Last week, an E.coli outbreak that has sickened 11 people in four states triggered a 900-ton recall of ground beef. Lab tests have shown that the E.coli strain in all 11 people is a genetic match and all 11 reported eating a rare hamburger, with meat later discovered to be from Wolverine, in the days before becoming ill. Tests on meat from Wolverine, performed weeks after the meat linked to the reported illnesses, were negative for E.coli, a spokesman for the company has said. But the recall, issued out of caution, stands.
That hasn’t been the case with chicken produced by Foster Farms. In two almost back-to-back Salmonella outbreaks (outbreak 1, outbreak 2) tainted chicken produced by the company has sickened at least 708 people. In each outbreak, lab tests showed that the outbreak strain was a genetic match to a Salmonella strain found at Foster Farms plants, yet the company has never issued a recall.
Both outbreaks are considered ongoing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The E.coli outbreak has sickened five people in Michigan, four in Ohio, one in Massachusetts and one in Missouri. To view details of the recall click here.
The Salmonella outbreak, updated by the CDC today, has sickened 574 people in 27 states and Puerto Rico. The Salmonella outbreak strains associated with this outbreak are particularly virulent. Typically, about 20 percent of people with salmonellosis require hospitalization and 5 percent develop blood infections that pose serious health risks. In this outbreak, about 37 percent of people sickened have required hospitalization and 13 percent have developed blood infections.
If you bought ground beef with the establishment number “EST. 2574B” and a production date between 03 31 14 and 04 18 14, do not eat it. If you did eat it or some Foster Farms chicken and develop symptoms of food poisoning such as diarrhea and severe abdominal cramping, see a doctor and mention your potential food poisoning exposure.
