A Salmonella Concord outbreak that has sickened five people is linked to Baron's brand tahini that was manufactured by Achdut Ltd. This product is imported into the U.S. from Ari'el, Israel. Achdut has voluntary recalled all brands of tahini products manufactured from April 7, 2018 to May 21, 2018 with expiration dates that range from April 7, 2020 to May 21, 2020. The FDA is advising consumers to not eat recalled Achva, Achdut, Soom, S&F, Pepperwood, and Baron's brand tahini. The product codes range from 18-097 to 18-141. Some of these brands may lack specific dates or have labels that are written in Hebrew. If you can't identify a tahini that you are considering buying, don't buy it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified five people infected … [Read more...]
E. coli O157:H7 Romaine Outbreak Grows to 43 Sick; 16 Hospitalized
The FDA has updated the E. coli O157:H7 romaine lettuce outbreak. Now 43 people in 12 states are sick. That's an increase of 11 patients since the last update on November 20, 2018. Sixteen people have been hospitalized, and one person has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. The case count by state is: California (11), Connecticut (1), Illinois (2), Massachusetts (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (7), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (9), New York (5), Ohio (1), Rhode Island (1), and Wisconsin (1). The patient age range is from 1 to 74 years. Of the 38 people who were interviewed by officials, 16, or 42%, have been hospitalized. The illness onset date range is from October 8 to October 31, 2018. There is new evidence about where the romaine that sickened … [Read more...]
Romaine Lettuce E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Sickens 22 in Canada
The Romaine lettuce E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has sickened at least 32 people in 11 states in the United States has also sickened 22 people in Canada, according to Public Health Canada. Romaine lettuce has been identified as the outbreak source in both countries. The patient case count by province in this romaine lettuce E. coli O157:H7 outbreak is: Ontario (4), Quebec (17), and New Brunswick (1). The illnesses began between mid-October and early November 2018. Eight people have been hospitalized, and one person has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a kind of kidney failure. And the illnesses in this romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak are genetically related to illnesses reported last year that sickened people in both countries. This "suggests there may be a … [Read more...]
Romaine Lettuce Implicated in E. coli Outbreak Grown in California; Some May Sue
The romaine lettuce that is implicated in the multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak may have been grown in California, according to a tweet posted by Dr. Scott Gottlieb, head of the FDA. The tweet states, "The romaine implicated in the current outbreak is likely from California based on growing and harvesting patterns. The goal now is to withdraw the product that's at risk of being contaminated from the market, and then re-stock the market." He continues, "New romaine from different growing regions, including Florida and Arizona, will soon be harvested. We're working with growers and distributors on labeling produce for location and harvest dates and possibly other ways of information consumers that the product is "post-purge." In this outbreak, as of the last update three days … [Read more...]
FDA Investigates New Romaine E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak; Lawsuits Possible
The FDA is investigating the new Romaine E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has sickened at least 32 people in 11 states. The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, along with the CDC and state and local agencies in the U.S. are also investigating. Genetic analysis has found that the strains in this new outbreak are similar to the bacteria that sickened people in both countries in the fall of 2017. There is no link between this new outbreak and the outbreak that occurred in the U.S. in the Spring of 2018. The FDA is conducting traceback investigations to try to find the source of the lettuce that was contaminated. No agency identified a particular brand, supplier, or distributor in the 2017 outbreak, although they found that the romaine lettuce was … [Read more...]
Another Romaine Lettuce E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Announced; Some May Sue
Another romaine lettuce E. coli O157:H7 outbreak has been announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The language from the government is very strong: "CDC is advising that U.S. consumers not eat any romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any, until we learn more about the outbreak." Thirty-two people in 11 states are sick in this outbreak. Thirteen people have been hospitalized. The case count by state is: California (10), Connecticut (1), Illinois (2), Massachusetts (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (7), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (3), New York (2), Ohio (1), and Wisconsin (1). Illness onset dates range from October 8 to October 31, 2018. One person has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. It's very … [Read more...]
Now 246 Sickened in JBS Tolleson Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak; Lawsuits Possible
At least 246 people in 25 states are now sick in the JBS Tolleson ground beef Salmonella outbreak. Fifty-nine of those patients have been hospitalized, which is 35% of ill persons. That's an increase of 126 more patients since the last update on October 23, 2018. There more states reported patients: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Missouri. The case count by state is: Arizona (42), California (66), Colorado (50), Connecticut (1), Hawaii (4), Idaho (3), Iowa (1), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Kansas (1), Kentucky (1), Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (2), Missouri (3), Montana (8), New Mexico (9), Nevada (3), Ohio (9), Oklahoma (4), Oregon (1), South Dakota (6), Texas (13), Utah (9), Washington (3), and Wyoming (4). Illnesses started on dates ranging from August 5, 2018 to October 16, … [Read more...]
Google FINDER Search May Pinpoint Restaurants Associated with Food Poisoning Outbreaks
Google and Harvard University have developed a new method for identifying restaurants that may be the source of food poisoning outbreaks much more quickly than traditional methods. The method is called FINDER (Foodborne IllNess DEtector in Real time), which uses web search and location data. Most food poisoning outbreaks are linked to restaurants and delis. Traditionally, foodborne illness outbreaks are investigated after people go to the doctor when they are sick. Officials then interview those patients to see if there is a common denominator in what they ate or where they ate before they got sick. Or officials are alerted to a potential outbreak through PulseNet, which is an aggregate of bacterial DNA taken from ill persons and categorized. What is FINDER? FINDER is actually … [Read more...]
CDC Posts Info About Potential Duncan Hines Cake Mix Salmonella Outbreak; Lawsuits Possible
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted information about the potential Duncan Hines cake mix Salmonella Agbeni outbreak that has sickened at least five people in three states. ConAgra recalled four varieties of that cake mix after officials in Oregon identified the outbreak strain of Salmonella bacteria in a box of Duncan Hines Classic White Fake Mix. Investigators are trying to determine if the illnesses are linked to the Duncan Hines cake mix. After officials found the pathogen in the cake mix, CDC reviewed the PulseNet database and found five people sickened with the same strain. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food labs coordinated by the CDC. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) showed that the bacteria are closely related … [Read more...]
Salmonella Reading Outbreak Linked to Raw Turkey Turns Deadly; Some May Sue
The CDC has updated its investigation of the multistate outbreak of Salmonella Reading infections that are linked to raw turkey products. One person in California has died. And 74 more ill persons were reported, bringing the total to 164 in 35 states. The last update on this outbreak was issued on July 19, 2018. The case count by state is: Alaska (1), Arizona (1)< California (13), Colorado (6), Connecticut (3), Delaware (1), Florida (7), Georgia (2), Hawaii (1), Idaho (1), Iowa (3), Illinois (16), Indiana (3), Kansas (1), Kentucky (1), Maryland (3), Massachusetts (3), Michigan (6), Minnesota (17), Missouri (1), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (8), New York (12), North Carolina (7), North Dakota (2), Ohio (5), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (2), Pennsylvania (8), South Carolina (1), South Dakota … [Read more...]
