A Minnesota couple has filed the first Salmonella lawsuit against Barber Foods in the latest outbreak associated with Chicken Kiev and other boxed, frozen chicken entrees. The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed the connection between the man’s salmonellosis and the strain of Salmonella apparent in the outbreak. The suit was filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court on the couple’s behalf.
The lawsuit was filed by Pritzker Law. Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker said, “No one should get sick because they purchased a frozen entree to eat for dinner. Manufacturers have to be more vigilant when it comes to food safety.”
The case patient represented in the federal lawsuit got sick in early April, soon after consuming Chicken Kiev that was cooked according to label instructions, the lawsuit states. Diarrhea, fever, painful cramps, chills and headache sent him to the doctor’s office repeatedly until he tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis. The state Health Department has confirmed at least five other outbreak cases linked to Barber Chicken Kiev and the company has issued two recalls, including this week’s Barber Foods expanded recall of 1,707,494 pounds of frozen, raw stuffed chicken products.
According to health officials, the Chicken Kiev Salmonella outbreak case patients became ill from April 5 through June 8. The six laboratory-confirmed cases in this outbreak, including one in Wisconsin, have ranged in age from 19 to 82 years. No deaths have been reported, but two were hospitalized. Most case patients are from the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding suburbs.
I have had Salmonella twice, the second time resulted in Reactive Arthritis in my feet that just about crippled me and I was inches from a wheelchair. The pain in my feet was the worst pain I have ever had. I was sent to a Rheumatologist and was diagnosed there. I just laid and cried because the pain was so awful. moving my toes was even worse. The Salmonella I had both times I acquired from my baby poultry. I was not as careful as I should have been. Salmonella is nothing to fool around with especially as you get older. this happened to me in 2008 and my toes still bother me now in 2015 but not near as badly. be very careful to always wash your hands well and even change your clothing after working with poultry. and as far as cooking goes, invest in a good cooking thermometer. once you start using it you will get used to using it when cooking.
I’m so sorry that happened to you. You are absolutely right; this is a dangerous bacteria and the illness it causes is not to be taken lightly. I’m glad you are feeling better now.