The JBS Tolleson ground beef Salmonella outbreak was the #2 multistate food poisoning outbreak of 2019, sickening at least 403 people in 30 states. There were 117 hospitalizations and no deaths.
The patient case count by state was: Arizona (54), California (143), Colorado (60), Connecticut (1), Hawaii (5), Idaho (3), Iowa (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Kansas (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (5), Michigan (1), Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (2), Mississippi (2), Missouri (3), Montana (10), New Mexico (23), New York (1), Nevada (14), Ohio (9), Oklahoma (10), Oregon (1), South Dakota (10), Texas (19), Utah (11), Washington (3), West Virginia (1), Wyoming (5). Illnesses started on dates ranging from August 5, 2018 to February 8, 2019. Thirty-four percent of patients were hospitalized, which is a high number for a Salmonella outbreak. Typically, about 20% of patients need to be hospitalized in a Salmonella outbreak.
One of the unfortunate things about this outbreak is the reminder that ground meats should be handled with care because they may be contaminated. The ground beef that sickened people was available under many different brand names and sold from July 26, 2018 to September 7, 2018. Some of the brand names are Grass Fun Farms, Showcase, Kroger, and Cedar River Farms, among others. The ground beef package will have the establishment number “EST. 267” which is typically stamped inside the USDA mark of inspection, but could have been placed anywhere on the package.
You can contact food safety attorney Fred Pritzker for help if you or a family member have been sickened with Salmonella by calling 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Opened and unopened packages of ground beef were collected from patients’ homes and from retail stores. Officials did find the outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport in the ground beef. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) conducted on that pathogen found that it was closely related genetically to the Salmonella isolates from patients. Several recalls were issued in association with this JBS Tolleson ground beef Salmonella Newport outbreak.
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include a fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that may be bloody. People typically start feeling sick 12 to 72 hours after eating food contaminated with this pathogen. While most people do recover fully after this illness, long term complications including reactive arthritis and endocarditis can occur years later.
