A Salmonella outbreak linked to Antioch Farms frozen chicken Kiev that has sickened at least six people in Minnesota likely arose from mistaken identity. Some brands of frozen chicken kiev are fully cooked and just need to be heated. The frozen entrees associated with this outbreak were pre-browned but raw, as stated on the label.
This isn’t the first time such confusion has led to an outbreak. “The problem arises when consumers don’t realize that they are handling and preparing a raw product,” said Dr. Carrie Rigdon, an investigator for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Dairy and Food Inspection Division.
Between 1998 and 2008, six Salmonella outbreaks were linked to similar products, according to Minnesota health officials. And, in 2011, 190 people in six states were sickened after eating kosher broiled chicken livers that required further cooking. Thirty people were hospitalized.
Eating food contaminated with Salmonella causes an infection called salmonellosis . Symptoms, which include fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea, usually develop between 6 and 72 hours of exposure and last about a week. In a typical outbreak, about 20 percent of cases require hospitalization. In this outbreak, one person was hospitalized.
A recall for the product has not been issued. Health officials in Minnesota advise consumers with these products in their freezers, to follow cooking directions on the package if they choose to use them and to wash their hands before and after handling the raw product to avoid cross contamination.
