The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced that six people have been sickened with Salmonella food poisoning after eating Antioch Farms raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned stuffed chicken breast entrees. Consumers got sick in August and September 2014 from the same strain of Salmonella Enteritidis. One person has been hospitalized.
Dr. Carlota Medus, epidemiologist for the Foodborne Diseases Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health said in a statement, “our DNA fingerprinting found that the individuals were sickened by the same strain of Salmonella. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture collected samples of the same type of product from grocery stores and the outbreak strain of Salmonella was found in packages of this product.”
The product is Antioch Farms brand A la Kiev raw stuffed chicken breast with a U.S. Department of Agriculture stamped code of P-1358. The product is sold at grocery store chains. The label states that the product is raw and must be cooked.
Dr. Carrie Rigdon, an investigator for the MDA Dairy and Food Inspection Division said, “the problem arises when consumers don’t realize that they are handling and preparing a raw product.” But the law states that producers are not allowed to sell a product that is contaminated with enough pathogenic bacteria to make a person sick.
Chicken is often contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, which means that consumers must be very careful when handling it and cooking it. Never rinse raw chicken in the sink; the bacteria will aerosolize up to three feet away from the faucet. Always wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw chicken, and don’t cross-contaminate other foods with the raw meat. And always cook chicken to 165°F as measured by a food thermometer.
The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include diarrhea that may be bloody, abdominal pain, cramps, and fever. People usually begin to feel sick 12 to 72 hours after exposure. Most people get better within a week, but about 20% of those sickened are hospitalized. Salmonella infections can lead to death. Long term complications of a Salmonella infection include Reiter’s Syndrome, which causes reactive arthritis, irritable bowl syndrome, and myocarditis. If you ate the Antioch Farms product and experienced these symptoms, please see your doctor as soon as possible.
Was any of the chicken sold in Houston, Texas, and if so, what grocery stores.
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The retail distribution list hasn’t been released yet. We’ll let you know as soon as the government does this.