The Citterio Salame Sticks Salmonella outbreak has now sickened at least 20 people in eight states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health announced that three people living in that state were sickened. The outbreak has spread beyond that state.
The Salame Sticks were sold at Trader Joe’s grocery stores and may have been sold at other grocery stores around the country. Nine people were interviewed about the foods they ate before they got sick, and eight said they ate or maybe ate this product. Investigators are working to see if other products may also be contaminated.
The patient case count by state is: California (8), Illinois (2), Kansas (1), Michigan (3), Minnesota (3), New Jersey (1), New York (1), and Virginia (1). Illness onset dates range from September 18, 2021 to October 3, 2021. The patient age range is from two to 75 years. Of 11 people who gave information to officials, three have been hospitalized, for a hospitalization rate of 27%.
Whole genome sequencing showed that bacteria from patient isolates are closely related genetically, which suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from eating the same food. And since the percentage of people who said they ate Citterio Salame Sticks before they got sick is significantly higher than the percentage of healthy people who ate that type of product in the same week, the outbreak is likely caused by salami or salame sticks. The outbreak strain is Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:-.
You can contact food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker for help by calling 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Noted food safety attorney Fred Pritzker, who has represented many clients in Salmonella lawsuits against producers and grocery stores, said, “No ready to eat product should be contaminated with enough bacteria to make someone seriously ill. We hope that now that a product has been identified, the outbreak will stop growing.”
A recall has not yet been issue, but Trader Joe’s has voluntarily stopped selling this product in its stores until more is known about this outbreak. The CDC is advising stores not to sell or serve Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks. And consumers should not eat that product no matter where it were purchased, even if some has been consumed and no one has been sick.
Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning include a fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal and stomach pain and cramps, and diarrhea that may be bloody. These symptoms usually start a few hours to a few days after eating contaminated food, although sometimes they won’t start until two weeks later.
If you ate this product and have been sick, see your doctor. You may be part of this Citterio Salame Sticks Salmonella outbreak.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with a Salmonella infection after eating Citterio Salame Sticks purchased at a grocery store, please contact our experienced attorneys for help at 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
