The Broome County Jail kitchen had food safety violations before the Salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 300 inmates occurred, according to news reports. Ten inmates were hospitalized, but eight of them have been released. The rest recovered without medical attention. Allegedly it was the chicken salad that was the source of the pathogen; it did test positive for Salmonella.
Olivia Catalino, director of public health, said in a statement, “Our team observed numerous instances of potentially hazardous food that were improperly refrigerated. Another critical violation was noted when food was never temperature checked. The worker was then observed handling the cooked chicken with bare hands. Another violation while transferring it to the container.” In addition, milk was left out of refrigeration for more than two hours, refrigerated and frozen food had been left out of refrigeration for more than five Horus, and frozen chicken had been left out for more than three hours.
Improper refrigeration can leave food, especially perishable food like chicken, in the danger zone of 40°F to 140°F for too long. After two hours in that temperature range, bacteria counts can double every twenty minutes.
Never temperature checking the food compounded the problem. If the food was in the danger zone and no one checked, kitchen staff was unaware that they were serving problematic food.
Cooked food should not be handled with bare hands. Employees may not wash their hands properly, and it’s aways a possibility that the employee used the bathroom and didn’t wash their hands afterwards.
Again, leaving food out of refrigeration is very problematic. If the kitchen was thawing frozen chicken by leaving it out at room temperature, pathogens could easily grow. The investigation is ongoing.
If your family member has been sickened with a food poisoning infection, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors.
