A Salmonella Schwarzengrund outbreak that has sickened at least five people in two states is associated with Butterball, Kroger, and Food Lion brand ground turkey. The outbreak announcement was hidden in the USDA recall notice.
Four of the patients in this outbreak live in Wisconsin. And those four Wisconsin patients live in one residence. The other state where the fifth ill person lives was not mentioned in the notice. All of the expiration dates for these products are in 2018. The recall is being issued because the government is concerned that some of this ground turkey is probably still frozen in consumers’ home freezers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection have been investigating this outbreak.
Food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker has represented many patients sickened after eating ground meat. You can call him for help at 612-338-0202 or 1-888-377-8900.
Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker said, “Unfortunately, ground meats have been the source of many food poisoning outbreaks in the past few years. Consumers have to handle these products carefully. But it’s illegal for corporations to sell food that is contaminated with enough bacteria to make people sick.”
Wisconsin collected three intact Butterball brand ground turkey samples from the home where those four patients live. They found Salmonella Schwarzengrund in the ground turkey. And lab tests show that that bacteria is closely related to isolates taken from sick people.
There is no information about the age of the patients, where they live, their age range, or if anyone has been hospitalized. The symptoms of a Salmonella infection include abdominal cramps, a fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that can be watery or bloody. People usually start feeling sick 12 to 72 hours after exposure, and the illness usually lasts four to seven days.
If you have eaten any of these products and have been ill, see your doctor. The long term complications of a Salmonella infection can be serious, including reactive arthritis and endocarditis.
