to be an E. coli O157:H7 infection. As a law firm that practices in the area of E. coli litigation, we feel that we have a responsibility to do our part to make people aware of the dangers of E...
Outbreak Associated with Country Cottage Restaurant in Locust Grove, OK
Posted on August 25, 2008The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) published a press release today regarding the outbreak of diarrheal illness that has been associated with the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, OK. The following is the press release: The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is investigating an outbreak of severe diarrheal illness among residents of several northeastern Oklahoma communities...
Oklahoma E. coli Outbreak Linked to Locust Grove Restaurant
Posted on August 25, 2008One person in Oklahoma has died from what appears to be E. coli food poisoning. At least 14 others have been hospitalized with symptoms of E. coli. The Oklahoma State Department of Health is also investigating at least 20 other cases of diarrhea that may be E...
EcoDairy Farms Raw Milk Associated with California Campylobacter Outbreak
Posted on August 19, 2008Health officials have associated raw milk from Alexandre Family EcoDairy Farms, a Del Norte County, California dairy with an outbreak of Campylobacter . The Del Norte County Department of Public Health has confirmed 3 cases of Campylobacter infection and is awaiting the results for 12 additional cases...
Indiana Warns Against E. Coli Threat
Posted on August 18, 2008Health officials have warned residents of Delaware County, Indiana, that the county has had 8 cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection since July. Health officials have been unable to identify the source or sources of the infections. Interviews of those sickened has not led to a common food or restaurant...
Nebraska Beef Expands Recall
Posted on August 14, 2008The USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has determined that the production practices employed by Nebraska Beef, Ltd., on June 24 were insufficient to effectively control E. coli O157:H7. According to FSIS, the products subject to the expansion may have been produced under insanitary conditions...
Whole Foods Market and Coleman Natural Foods Caught up in E. coli Outbreak
Posted on August 12, 2008Thank you, Annys Shin of the Washington Post, for your update on the E. coli outbreaks linked to Nebraska Beef and the Whole Foods Market and Coleman Natural Foods connection: Nebraska Beef, an Omaha meat packer, has been linked to two separate outbreaks of E...
Nebraska Beef, Ltd and Coleman Brand Ground Beef. Associated with Cases in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illnois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia
Posted on August 11, 2008An E. coli outbreak that has sickened people in at least 12 states and Cananda has been associated with Nebraska Beef, Ltd. beef products that were sold under the Coleman brand. As a result, Nebraska Beef recalled 1.2 million pounds of ground beef...
Another Case of E. Coli Confirmed in Massachusetts
Posted on August 08, 2008The Massachusetts Department of Public Health today confirms another E. coli case linked to ground beef. This new case brings the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 7. Investigators found that the seven individuals had eaten ground beef purchased from Whole Foods Markets in July...
S & S Foods Ground Beef Recall
Posted on August 07, 2008S&S Foods LLC., a California company, is recalling approximately 153,630 pounds of frozen bulk ground beef because the beef may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The recalled ground beef was sold in 30 pound boxes and was intended for food service and institutional use...
Massachusetts Roller Sandwich Recall
Posted on August 07, 2008A Massachusetts Department of Public Health press release warns consumers about a possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination in ready-to-eat roller sandwiches produced by DBC, Inc. (also known as World Class Canapes, Inc.). The sandwiches were distributed to Roche Brothers and Sudbury Farms stores in Massachusetts...
The Differences in Milk
Posted on August 04, 2008A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association shows that there is very little difference between conventional, rbST-free, and organic milk. Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) is a synthetic version of natural bovine somatotropin (bST, also known as bovine growth hormone) which is produced in the pituitary glands of cattle...
Beef From Boy Scout Camp Tests Positive For E. Coli
Posted on August 04, 2008The Washington Post reports today that beef collected from a Boy Scout camp in Goshen, Virginia has tested positive for E. coli. The camp, located near Lexington, Virginia, shut down yesterday due to an increasing number of sick campers. At least 18 people who attended the camp two weeks ago tested positive for E...
Massachusetts Investigating Six E. Coli Cases
Posted on August 04, 2008According to The Boston Channel, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is investigating six related cases of E. coli O157:H7. The source of contamination has not yet been identified, but officials think the cases may be linked to beef products...
Ground Beef May Be Source of Goshen Scout Camp E. coli Outbreak in Virginia
Posted on August 02, 2008According to the Virginia Department of Health, ground beef may be the source of the E. coli outbreak associated with Goshen Scout Camp. According to the Wall Street Journal, "the number of people who contracted the E. coli infection has grown to at least 18, with two boys in the most serious condition...
Nebraska E. coli Outbreak Associated with Pork Sandwiches
Posted on August 02, 2008A Nebraska E. coli outbreak has been associated with pork sandwiches eaten at a community event. According to the Four Corners Health Department: 5 laboratory confirmed cases of E. coli have been reported, with the sickened individuals having attended a common event held in York...
Virginia Boy Scout Reservation Associated with E. coli Outbreak
Posted on August 01, 2008The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157 infection among recent attendees of a Boy Scout reservation located in Goshen, Virginia. In an effort to determine the source of the outbreak, health officials are interviewing staff, the parents of the ill children, and health care providers...
Unsanitary Conditions Can Lead to Contamination of Raw Milk with E. coli O157:H7
Posted on July 30, 2008E. coli outbreaks linked to raw milk can be caused by unsanitary conditions that exist during the milking process. An example of this is a 2005 E. coli outbreak linked to raw milk from a farm in Washington State. The outbreak-strain of E. coli O157:H7 was found in the farm’s raw milk and in environmental samples, including "seven environmental samples collected from the floor of the farm milking parlor," according to a CDC report on the outbreak...
Dorothy Lane Market Hamburger Recall
Posted on July 29, 2008Six people in the Dayton, Ohio area have confirmed cases of E. coli. Two of those people got sick after consuming hamburger purchased at the Dorothy Lane Market Washington Square store in Dayton, Ohio, according to WHIO Radio. This E. coli outbreak has been linked to Nebraska Beef, Ltd...
Three More Cases of E. coli in Nebraska
Posted on July 29, 2008Three more people have tested positive for E. coli in Nebraska, according to an Associated Press story. This brings the total number of Nebraska E. coli cases to five. Health officials are still investigating the outbreak, but according to the AP story: Vicki Duey of the Four Corners Health Department says she's looking at whether the food served at a public event held earlier this month may have sickened people...
Jalapeno Pepper Provided by Ill Patient Tests Positive for Salmonella Saintpaul
Posted on July 29, 2008Investigators have linked a confirmed case of Salmonella Saintpaul infection to a contaminated jalapeno pepper. The multistate outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul has over 1,300 confirmed cases in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada...
Salmonella Saintpaul Investigations Slowed by Lobbyists
Posted on July 28, 2008The slow investigation of the FDA and other government agencies in the nationwide Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak has pressured lawmakers and the food industry into updating its record-keeping system. An electronic tracing system would help to quickly identify the source of outbreaks like the Salmonella outbreak that has sickened over 1200 people this summer...
Vita Nova Salmon Recall Due to Possible Listeria Contamination
Posted on July 28, 2008Vita Food Products, Inc. of Chicago, Illinois has notified the public that twelve individual packages of Vita Nova Salmon, were sold at Kroger stores in Houston, Texas on or after July 22 of this year may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. In addition, 192 individual packages of this same product have either possibly been sold or are being offered for sale at various grocery stores in the Avenol, New Jersey metropolitan area...
Public Health Nurses are Disease Detectives
Posted on July 28, 2008Public health nurses played a crucial role in the initial identification of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that has almost 1300 confirmed cases.According to an article written by Barbara Kirchheimer and published on Nurse.com, a website that provides news and information to people involved in the healthcare industry: Kimberlae Houk, RN, MSN, a captain with the U...
Smoked Salmon Warning in Houston
Posted on July 26, 2008Kroger customers in the Houston, Texas area are being warned about packaged salmon. Vita Nova says that 12 packages of smoked salmon sold since July 22 may have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. According to the Houston Chronicle, the recalled product is dark blue packages of smoked salmon that bear the “Vita” logo...
Nebraska Officials Investigate E. Coli Cases
Posted on July 26, 2008Investigators are looking into two confirmed cases of E. coli in the Four Corners District of Nebraska. According to the York News-Times, the cases were confirmed by Nebraska Public Health Laboratory, but there is no information regarding specific locations, except that they occurred in the Four Corners District...
The Benefits of a National Traceback System
Posted on July 26, 2008The Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak, which now has over 1200 confirmed cases, could have been much smaller if the technology was in place to effectively trace the source of foodborne outbreaks.According to the Associated Press, The salmonella outbreak has set off a scramble among industry, regulators and lawmakers to devise a system that would allow food to be traced quickly through a serpentine supply chain that spans nations and continents...
Tomato Industry Seeks Compensation
Posted on July 26, 2008Now that the FDA has discovered a jalapeno that tested positive for the strain of Salmonella Saintpaul that has sickened over 1200 people across the country, the tomato industry is seeking compensation for losses incurred by the outbreak. Investigators originally thought that tomatoes were the source of the outbreak, but no tests ever came back positive for the outbreak strain...
FDA Narrows Jalapeno Advisory
Posted on July 26, 2008The FDA updated its advisory on jalapeno peppers today by narrowing the advisory to raw jalapenos grown, harvested, or packed in Mexico. Raw jalapeno peppers have been linked to the nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul after the FDA discovered a jalapeno contaminated with the outbreak strain at the Agricola Zarigoza distribution center in McAllen, Texas, but the pepper was grown and harvested in Mexico...
Beef Cheek Products Recalled
Posted on July 24, 2008The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today a recall by Beef Packers, Inc. of approximately 1560 pounds of beef cheek products because of E. coli O157:H7. The Fresno, California company discovered the contamination during microbiological testing...
Minnesota Department of Health Finds Source of Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak
Posted on July 24, 2008The FDA needs to get some training from the Minnesota Department of Health. The Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that the FDA initially traced to tomatoes has 1279 confirmed cases to date. People started getting sick in April and the numbers have continued to climb fast...
Senator Clinton Voices Concern Over FDA Actions
Posted on July 23, 2008Before she has even had time to brush the dust off of her shoes after leaving the campaign trail, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) is in the news again. This time for her reaction to the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that has sickened over 1200 people...
Raw Milk Associated with Four Cases of E. coli
Posted on July 23, 2008Four people have fallen ill in Connecticut after consuming raw milk contaminated with E. coli. The raw milk was produced by the Town Farm Dairy in Simsbury, Connecticut, and the farm has since stopped the production and sale of all milk products...
Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak Linked to Jalapeno Peppers
Posted on July 22, 2008The FDA has announced that one jalapeno pepper sample is a positive genetic match with the Salmonella Saintpaul strain causing the current Salmonella outbreak that has over 1200 confirmed cases in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.According to the FDA, "The positive sample was obtained during an FDA inspection at a produce distribution center in McAllen, Texas...
CDC Updates E. Coli Outbreak to Include Utah and More Cases in Georgia
Posted on July 18, 2008Updated CDC information on the multistate outbreak of E. coli now includes the state of Utah and more confirmed cases in Georgia. The outbreak now has affected 7 states: Georgia (4 cases), Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Michigan (20), New York (1), Ohio (21), and Utah (1)...
FDA Clears Tomatoes for Consumption
Posted on July 17, 2008The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the Salmonella warning on red and Roma tomatoes: FDA officials believe that consumers may enjoy all types of fresh tomatoes available on the domestic market, without concern of becoming infected with Salmonella Saintpaul...
CDC Updated Information: E. coli Cases in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York and Ohio are Part of E. coli Outbreak Linked to Ground Beef
Posted on July 17, 2008The multistate E. coli outbreak that originally affected residents of Michigan and Ohio has now spread to four more states. According to the CDC, there have been 45 confirmed cases linked to this outbreak, 20 in Michigan and 21 in Ohio, which now includes one case in each of the following states: Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, and New York...
Georgia E. coli Outbreak Part of Multi-State E. coli Outbreak
Posted on July 17, 2008The CDC has reported that one case in Georgia is now part of the multi-state E. coli outbreak that has been linked to Kroger ground beef and Nebraska Beef, Ltd. ground beef components. The first cases reported in this outbreak were in Michigan and Ohio...
Michigan and Ohio E. coli Outbreak Linked to Kroger and Nebraska Beef, Ltd. Now Includes Cases in Indiana, Kentucky and New York
Posted on July 16, 2008According to the CDC, the E. coli outbreak that has been linked to Kroger ground beef and Nebraska Beef, Ltd. ground beef components now involves 5 states: Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Michigan (20 according to the CDC and 22 according to the Michigan Department of Community Health), New York (1), and Ohio (21)...
New Food Safety from Old Food Sources
Posted on July 14, 2008New food safety techniques may come from very traditional sources. In recent studies by chemists at the Agricultural Research Service, spices such as oregano, cinnamon and cloves have been found to kill certain foodborne illnesses such as E. coli, Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, and Listeria monocytogenes...
The Failure of Nebraska Beef to Promptly Deal With Contaminated Beef
Posted on July 14, 2008Now that the health investigators have associated Nebraska Beef, Ltd. with the Ohio and Michigan E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 43 people, they are looking at this outbreak as evidence that our food safety system that does not go far enough to protect consumers...
Officials Look For Source of Shigellosis Cases
Posted on July 12, 2008Health officials in Franklin County, Ohio, are attempting to find the cause of 97 reported cases of shigellosis. Shigellosis is an intestinal infection of the Shigella bacteria, causing diarrhea, fever, and cramping, and is most common in toddlers...
FSIS Will Begin Listing Retail Stores Involved in Recalls
Posted on July 11, 2008Starting next month, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will begin listing retail establishments that have received recalled products. In the past, only information relating to the establishment that recalled the affected product was released, including the reason for recall, a product description, identifying product codes, and information on how to contact the establishment...
Peppers May Also be Responsible for Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak
Posted on July 11, 2008The number of confirmed cases of Salmonella Saintpaul has again risen, bringing the total to 1090. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) people in 42 states and the District of Columbia have been sickened in the outbreak: Alabama (2 persons), Arkansas (14), Arizona (49), California (9), Colorado (15), Connecticut (4), Florida (2), Georgia (25), Idaho (5), Illinois (104), Indiana (16), Iowa (2), Kansas (17), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Maryland (29), Massachusetts (26), Michigan (19), Minnesota (19), Mississippi (2), Missouri (15), New Hampshire (4), Nevada (11), New Jersey (11), New Mexico (99), New York (30), North Carolina (14), Ohio (8), Oklahoma (24), Oregon (10), Pennsylvania (12), Rhode Island (3), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (8), Texas (408), Utah (2), Virginia (31), Vermont (2), Washington (17), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (11), and the District of Columbia (1)...
Thai Basil Recall Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination
Posted on July 11, 2008LUCKY GREEN TRADING, INC. of Garden Grove, California has recalled Thai Basil because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall was as the result of a random testing by the FDA which revealed that the finished products contained the Salmonella ...
Samolux Smoked Salmon Nova Lox Recall Due to Possible Listeria Contamination
Posted on July 11, 2008Salmolux Inc. of Federal Way, Washington has recalled lot # 01418 of its Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Nova Lox sold in 3 ounce packages due to the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems...
Barbecue Pit Ground Beef Tests Positive for E. coli
Posted on July 11, 2008Microbiological evidence has linked ground beef taken from the Barbecue Pit in Moultrie, Georgia with an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 12 people, probably more. According to WCTV news: Ground beef taken from the Barbecue Pit, the restaurant that has been the common thread in a Colquitt County disease outbreak, has tested positive for Escherichia coli (E...
Gerogia E. Coli Outbreak May Be Linked to Michigan/Ohio
Posted on July 07, 2008Further investigation into an outbreak of E. coli in Colquitt County, Georgia, has uncovered a possible link to the Georgia outbreak and the Michigan/Ohio outbreak related to Nebraska Beef and Kroger, according to the Moultrie Observer. Laboratory tests of patients revealed that the strain in the two outbreaks were the same, which establishes a possible connection between the two outbreaks...
Moultrie, Georgia E. coli Outbreak May Be Linked to the Barbecue Pit
Posted on July 07, 2008According to a Southwest Georgia Public Health District news release, the Barbecue Pit, a restaurant in Moultrie, Georgia may be linked to an E. coli outbreak that may have sickened at least nine people in Colquitt County, Georgia. Six people have confirmed cases of E...
Georgia E. Coli Outbreak May Be Linked to Michigan/Ohio
Posted on July 07, 2008Further investigation into an outbreak of E. coli in Colquitt County, Georgia, has uncovered a possible link to the Georgia outbreak and the Michigan/Ohio outbreak related to Nebraska Beef and Kroger, according to the Moultrie Observer. Laboratory tests of patients revealed that the strain in the two outbreaks were the same, which establishes a possible connection between the two outbreaks...
Several Stores Involved in Expanded Kroger Recall: Fred Meyer, QFC, Fry's Ralphs, Smith's, Baker's, King Soopers, City Market, Hilander, Owens, Pay Less, Scotts and Dillons
Posted on July 02, 2008As of this morning, there are 40 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 associated with Kroger ground beef and Nebraska Beef, Ltd., the company that supplied the beef trim, etc. that went into the Kroger ground beef. In response to this outbreak, Kroger recalled an “undetermined amount” of Kroger ground beef on June 25, 2008 because the ground beef may be contaminated with E...
Giant Food Stores Recalls Hamburger Patties Due to Possible E. coli Contamination
Posted on July 02, 2008According to the GIANT® Food Stores website, the company has recalled Natures Promise 90% Ground Beef Patties with a “Use/Freeze By” date of 7-11-08 because these hamburger patties may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria. The size of the recalled package is 1...
Search for Salmonella Source Spreads to Other Produce
Posted on July 02, 20082 months after cases were first reported, the Salmonella outbreak sweeping the nation now has 869 confirmed cases in 36 states. The source of the outbreak, previously assumed to be tomatoes, is still unknown. A large number of cases have reported eating fresh salsa, so tomatoes were the assumed source...
Two Confirmed Cases of E. coli in Cloquitt County, Georgia
Posted on July 01, 2008There are now two confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 in Cloquitt County. Several other cases are probable. Southwest Georgia Public Health District Deputy Director Brenda Greene had this to say about the outbreak: "This appears to be a cluster of E...
Nebraska Beef Recall Associated with E. coli Outbreak Linked to Kroger Ground Beef
Posted on July 01, 2008The supplier of the Kroger ground beef linked to an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 35 people in Michigan and Ohio was Nebraska Beef, Ltd., an Omaha, Nebraska firm. In response to the outbreak, Kroger recalled an "undetermined amount" of Kroger ground beef products...
Recent Botulism Result of Negligence and Poor Regulation
Posted on June 30, 2008Several recent cases of botulism in the food industry may be a result of poor company management and the Food and Drug Administration’s failure to thoroughly and regularly police plants. The first outbreak of botulism in over 33 years from a U.S...
Georgia E. Coli Update
Posted on June 30, 2008In an update to a possible E. coli outbreak in Georgia, one teen has been confirmed to have an E. coli infection. 15-year-old Lauren Hill Bannister is being treated at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and is in fair condition, according to The Moultrie Observer...
Michigan and Ohio E. coli Outbreak Update
Posted on June 28, 2008As of this afternoon, Ohio has confirmed 18 cases of E. coli O157:H7 with an additional 4 cases that are probable. According to the Ohio Department of health, the 18 cases being investigated are in the following Ohio counties: Franklin (ten confirmed) Delaware (one confirmed) Fairfield (four confirmed) Lucas (one confirmed) Seneca (one confirmed) Union (one confirmed)Also of this afternoon, Michigan has confirmed 17 cases E...
Another Possible E. Coli Outbreak in Georgia
Posted on June 27, 2008Although the multistate E. coli outbreak which is linked to Kroger is making headlines across the nation, there may be another E. coli outbreak farther south. WALB News reports that at least 12 people in Colquitt County, Georgia, have shown up in emergency rooms with symptoms of E...
Tomatoes may not be the source of Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on June 27, 2008As the CDC reports that more than 800 people have become ill from Salmonella Saintpaul, federal health officials are questioning whether or not raw tomatoes are to blame. Although the CDC states that raw red plum, red Roma, and round red tomatoes are the most likely source of the national outbreak, officials have not yet confirmed that the tomatoes are carrying the rare Salmonella strain...
CDC Reports Salmonella Saintpaul Cases Rise Above 800
Posted on June 27, 2008The CDC reports that the national outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul from raw tomatoes has now resulted in 810 cases of illness. The outbreak has affected 36 different states along with the District of Columbia, resulting in at least 95 hospitalizations...
Pritzker Law Firm Has Been Retained to Represent Victim of E. coli Outbreak Linked to Kroger Ground Beef
Posted on June 27, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The national food safety law firm of Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates has been retained to represent 20 year-old Zachary Everhart from Pickerington, Ohio in connection with injuries he received as a result of consuming Kroger hamburger contaminated with the dangerous foodborne pathogen, E...
Two Firms Recall Cattle Heads
Posted on June 27, 2008Earlier this year the largest beef recall in United States history was issued in regard to products produced by the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. The recall received national attention because of videos of workers at the Hallmark plant using inhumane practices in the slaughter of cattle, including forcing non-ambulatory, or “downer,” cattle to slaughter...
Kroger Ground Beef Recall and Michigan and Ohio E. coli Recall
Posted on June 26, 2008Kroger Ground Beef Recall Today, in response to the E. coli outbreak linked to Kroger ground beef, Kroger recalled ground beef sold at Kroger® Co. Stores in Michigan and Ohio. The products subject to the Kroger beef recall include all varieties and weights of ground beef products bearing a Kroger label sold between May 21 and June 8 at Michigan Kroger stores and and Columbus and Toledo, Ohio Kroger stores...
Press Release: Pritzker Calls on Kroger to Pay Victims' Medical Expenses
Posted on June 26, 2008Health officials have linked Kroger ground beef to an Ohio and Michigan E. coli outbreak. "Whether the source of the E. coli is the grocery store or its suppliers," said Fred Pritzker, a leading food safety attorney, "it is only fair that the retailer pay for the medical bills of its injured customers...
Kroger Recall and E. coli Outbreak Update
Posted on June 26, 2008In response to the multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to ground beef purchased in the Kroger chain of grocery stores, Kroger has recalled the affected ground beef. The recalled product is limited to ground beef sold between May 21 and June 8, 2008 that have a Kroger label...
Taste of Chicago
Posted on June 25, 2008In 2007, the Taste of Chicago dished up a hummus dish at the Pars Cove booth that was contaminated with Salmonella, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Over 180 people were sickened in the resulting Salmonella outbreak. We are representing a number of the people sickened in the Taste of Chicago Salmonella outbreak of 2007...
Fresca Italia Recalls Burrata Cheese Due to Possible Listeria Contamination
Posted on June 25, 2008Fresca Italia of Brisbane, CA is recalling Burrata, a type of cheese, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This product was distributed in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California in retail stores and restaurants...
Michigan and Ohio E.coli Outbreak Linked to Kroger Ground Beef
Posted on June 25, 2008Pritzker | Ruohonen, a leading E. coli litigation law firm, is monitoring the E. coli outbreak in Michigan and Ohio linked to ground beef, at least some of which was purchased at Kroger stores. People sickened in the outbreak reported purchasing ground beef at Kroger stores...
More Information on Michigan/Ohio E. Coli Outbreak
Posted on June 25, 2008More information keeps on piling up as investigators try to get to the bottom of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Michigan and Ohio. Although not as widespread as the Salmonella outbreak in tomatoes affecting the entire country, the residents of Michigan and Ohio have cause to worry about ground beef purchased from the Kroger chain of grocery stores...
Salmonella from Swimming Pools
Posted on June 25, 2008Although chlorine does effectively kill Salmonella, it is still possible to contract the bacteria while swimming in a pool. It takes time to kill Salmonella with chlorine. Also, failure to chlorinate in a timely manner or cross contamination with other pools can lead to contraction of Salmonella from swimming pools...
Law Firm Calls on Kroger to Recall Ground Beef
Posted on June 25, 2008According to the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), more than half of the 15 people sickened in the current Michigan E. coli outbreak reported buying and eating ground beef from Kroger grocery stores. Also,a raw ground beef sample provided by an Ohio E...
Los Tres Amigos Associated with Wood River, Illinois Salmonella Outbeak
Posted on June 25, 2008We spoke with Toni Corona, the administrator for the Madison County Health Department to get an update on the Salmonella outbreak associated with Los Tres Amigos in Wood River, Illinois. Seven confirmed cases of Salmonella have been reported to the health department since June 4, 2008...
Ground Beef E. coli Outbreak in Michigan and Ohio
Posted on June 25, 2008Information from the CDC regarding the investigation of the Ohio and Michigan E. coli outbreak associated with ground beef, including ground beef sold at Kroger grocery store: State departments of health and agriculture in Michigan and Ohio, CDC, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections...
Michigan E. coli Outbreak Associated with Kroger Ground Beef
Posted on June 25, 2008According to the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), ground beef sold at Kroger grocery stores has been associated with a Michigan E. coli outbreak that has sickened people in Michigan and Ohio. The MDCH has stated that more than half of the 15 people sickened in Michigan reported buying and eating ground beef from Kroger...
Salmonella Associated with Los Tres Amigos
Posted on June 24, 2008At least 6 people who ate at Los Tres Amigos in Wood River, Illinois, contracted Salmonella infections (salmonellosis), according to the Madison County Health Department. Health officials believe that this Illinois Salmonella outbreak may be connected to the current nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul associated with tomatoes because one of the cases has been confirmed to have a genetic fingerprint that matches the national outbreak pattern...
New Testing Policy for Beef Trim
Posted on June 23, 2008The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced that it will begin a new type of follow-up testing at establishments that supply trim and other components of raw ground beef. According to the FSIS: FSIS will conduct the new follow-up testing in response to positive E...
45 E. coli Cases in Michigan and Ohio May Be Associated with Ground Beef
Posted on June 20, 2008Health officials in Michigan and Ohio are investigating 45 cases of E. coli O157:H7, some of which have matching genetic fingerprints, which means the cases were most likely caused by the same source. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is investigating 16 cases of E...
Ground Beef Most Likely Source of Michigan E. coli Infections
Posted on June 20, 2008The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) and several local health departments are investigating an increase in the number of illnesses related to the bacteria E. coli O157:H7. MDCH has received reports of 29 cases of infection so far in the month of June...
17 Confirmed Salmonella Saintpaul Cases in Chicago
Posted on June 20, 2008The multi-state Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak associated with certain raw tomatoes has hit Chicago hard. According to the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), since mid-April, 17 Chicagoans are known to have been made ill by Salmonella Saintpaul, 9 of them ate at Adobo Grill...
Chicago Salmonella Cases Associated with Adobo Grill
Posted on June 20, 2008The Chicago Department of Public Health has announced that the city has 17 confirmed Salmonella Saintpaul cases, 9 of them linked to Adobo Grill, which has two locations in Chicago. According to epidemiological evidence gathered by health officials, these 9 people ate tomatoes at an Adobo Grill in the Chicago area before getting sick...
Update on Ohio E. coli Outbreak
Posted on June 17, 2008The Ohio Department of Health is investigating at least 11 cases of E. coli. Three of the cases are linked genetically, and health officials are awaiting test results to determine if any of the other cases are related. Medical professionals are reporting a number of patients with symptoms of E...
Ohio E. coli Cases May Be Connected
Posted on June 13, 2008Several cases of E. coli in central Ohio may be connected. Seven cases were reported to three counties in July: Delaware County (1) Fairfield (3) Franklin (3)Because these cases were reported within a short period of time, health officials believe they may be connected...
E. coli Outbreaks in Minnesota Often Associated with Daycare Centers: Recent Wonder World Preschool E. coli Outbreak Sickens 8 Children
Posted on June 11, 2008According to the Minnesota Department of Health, eight children who attend Wonder World Preschool have lab-confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7. At least one of the children has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of an E. coli infection that can lead to kidney failure and death...
Foodborne Outbreaks Associated with Leafy Greens
Posted on June 10, 2008This year at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, one of the topics was foodborne outbreaks in the United States associated with leafy greens. A leafy-green-associated foodborne outbreak was defined as two or more illnesses due to the consumption of a single leafy green food item (lettuce, cabbage, mesclun mix, spinach) or a salad item containing one or more leafy greens...
Cecina Los Amigos Pork Sausage Recall
Posted on June 10, 2008Cecina Los Amigos of Carson, California is voluntarily recalling approximately 290 pounds of pork blood sausages due to possible contamination with the Listeria monocytogenes. The following product is being recalled: 10-pound vacuum-sealed packages of "Cecina Los Amigos Pork Blood Sausage (Moronga)...
New Jersey Ground Beef Recall
Posted on June 10, 2008The Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a recall on June 8th involving 13, 275 pounds of ground beef sold by Dutch's Meat, Inc. of Trenton, New Jersey. The meat may have become contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The following products have been recalled: 10-pound plastic bags of "Dutch's Meats, Inc...
Fresh Tomato Salmonella Warning is Now Nation-wide, Local Growers Couldn't be Happier
Posted on June 10, 2008The federal government has expanded its warning on fresh tomatoes to include the entire nation after 167 people have been confirmed infected with genetically linked strains of Salmonella Saintpaul in 17 different states. The FDA's first warning did not mention the states of Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, but all of these states are now included in the FDA warning...
Topps E. coli Outbreak Update
Posted on June 09, 2008In 2007, Topps Meat Company, LLC, recalled 21.7 million pounds of frozen hamburger patties that health officials had linked to an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. At least 40 people were sickened, some with a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome...
Retailers Heed FDA Tomato Warning
Posted on June 09, 2008The massive outbreak of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul in raw tomatoes has now affected 145 people in 16 states, including 23 hospitalizations. On June 7, the FDA issued a warning against the purchase and consumption of raw red Roma, raw red plum, raw red round tomatoes, or any products that would contain those tomatoes...
E. coli Outbreak at Slayton Minnesota Day Care Highlights Care Issues
Posted on June 09, 2008Day cares are frequent sources of E. coli outbreaks. An E. coli outbreak at the Wonder World Preschool in Slayton, Minnesota has led to 3 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7. 13 other children have shown symptoms of an infection and are being tested...
Washington E. coli Scare is Latest Produce-Related Outbreak
Posted on June 09, 2008The recent Washington State E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that left 10 people ill, several requiring brief hospitalization, was officially linked to commercial romaine lettuce and is the most recent scare that has left people uncertain about the safety of leafy greens...
Washington State E. coli Outbreak Linked to Romaine Lettuce
Posted on June 09, 2008Washington State Health Department officials have implicated commercial, bagged romaine lettuce as the source of a recent E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Pierce and Thurston counties. DNA fingerprinting confirmed that the E. coli cases were connected...
E. coli Outbreak Associated with Wonder World Preschool in Slayton
Posted on June 08, 2008Wonder World Preschool in Slayton, Minnesota may be associated with an E. coli outbreak. The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating the outbreak. According to the Minnesota Department of Health: 3 children who attend Wonder World have been confirmed positive for E...
Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak Expands to 16 States
Posted on June 08, 2008Health officials have identified 145 persons in 16 states infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprintAccording to the CDC, States involved in this Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak include the following: Arizona (12 persons), California (1), Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Idaho (2), Illinois (17), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), New Mexico (39), Oklahoma (3), Oregon (2), Texas (56 persons), Utah (1), Virginia (2), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (3)...
Lab-Confirmed E. coli Infections in Washington May Be Linked to Lettuce
Posted on June 06, 2008The Washington State Department of Health announced today that there are 9 lab-confirmed cases of E. coli infection in Washington that may be linked to contaminated bagged, commercial romaine lettuce. All of the cases occurred in May. Four of the cases were identified in Thurston County, and six in Pierce...
AMI Supports Test and Hold Policy
Posted on June 05, 2008Meatingplace reports that the American Meat Institute (AMI) would support a new USDA policy that would require companies to hold onto meat products tested by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) until the test results became available. Such a policy would prevent meat from entering the marketplace until it was known whether or not it tested positive for a pathogen...
Tennessee Hep A Cases Rise
Posted on June 05, 2008The Hepatitis A outbreak in Hawkins County, Tennessee has now affected at least eight people who live in the Mooresburg community, near Cherokee Lake. Health officials have still not identified a source of the outbreak, but are doing everything they can to determine what led to the many illnesses...
Baby Chicks and Ducklings: These Cute, Little Creatures Can Cause Salmonellosis
Posted on June 05, 2008Minnesota health officials have identified 7 cases of salmonellosis (illness caused by Salmonella) in recent months that are associated with handling chicks or ducklings. The cases occurred from late March through late May 2008 and ranged in age from 5 months to 70 years...
FDA Warns Consumers in New Mexico and Texas Not to Eat Certain Tomatoes
Posted on June 04, 2008According to the CDC: 40 persons infected with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in Texas (21 persons) and New Mexico (19 persons). An epidemiologic investigation conducted by the New Mexico and Texas Departments of Health and the Indian Health Service using interviews comparing foods eaten by ill and well persons has identified consumption of raw tomatoes as the likely source of the illnesses in New Mexico and Texas...
Tomatoes Cause Salmonella Outbreak in New Mexico
Posted on June 03, 2008The New Mexico Department of Health has determined that a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 31 people in 7 counties was probably caused by uncooked tomatoes. The strain of Salmonella involved is Salmonella St. Paul. To uncover the source of the outbreak, New Mexico Department of Health epidemiologists (outbreak detectives), Public Health staff and the Scientific Laboratory worked together to interview patients and test samples...
Demanding Safer Food
Posted on June 03, 2008The blog over at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer recently posted about the growing trend of the government checking up on growers and even processors to make sure that the safest foods are hitting store shelves. The media covers the major outbreaks of foodborne illness, and sites around the blogosphere, including this one, attempt to make sure the public knows which foods are unsafe to consume...
Kernel Corn Recalled, Listeria Contamination
Posted on June 03, 2008Supreme Cuts LLC has announced a voluntary recall of its “Off the Cob Fresh Kernel Corn” due to a contamination of Listeria monocytognes. The product comes in 12 oz. clear plastic bags. The affected products also have a “Best if Used By” date of May 26, 2008 and bear Lot #5343...
Orval Kent Foods Macaroni Salad Recall
Posted on June 02, 2008Orval Kent Foods is voluntarily recalling about 23,000 pounds of Amish Macaroni Salad after the Ohio Department of Agriculture found E. coli in a single package.The products included in the recall are Orval Kent Amish Macaroni Salad in 5-pound containers with June 12 expiration dates and Yoder’s Amish Macaroni Salad in 1-, 2- and 5-pound containers with June 7 expiration dates...
Bacterial Infection May Cause SIDS
Posted on June 02, 2008Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) claims the lives of thousands of babies every year and researches continue to scratch their heads about the causes of the syndrome. Although risk factors include exposure to passive smoke, overheating, sleeping on the stomach or on soft beds, new research suggests that some cases of SIDS may be related to bacterial infection such as E...
House Committee Investigates Suspicions About Private Labs
Posted on June 02, 2008The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has launched an investigation into the practices of private laboratories and their effectiveness in reporting to the FDA. The FDA has Import Alert rules which allow importers to use private labs to test their product before entering the U...
Only Sanitary Conditions Can Stop the Hepatitis A Outbreaks
Posted on May 30, 2008Seven cases of Hepatitis A have been reported in Hawkins County Tennessee. The Northeast Regional Health Office has not identified any common source, but is offering Hepatitis A vaccine to all residents of the area (WCYB). Hepatitis A is a liver disease usually characterized by mild, flu-like gastrointestinal symptoms...
Tracking the Dangers of Foodborne Illness
Posted on May 30, 2008Contracting foodborne illnesses is often dangerous and life threatening for hundreds of thousands of people every year, but the effects of these illnesses can last a lifetime. Very little research has been done to show the seriousness of long-term effects of foodborne illness, which has prompted STOP (Safe Tables Our Priority) to open an online registry to help keep track of foodborne illness victims and any complications they have later in life...
E. Coli Strikes Two Young Boys
Posted on May 30, 2008Two young Alabama boys have been hospitalized after being exposed to a dangerous strain of the E. coli bacteria. The two boys, brothers ages 4 and 7, are currently listed in good condition at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama in Birmingham...
Food for Thought on Chinese Imports
Posted on May 28, 2008The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations has announced that two Chinese nationals and the businesses they operate, along with a U.S. company and its president and CEO, were indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a scheme to import products purported to be wheat gluten into the United States that were contaminated with melamine...
New Mexico Salmonella Outbreak Sickens People in Six Counties
Posted on May 24, 2008The New Mexico Department of Health is investigating a cluster of 19 Salmonella cases. Several victims of the outbreak have been hospitalized due to severe symptoms. No one has died.Health officials are interviewing patients to determine the source(s) of the Salmonella infections...
Prevent Poop in Pools Please
Posted on May 23, 2008After reading Barfblog’s post on poop and pools, we decided to share some of our thoughts on poop and pools: Do not allow your pets to swim in pools with humans. Even if you don’t think your pet will poop in a pool (or swimming beach area), poop happens...
FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for 808 Pounds of Tyson Ground Beef Products
Posted on May 22, 2008The USDA-FSIS has issued a public health alert regarding about 808 pounds of ground beef products produced at Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., a Lexington, Nebraska, establishment. The ground beef products may have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7...
Pork Blood Sausage Recall: Products Distributed in Northern California
Posted on May 22, 2008USDA-FSIS has announced a pork blood sausage recall due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Cecina Los Amigos, a Carson, California firm, is recalling about 290 pounds of pork blood sausages described as follows: 10-pound vacuum-sealed packages of “CECINA LOS AMIGOS PORK BLOOD SAUSAGE (MORONGA)...
Read FSN Post Regarding Soft Serve Ice Cream and Pregnant Women
Posted on May 21, 2008A post on the International Food Safety Network’s Barfblog asks “Is free soft-serve ice cream for pregnant women a good idea?” Baskin Robbins is offering free soft serve ice cream to pregnant women today as a promotion of its new soft-serve ice cream...
1,100 Pounds of Pork Cracklings May Be Contaminated with Salmonella
Posted on May 20, 2008The USDA-FSIS has issued a public health alert for about 1,100 pounds of “fully cooked” pork cracklings due to possible contamination with Salmonella. The pork cracklings were produced at Sofia Chicharones, Inc., a Miami, Florida firm...
Food Safety Tips for a Successful Grilling Season
Posted on May 19, 2008The following are food safety tips for a successful summer grilling season from a USDA press release: Clean: First things first – make sure you start with clean surfaces and clean hands. Be sure that you and your guests wash your hands before preparing or handling food...
Morreale Meat Recall Due to Possible E. coli Contamination
Posted on May 17, 2008JSM Meat Holdings Company, Inc. has recalled an undetermined amount of beef products intended for use in ground products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today...
Sweetwater Valley Farm Cheese Recalled Due to Possible Contamination with Listeria
Posted on May 15, 2008Yet another Listeria recall this month. Sweetwater Valley Farm, Inc. of Philadelphia, Tennessee has recalled Tennessee Aged Black Pepper Cheese. The recalled Tennessee Aged Black Pepper Cheese is Lot Number 616-361 (consumers check the lot number on your Sweetwater Valley Farm cheese to see if it is part of the recall)...
Listeria Recalls Cause for Concern
Posted on May 13, 2008This month there have been at least three recalls of food products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen that can cause serious illness and death. Listeria contamination almost always involves ready-to-eat products, which are marketed as not needing to be cooked by the consumer...
Girl Diagnosed with Salmonella after Eating Homemade Ice Cream at a Relay for Life Event
Posted on May 11, 2008A 13-year-old girl became seriously ill after eating homemade ice cream at a Relay for Life event at Roughrider Stadium in Center, Texas. The ice cream was reportedly made by a Center church. The girl was diagnosed with Salmonella. According to a report on KTRE, an East Texas news station: Courtney Johnson, the child's mother said Ashlyn's kidney's were failing so she was lifeflighted to a Shreveport hospital Tuesday night...
18 Sickened in Hepatitis A Outbreak Associated with the La Mesa Chipotle
Posted on April 29, 2008The number of hepatitis A cases associated with Chipotle in La Mesa, California has risen to 18. Health officials are still looking for the source of the outbreak. According to the San Diego County Health Department, all 26 food handlers identified to date by the restaurant have tested negative for active hepatitis A infection...
Update: Malt-O-Meal Puffed Rice Cereal Salmonella Agona Outbreak
Posted on April 29, 2008According to the CDC, 21 people in 12 states that have been infected with the same genetic fingerprint of Salmonella Agona. A federal and state investigation of the Salmonella Agona outbreak that includes interviews of persons with Salmonella Agona infections and comparison of DNA fingerprints suggests that cereal from Malt-O-Meal unsweetened Puffed Rice Cereals and unsweetened Puffed Wheat Cereals is likely related to these illnesses...
Roast Beef Associated with 14 cases of E. coli in Sarpy County, Nebraska
Posted on April 25, 2008Health officials from the Sarpy County Health Department and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services are investigating an E. coli outbreak associated with roast beef eaten at a private event at a Sarpy County reception hall on March 26, 2008...
Nitrogen Content in Young Lettuce Leaves May Be Associated with E. coli Risk
Posted on April 25, 2008Contrary to what most people would think, young (inner) lettuce greens may pose a greater risk of E. coli O157:H7 contamination than older (middle) leaves, according to a study conducted by researchers at Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unity, Albany, California and the University of California, Berkeley...
6 People with Hepatitis A Ate at Chipotle in La Mesa, California
Posted on April 23, 2008At least 6 people who ate at a La Mesa Chipotle restaurant have contracted hepatitis A. Using epidemiological and microbiological evidence, we have successfully recovered significant amounts for victims of food poisoning associated with restaurants, even in cases where a food source was not pinpointed...
Listeria May Play a Role in the Fight Against Cancer
Posted on April 23, 2008Listeria, an often-fatal foodborne pathogen, may be useful in the fight against cancer. According to research done by Advaxis Inc., a live Listeria cancer vaccine, Lovaxin C, may have helped 15 women with advanced cervical cancer: “We are using Listeria to deliver tumor-specific antigens to the immune system in a manner that we feel results in maximal immune and tumor-clearing response,” said John Rothman, PhD, vice president of clinical development at Advaxis, which is developing Lovaxin C...
One Death Reported in Alamosa Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on April 20, 2008Alamosa County health officials have reported one death related to the Salmonella outbreak linked to the Alamosa water supply. According to health officials, the genetic pattern of the person's Salmonella matched the pattern found in the city's water supply before it was disinfected...
Chang Farm Soy Sprouts Recall
Posted on April 18, 2008The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company is alerting customers to a Chang Farm Soy Sprouts recall. The voluntary recall by Chang Farm involves Chang Farm Brand 12oz packages of Soy Sprouts with a sell-by date of April 19, 2008 and a UPC code of 00 29899 0100...
How to Safely Enjoy Cantaloupe
Posted on April 18, 2008Honduran cantaloupe contaminated with Salmonella has been responsible for over 50 illnesses in 16 different states, including at least nine in Canada. The FDA has since advised consumers not to eat any cantaloupe grown in Honduras. Salmonella contamination is not a rare commodity among cantaloupe, being listed among the top 5 fruits and vegetables responsible for foodborne illness outbreaks...
Two Species of Campylobacter May Merge
Posted on April 18, 2008Scientists from Oxford University believe that two species of the Campylobacter genus may be merging into one. Campylobacter are found primarily in the gut of birds, especially poultry. Estimates indicate that nearly half of all chicken meat in the U...
One Reported Case of Salmonella in Illinois May Be Linked to Recalled Cereal
Posted on April 16, 2008The Illinois Department of Health has reported one case of Salmonella in a person who reported eating cereal that is part of the Malt-O-Meal recall, which involves Malt-O-Meal unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat with “best if used by” dates ranging from APR0808 (April 8, 2008) to MAR2909 (March 29, 2009) sold under the Malt-O-Meal brand and several other brands, including Acme, America’s Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw’s, Shoprite, Tops and Weis Quality...
Cereal Recall and Salmonella Agona Cases
Posted on April 13, 2008A cereal recall has been linked to Salmonella Agona cases in California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The cereal, puffed rice and puffed wheat, was recalled by Malt-O-Meal Company on April 5, 2008, and involved the following brands: Malt-O-Meal, Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw’s, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality...
Minnesota Salmonella Infection (Salmonellosis) Associated with Recalled Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat Cereal Recalled by Malt-O-Meal
Posted on April 11, 2008Minnesota health and agriculture officials are investigating cases of illness in Minnesota that may be linked to puffed rice and puffed wheat cereal involved in a Malt-O-Meal recall. At least 21 cases of Salmonella agona have been identified as associated with the Malt-O-Meal recall involving several brands, including Malt-O-Meal, Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw’s, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality...
New USDA Study Will Investigate Broader Range of E. Coli
Posted on April 11, 2008At the public meeting held by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, plans were announced to begin testing for non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli, or non-O157 STECs. The announcement comes in response to the growing amount of outbreaks associated with E...
Tucson Restaurant Inspections Intensify after Report of Food Poisoning Associated with Food Spot Chinese Deli
Posted on April 09, 2008Restaurants pose one of the greatest threats to spreading foodborne illness. A single contamination in a restaurant can spread disease to multiple patrons. It is therefore important that state health inspectors do their job to keep tabs on restaurants to make sure that there are no health code violations...
Piney Ridge Dairy Milk Recall and Duncan Farm Milk Recall in Pennsylvania
Posted on April 08, 2008The Pennsylvania Agriculture Department is urging consumers who purchased raw milk from the following dairy farms anytime after March 10 to discard the milk immediately due to the risk of Listeria monocytogenes: Piney Ridge dairy farm in New Bethlehem, Clarion County Clark and Elaine Duncan's farm in Meadville, Crawford CountPennsylvania farms selling raw milk must be permitted and inspected to reduce health risks associated with the unpasteurized products...
Bacteria That Eat Antibiotics
Posted on April 07, 2008Startling new research contributes more information about the effectiveness of antibiotics to kill bacteria, specifically in livestock. Researchers from Harvard were trying to find microbes that could be used to convert waste into biofuels when they discovered that bacteria covered in antibiotics were not only unaffected by the drugs, but actually consumed them...
Norovirus Sickens 65 in Maryland
Posted on April 07, 2008Norovirus sickened 65 people at a medical convention held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Most of the individuals came down with a stomach flu, or gastroenteritis, which is caused by norovirus and can be spread through contact with contaminated people, food, or drink...
Malt-O-Meal Recall of Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat
Posted on April 07, 2008URGENT UPDATE TO MALT-O-MEAL RECALL INVOLVING PUFFED RICE AND PUFFED WHEAT: 13 STATES HAVE REPORTED 21 CASES OF LABORATORY-CONFIRMED SALMONELLA AGONA LINKED TO THE RECALLED CEREAL, SOME OF WHICH HAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR SALMONELLA AGONA. WE HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY PEOPLE WHO WERE SICKENED...
Bacteria Found to Combat Foodborne Illness
Posted on April 04, 2008Researchers have discovered that some bacteria produce naturally occurring antibiotics that are effective in killing foodborne pathogens such as Listeria. Interestingly, they discovered the bacteria can be found in foods such as Feta cheese made from raw milk in Greece and around the Mediterranean...
Norovirus Sickens UConn Students
Posted on April 04, 200830 people became ill after attending a banquet at the Adams Mill Restaurant in Manchester, Connecticut. The banquet was hosted by a University of Connecticut sorority, and a norovirus was to blame for the illnesses. Norovirus can be a foodborne disease, but can also be spread by various other means, causing fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, and vomiting...
H Mart HC Fresh Frozen Salted Croaker Recall Due to Botulism Risk
Posted on April 03, 2008FDA has announced an H Mart salted croaker recall because the salted croaker may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that can cause botulism. The description of the recalled croaker is as follows:HC Fresh, Frozen Salted Croaker, Net...
The History of Cantaloupe and Salmonella
Posted on April 01, 2008The nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield has sickened at least 50 people in 16 different states, leading to ban of imported cantaloupe from Honduras, the product implicated in the outbreak. The cantaloupe in this outbreak has been traced back to its producer in Honduras, Agropecuaria Montelibano...
Researchers Study Link between Flies and Salmonella Infection
Posted on April 01, 2008Microbiologist Peter S. Holt and entomologist Christopher J. Geden, both scientists with ARS, have been studying whether or not flies infected with Salmonella can pass on the Salmonella to chickens. The first step was studying whether infected hens could infect flies with Salmonella...
Arizona Salmonella Outbreak Associated with Hospice of Yuma Event
Posted on March 31, 2008An Arizona State Health Department report confirmed that cases of Salmonella in Yuma County were caused by beef tri-tip served at the Hospice of Yuma roping roundup, barbecue and western dance at the Yuma County Fairgrounds on February 2. According to the report, 2,100 pounds of the beef tri-tip were cooked at the event The investigation by the Arizona Department of Health Services showed that 2,100 pounds of beef were cooked at the event and that 30 pounds of leftover meat were later donated to Crossroads Mission...
FSIS Health Alert Regarding Serenade Foods Chicken Products Sold in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, North Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin
Posted on March 31, 2008The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert due to illnesses from Salmonella associated with frozen, stuffed raw chicken products that may be contaminated with Salmonella. This public health alert was initiated after an investigation and testing conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture determined that there is an association between the products listed below and 2 illnesses...
Dole Cantaloupe Recall
Posted on March 31, 2008The FDA has announced a Dole cantaloupe recall due to possible contamination with Salmonella Litchfield. Dole Fresh Fruit Company, a subsidiary of Dole Food Company, Inc., has voluntarily recalled all Honduran Cantaloupes grown, packed and shipped by an independent third-party grower, Agropecuaria Montelibano of San Lorenzo Valle, Honduras...
Chiquita Cantaloupe Recall
Posted on March 31, 2008The FDA has announced a Chiquita cantaloupe recall. Chiquita Brands International, Inc. has recalled cantaloupes grown, packed and shipped by an independent third-party grower, Agropecuaria Montelibano in Honduras. The product was distributed to customers nationwide and is being recalled because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella...
USDA Considering Withholding Recall Information
Posted on March 29, 2008In the wake of the country’s largest ground beef recall in history, the USDA is considering applying a new rule to inform consumers of retailers which supplied recalled products. This rule, however, would only cover Class I recalls, or those which the USDA considers most dangerous...
Salmonellosis Cases in Minnesota Linked to Milford Valley Farms Chicken Cordon Bleu
Posted on March 28, 2008Minnesota health and agriculture officials have reported two recent cases of Salmonella Enteritidis infection (salmonellosis) in Minnesota linked to raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned, stuffed chicken entrees. The implicated product is Milford Valley Farms Chicken Cordon Bleu with a stamped code of C8021...
Report on FDA and Fresh Spinach Safety
Posted on March 28, 2008This month, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued a report on their investigation into the Food and Drug Administration’s efforts to protect the safety of packaged fresh spinach entitled, “FDA and Fresh Spinach Safety...
Salmonella Food Poisoning and HIV
Posted on March 28, 2008Salmonella infection is never pleasant, but for most healthy people who are exposed to the bacteria suffer from gastroenteritis and recover. For patients with AIDS, however, the same bacteria that result in uncomfortable food poisoning for most is often fatal...
FSIS Will Hold Meeting to Discuss E. Coli
Posted on March 28, 2008In order to address the increasing prevalence of E. coli 0157:H7 in the nation’s food supply, the USDA’s FSIS has announced plans to hold a public meeting to discuss recalls and illnesses related to the deadly E. coli strain. The meeting will be held on April 9 and 10, and will include FSIS and CDC officials, legal representatives, and representatives from the food industry and consumer groups...
Another Salmonella Litchfield Cantaloupe Recall Connected to Honduran Cantaloupe
Posted on March 27, 2008Tropifresh, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA has recalled Agrolibano’s Produce Brand whole Cantaloupes because they may be contaminated with Salmonella Litchfield.Whole cantaloupe fruits subject to this recall carry a “Mike’s Melons” sticker or may be unlabeled because this sticker has fallen off...
NIH Grant for Researching New Antibiotics
Posted on March 25, 2008Widespread problems of Salmonella and E. coli 0157:H7 are not only rooted in food safety. There have also been issues lately with the treatment of infections due to these and other pathogens. More and more strains are becoming resistant to traditional antibiotics, bringing the need for new drugs and treatments to the forefront of the issue...
Salmonella Litchfield Cases in Washington Linked to Cantaloupe
Posted on March 25, 2008According to the Washington State Department of Health,cantaloupe from Honduras grown by Agropecuaria Montelibano has been implicated in dozens of Salmonella Litchfield illnesses across 16 states, including nine cases of salmonellosis in Washington.The outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield illnesses has affected families in King, Lewis, Thurston, Pierce, and Spokane counties...
Honduras Cantaloupe Recall
Posted on March 25, 2008There is now a nationwide recall of cantaloupe grown, packed and shipped by Agropecuaria Montelibano of Honduras. Central American Produce, Inc. of Pompano Beach, FL announced the voluntary recall earlier today. The recalled Honduras cantaloupe was distributed nationwide and Canada...
Salmonella Litchfield Outbreak Associated with Cantaloupe
Posted on March 23, 2008The FDA has issued an import alert regarding entry of cantaloupe from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower and packer, because, based on current information, fruit from this company appears to be associated with a Salmonella Litchfield outbreak in the United States and Canada...
The Most Dangerous States For Foodborne Illness
Posted on March 22, 2008The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention keep track of all outbreaks of foodborne illnesses in the country. The CDC defines an outbreak as two or more people becoming ill from the same food acquired at the same establishments. HealthInspections...
Texas Concludes Investigation into Illnesses
Posted on March 21, 2008The Texas Department of State Health Services has finished its investigation of six gastrointestinal illnesses that occurred in the Bastrop area the first week of March and reports finding no common source of infection, no additional matching illnesses and no evidence of a continuing health threat...
Conference Analyzes Produce Outbreaks
Posted on March 19, 2008The 2008 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases discussed the growing number of foodborne illnesses related to vegetables, mainly leafy greens. It has been thought that the increase of leafy greens in the average American’s diet has led to the increase in disease related to those foods; however, data analyzed at the conference suggests something entirely different...
Listeria Contamination in Pennsylvania Raw Milk
Posted on March 19, 2008The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has warned consumers to discard raw milk purchased from Fisher’s Dairy Farm in Portersville, PA due to a high risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The dairy’s permit to sell raw milk was revoked in 2006, but state inspectors purchased raw milk from the dairy on March 6...
Reserch Identifies Most Dangerous and Prevalent E. Coli Strains
Posted on March 17, 2008Recent outbreaks associated with a deadly form of the E. coli bacteria, known as the 0157:H7 strain, have made researchers wonder how the bacteria are evolving. A 2006 outbreak linked to contaminated spinach caused the removal of fresh produce from store shelves nationwide...
Shiga Toxin Sickens Five, Kills Child
Posted on March 17, 2008We contacted the Texas Department of State Health Services for any updates on the illnesses caused by a shiga toxin. Six people, including three children, were sickened. One of the children died.Doug McBride, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, told us that there have been no additional cases reported...
Flying Tortilla Associated with Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on March 15, 2008According to an Associated Press story in the Las Cruces Sun-News, 4 cases of Salmonella have been associated with the Flying Tortilla, a Santa Fe, New Mexico restaurant. The four people ate at the Flying Tortilla in Santa Fe from mid-January to mid-February, 2008...
Hallmark/Westland Worker Jailed
Posted on March 11, 2008Luis Sanchez, a worker from Hallmark/Westland, who was seen in the video released by the Humane Society of the United States using an electric prod on cattle, is in jail and wondering why his superiors are free men. According to Sanchez, he was only following orders and was shown how to use a forklift to move “downer” cattle to slaughter...
FDA shuts down Castelberry's
Posted on March 11, 2008The FDA has suspended the temporary permit assigned to Castleberry’s Food Company. The plant had to stop operations in the summer of 2007 when cans of chili produced at the plant were found to contain the bacteria that leads to botulism. The FDA suspended the temporary emergency operating permit given to Castleberry’s, forcing the plant to shut down entirely, according to NBC Augusta...
Hallmark/Westland and the Danger of BSE
Posted on March 11, 2008When an undercover videographer from the Humane Society caught workers at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. using forklifts and other inhumane practices to send cattle to slaughter, the attention of the American public was outraged and led to the largest recall of beef in United States history...
FSIS Enacts Interim Actions to Prevent Inhumane Treatment
Posted on March 07, 2008In response to the violation of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act by the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co., which led to the largest beef recall in United States history, FSIS has implemented new interim actions to address issues pertaining to humane handling at slaughterhouses...
Listeria Causes Recall by Three Companies
Posted on March 07, 2008The contamination of Discover Cuisine Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice due to Listeria has led to recalls by three major companies. Costco Wholesale is recalling 10,368 pounds of the frozen entrees, Inovata Foods is recalling 3,780 pounds, and Meijer Distribution Center is recalling 2,184 pounds...
California Releases List of Business Selling Recalled Halamark Beef
Posted on March 07, 2008The 143 million pounds of ground beef recalled by Hallmark/Westland was produced over the past two years and could have ended up in a variety of different places, including the School Lunch Program. According to Meatingplace.com, the California Department of Public Health listed around 3,000 restaurants and business that may have received the recalled beef in a 120 page report...
Hallmark Recall Reveals Faults in System
Posted on March 07, 2008The Hallmark/Westland ground beef recall, largest in U.S. history, revolves around the failure of the company to abide by federal regulations and the failure of federal inspectors to catch the violations earlier. The recall questions the effectiveness of our nation’s food safety policies and whether or not they need to be improved or altogether changed...
The Importance of Maintaining Safety Standards
Posted on March 07, 2008Consumers do not want to worry about the safety of their food when ordering an entree at a restaurant. In exchange for payment, the consumer expects a certain level of comfort knowing that the food being prepared is safe to eat. But at times, eating establishments don’t always hold up their end of the bargain...
Problems in School Lunch Program Go Beyond Hallmark/Westland
Posted on March 07, 2008Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing, the target of the nation’s largest beef recall ever, has been especially disturbing due to their contract with the USDA to supply beef to the School Lunch Program. It is concerning that the government has been letting unsafe products into our nation’s schools...
Costco Recall Involves Frozen Chicken Entrees Produced in October 2007
Posted on March 04, 2008Costco Wholesale, a Washington firm, has recalled approximately 10,368 pounds of frozen chicken entrées that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Costco recall announcement...
Alfalfa Sprouts May Be Contaminated with Salmonella
Posted on March 04, 2008The California Department of Public Health has warned consumers not to eat alfalfa sprouts manufactured by Salad Cosmo and J.H. Caldwell and Sons due to possible Salmonella contamination. Routine testing discovered the possible contamination and the companies have voluntarily recalled their products...
Meijer Recalls Chicken Entrees
Posted on March 04, 2008The USDA’s FSIS has announced the voluntarily recall of chicken entrees by Meijer Distribution Center of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The recall involves approximately 2,184 pounds of the frozen entrees due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination...
DuPont, USDA to Develop Better E. Coli Test
Posted on February 28, 2008According to CNN, DuPont & Co. will be working with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to develop a new test to detect the potentially lethal E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria. The research team will work at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska...
E. Coli Patients Suffer from HUS
Posted on February 28, 2008When referring to the dangers of E. coli infection, the potentially lethal 0157:H7 strain often creates the biggest clout because it can lead to a very dangerous condition called Hemolytic Uremic Sydrome (HUS). HUS is characterized by damage and destruction of the red blood cells, which leads to a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells (a condition called anemia), blood clots, and damage to blood vessel walls...
Alabama E. coli outbreak May be Linked to Church Supper
Posted on February 27, 2008Eight cases of E. coli have been associated with a church supper at Eastern Shore First Baptist Church. 5 of the 8 were hospitalized. One boy is still hospitalized.According to the Press-Register: Out of approximately 150 people interviewed by the health department as of Monday morning, 20 said they were ill, Porter said...
Final Report on the Taco John's E. coli Outbreak
Posted on February 27, 2008The California Food Emergency Response Team (CalFERT) and the FDA have issued a final report of their investigation of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 outbreak associated with iceberg lettuce served at Taco John’s restaurants in Iowa and Minnesota...
Hawaii E. coli Cases Prompt Closing of Sekiya's Restaurant
Posted on February 27, 2008Seven cases of E. coli have been linked to Sekiya’s, a Kapahula restaurant. The most recent case occurred this month, and the others occurred in December. In response, the Hawaii State Health Department temporarily shut down the restaurant...
Taco John's E.Coli Outbreak Linked to California Ranch
Posted on February 26, 2008A 16-month investigation by the California Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug Branch and the FDA has concluded that an E. coli outbreak in 2006 is linked to Wegis Ranch in Buttonwillow, California. The E. coli was found in iceberg lettuce that was served at Taco John’s restaurants and sickened 81 people in Iowa and Minnesota...
Hallmark/Westland May Close Indefinitely
Posted on February 26, 2008The Wall Street Journal has reported that the chances of Hallmark/Westland shutting down for good may be greater than originally speculated. Anthony Magidow, general manager of the company, explained that customers are already stopping payments on products involved in the recall...
Stephanie Smith Recovering
Posted on February 26, 2008After months of being in an induced coma after contracting an E. coli infection that led to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), Stephanie Smith is out of the coma and recovering at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota. To view a KARE 11 video entitled "Long road back for E...
Will the Westland/Hallmark Recall Prompt Action by Congress?
Posted on February 23, 2008Iowa Senator Dick Durbin and Connecticut Represestative Rosa DeLauro have called for a new department that would focus exclusively on food safety. Delauro stated in a U.S. News story, "Food safety ought to be of a high enough priority that we have a single agency that deals with it and not an agency that is responsible for promoting a product, selling a product, and then as an afterthought dealing with how our food supply is safe [this could be said of both the FDA and the USDA]...
Premier Quality Seed Mix Recalled
Posted on February 23, 2008Imperial Snack Foods Ltd. has recalled its Premier Quality Seed Mix (150g) due to Salmonella contamination. The company has removed the affected food from sale and notices will be posted in all stores. Anyone who has purchased the affected product may return it for a full refund...
Arizona Beef Tests Positive for Salmonella
Posted on February 23, 2008Health officials from the Yuma County Health District (Arizona) have issued a warning concerning a contamination of Salmonella in beef tri-tip cuts. According to the Yuma Sun, Becky Brooks, director of the Yuma County Health District, is urging anyone who took home some of the meat from the Hospice of Yuma roping roundup, barbecue and western dance at the Yuma County Fairgrounds to dispose of it...
Beef Missing in Hallmark/Westland Recall
Posted on February 23, 2008Officials from the USDA report that there is still a massive amount of beef which has yet to be found in relation to the recall of 143 million pounds of beef produced by the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. 50.3 million pounds of the beef was used in federal food programs, which includes the school lunch program...
CDC Reports On State Preparedness
Posted on February 23, 2008The CDC recently released a comprehensive report that assesses federal funding distributed to states after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The report analyzes the use of money and improvements made in each state to determine preparedness to deal with disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and other public health emergencies...
Inspection Problems at Hallmark/Westland
Posted on February 21, 2008The aftermath of the largest beef recall in United States history, 143 million pounds produced by the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co., leaves a myriad of questions open to answer about how the USDA could have overlooked such blatant violations of humane treatment of animals...
Unmarked Cheese Poses Salmonella Threat
Posted on February 21, 2008The Kansas Department of Agriculture is warning consumers in Garden City, Kansas to be wary of unmarked soft white cheese. During an inspection at Panaderia Real in Garden City, officials discovered that cheese made by Guadalupe Valadez may be contaminated with Salmonella...
Westland Recalls 140 Million Pounds of Beef
Posted on February 19, 2008Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. of Chino, California has voluntarily recalled more than 140 million pounds of raw and frozen beef. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has designated the beef to present a low health risk, making it a Class II recall...
How Epidemiologists Uncovered the Massachusetts Listeria Outbreak
Posted on February 18, 2008The Listeria outbreak linked to Whittier Farms milk took the lives of 4 people, 3 elderly men and an unborn baby. A recent article in the Worcester Telegram provides a look at how epidemiologists (infectious disease “detectives”) at the Massachusetts public health laboratory uncovered the source of the outbreak using DNA fingerprinting: State health workers had little to go on when they began their investigations in November, and no idea that a sample of pasteurized milk would eventually be tied to an outbreak lasting at least six months and involving three counties...
Progressive Inflammatory Neuropathy Ails Slaughterhouse Workers
Posted on February 13, 2008A continuing investigation of progressive inflammatory neuropathy (PIN) in swine slaughterhouse workers in the CDC’s MMWR details illnesses among workers in a slaughterhouse in southeastern Minnesota (referred to only as Plant A). Six workers have confirmed, two have probable, and two have possible PIN...
The Risk of Today's Fresh Produce
Posted on February 12, 2008The past year has seen its share of recalls due to contamination by foodborne pathogens. Scientists and government officials note that the pure number of outbreaks has not significantly increased in the past few years, but there is concern in the variety of products affected by contamination...
Minnesota Bratwurst Recall Due to Possible Listeria Contamination
Posted on February 11, 2008The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has advised consumers to avoid smoked pork and beef bratwurst produced by J&B Meats of Barnesville, Minnesota, with the lot number PBB30306, and Minnesota State Establishment Number 1198. The recalled beef and pork bratwurst may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria...
Salmonella Cases Prompt Tuna Recall
Posted on February 11, 2008Cases of Salmonella (salmonellosis) in Hawaii have prompted a recall of Yellowfin Tuna distributed by Choyce Products of Honolulu, Hawaii. 5452 pounds of the frozen tuna, distributed in Oahu, may be contaminated with Salmonella. The FDA and the state of Hawaii are conducting a joint investigation of a variety of vendors due to the state receiving Salmonella illness reports between October 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007...
New Era Recalls Canned Vegetable Products
Posted on February 07, 2008The FDA announced today a recall of vegetable products in #10 cans (6-7 lb. cans) produced by New Era Canning Company of New Era, Michigan. The cans may have been contaminated by Clostridium botulinum spores. Affected cans can be identified by the UPC but most importantly by the lot code information on the can end...
FDA Changes Listeria Policy On Certain RTE Foods
Posted on February 07, 2008The FDA will be revising policy regulations on Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods to distinguish between RTE foods that support Listeria growth and those that do not. Currently there is a “zero tolerance” standard for all RTE foods, allowing zero colony forming units per gram of food (cfu/g)...
FSIS Suspends Inspections at Hallmark/Westland
Posted on February 06, 2008Dr. Richard Raymond, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety, announced in a statement the suspension of FSIS inspections at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company. The suspension is in response to the company’s violations of Federal regulations and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act...
Olivier Recalls Parmesan & Asiago Dip with Garlic & Basil
Posted on February 04, 2008The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has warned consumers of a voluntary recall from Olivier Olive Oil Products, Inc. The recall concerns Olivier brand Parmesan & Asiago Dip with Garlic & Basil due to possible Clostridium botulinum contamination...
Concerns of Effective Microwave Cooking
Posted on February 04, 2008The International Association for Food Protection has released a series of presentations dealing with a growing concern among the frozen food industry to address the risks of microwavable foods. Frozen foods have been the target of many recent foodborne illness outbreaks, including the Jeno’s and Totino’s frozen pizza E...
Whittier Halts Production Indefinitely
Posted on February 02, 2008Whittier Farms, source of a widespread Listeria outbreak in Massachusetts, has started to sell milk again at its farm store, but not milk from the dairy. Wayne Whittier, owner of Whittier Farms has stated that “the milk production and bottling plant, it won’t be a place where Whittier Farms will operate again...
Taco John's E. Coli Sickens Woman
Posted on February 01, 2008A woman from Jesup, Iowa is taking CMT Inc. to court after becoming ill after eating at a Taco John’s restaurant. Her illness is connected to an E. coli contamination linked to California lettuce, according to the WCF Courier.The woman became sick in November 2006, and is being represented by Pritzker | Ruohonen attorney Elliot Olsen...
Pars Cove Runs Business As Usual
Posted on February 01, 2008Pars Cove, a restaurant in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, experienced a minor setback due to an outbreak of salmonellosis in hummus dishes served at last year’s Taste of Chicago. The outbreak sickened 790 people, with 182 confirmed cases of salmonellosis and 30 hospitalizations...
Shigellosis On The Rise
Posted on January 31, 2008Officials from the Peoria (IL) City/County Health Department report a spike in the number of shigellosis cases. Caused by the Shigella bacteria, shigellosis affects the intestinal tract and can normally be prevented by proper hand washing.According to Peoria’s Journal Star, Randall McClallen, communicable disease coordinator, said the department fields between 20 to 30 reported cases each year...
Ca Rem #1 Coconut-flavored frozen dessert recalled after tests find Listeria
Posted on January 30, 2008The Washington State Department of Agriculture has announced the recall of coconut-flavored frozen dessert manufactured by Ca Rem #1 Ice Cream, SeaTac. Ca Rem #1 is voluntarily recalling its coconut-flavored, non-dairy frozen dessert due to possible Listeria contamination...
FSIS Initiative to Combat Salmonella
Posted on January 29, 2008The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has recently undergone significant changes in testing and policy to reduce the threat of foodborne illnesses caused by Salmonella. The CDC reported in 2006 that Salmonella was responsible for 38...
Shiloh Farms Recalls Sesame Seeds
Posted on January 28, 2008Shiloh Farms of New Holland, Pennsylvania is recalling their Organic Unhulled Sesame Seeds due to possible Salmonella contamination. The contamination was discovered during an FDA test of a sample of the sesame seeds from a Shiloh Farms supplier...
Rare Salmonella Strain Linked to Raw Fish
Posted on January 28, 2008A relatively rare strain of Salmonella has been linked to the consumption of raw fish and raw ahi on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. About 30 cases have been confirmed since October and a few other cases were reported on the mainland U.S.The strain of Salmonella responsible is known as Paratyphi B...
Possible Link Between E. Coli and Ethanol Byproduct
Posted on January 28, 2008Concern over global warming has pushed research to developing cleaner fuel resources, one of which includes using ethanol as a fuel additive. The ethanol industry has in turn driven up the price of corn for cattle producers to use as feed. Distillers grain, a byproduct of ethanol, can be used as cattle feed and is much cheaper compared to corn...
Raw Milk, Pasteurized Milk and Listeria
Posted on January 26, 2008The Listeria outbreak linked to pasteurized milk products from Whittier Farms has brought to light the dangers of pasteurized food. Health officials believe that the contamination of the Whittier Farms milk happened during processing, after pasteurization...
European Union Aware of Listeria Danger
Posted on January 26, 2008There a rising concern in both the United States and the European Union (EU) about the risk of Listeria contamination. Listeriosis has recently caused the deaths of three elderly men and a miscarriage due to the Whittier Farms outbreak in the United States...
Small Turtles Linked to Multistate Salmonella Outbreak
Posted on January 25, 2008According to an article in this week’s issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a CDC investigation into a multistate Salmonella outbreak determined the source of the outbreak to be pet turtles. Due to past Salmonella outbreaks linked to pet turtles, the sale and distribution of small turtles (those with a shell less than 4 inches long) has been prohibited in the United States since 1975...
Listeria and Pasteurized Milk
Posted on January 24, 2008It has long been known that the pasteurization process effectively kills many pathogenic organisms, including the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which should make pasteurized milk and other products safe for human consumption. However, an outbreak of listeriosis in Massachusetts has lequestioned the safety of pasteurized milk...
Lighting Technology Controls Listeria Contamination
Posted on January 24, 2008Although the Listeria outbreak originating with Whittier Farms has questioned the safety of the nation’s dairy supply, new technology holds the promise of protecting fresh produce from the potentially lethal bacteria among other pathogens. PureRay Lighting Technology from Global Warming Solutions replaces florescent lighting to dramatically increase the shelf life of produce, all while reducing energy costs...
New Theory About Whittier Listeria Contamination
Posted on January 23, 2008Massachusetts state health officials think they may have pieced together the evidence to explain how milk produced at Whittier Farms became contaminated with a lethal strain of Listeria. The outbreak has already led to the death of three elderly men and a miscarriage...
New Infrared Pasteurization Process Kills Listeria
Posted on January 23, 2008With the outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in pasteurized milk products from Whittier Farms looming over the food safety world, a new study suggests safer and more effective ways of killing the bacteria during the pasteurization process. A study conducted by L...
Long-Term Health Problems Associated with Foodborne Illness
Posted on January 22, 2008As food safety lawyers, we know that foodborne illnesses can lead to serious health problems that may not manifest themselves until months or years after a person first becomes ill. That is why compensation packages for victims of foodborne outbreaks need to include amounts for future medical expenses and future pain and suffering...
Investigation Suggets Means of Contamination at Whittier
Posted on January 22, 2008The continuing investigation into the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak at Whittier Farms leads experts to believe that contamination may be due to cleaning procedures at the dairy. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) took more than 100 environmental and milk samples from the dairy, revealing definite connections between the strains found at the plant and five cases of listeriosis...
Kroger Bean Salad Botulism Risk
Posted on January 22, 2008Kroger deli bean salad, specifically Deli Chef Tri-Bean Salad, has been recalled due to possible contamination with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that can cause botulism, a life-threatening foodborne illness. The recalled Kroger bean salad was sold from Kroger deli counters in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming...
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How do i go bout geting a free laywer to sue the durham police department for drug raids and nothing is found?they have been in my house 4 or 5 times seems like every 4 months or so and breaking down my door tearing up m
They need a warrant to get into your house...if they never showed you one...you ...
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Yes you have a case against them. Walmart just lost a case for several million d...
Suggest a good logistics solutions provider?
Extron had come to our aid in the crucial juncture of our logistics requirements...
Is it libel to write blog posts and/or online reviews about a local business that defames one's reputation?
Libel is the form of defamation expressed in fixed-- usually written form. Sland...
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