The deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to deli sliced meats and cheeses that was announced yesterday by the CDC has sickened eight people and one Michigan resident has died. For years, Food Poisoning Bulletin has told you about dozens of recalls of deli items for possible Listeria contamination. Why are these deli sliced products vulnerable to Listeria? Listeria monocytogenes is a very persistent and strong pathogen. It is found in the air, water, soil, animals, and plant material. Once it has been introduced into a facility, especially a moist and cool environment, it can become established and be very difficult to get rid of. The pathogen can hide in floor cracks, grease traps, air vents, in machines and surfaces that are difficult to clean, on food preparation … [Read more...]
Deadly Listeria Monocytogenes Outbreak Linked to Deli Meats and Cheeses
A deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to deli sliced meats and cheeses has just been announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Eight people are sick in four states; one person who lived in Michigan has died. All eight patients have been hospitalized because their illnesses are so serious. The patient case count by state is: Michigan (2), New Jersey (1), New York (2), and Pennsylvania (3). Illness onset dates range from November 13, 2016 to March 4, 2019. The patient age range is from 40 to 88 years. It's unusual that illnesses that occurred more than 2 years ago are only now being announced in an outbreak, but this has happened before in Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks; most notably in the Blue Bell ice cream outbreak. Investigators use … [Read more...]
Lawyer Gives Advice About Long History of Prepared Produce Outbreaks
The Salmonella Carrau outbreak that is linked to precut melon products sold at Target, Walmart, Kroger, and other stores has prompted questions about prepared produce. And unfortunately, the history of prepared produce outbreaks is long. Any food can be contaminated with pathogens. The fruits and vegetables can pick up bacteria in the fields, during harvest, during transport, and during processing. While people don't naturally think of produce as a cause of outbreaks, Salmonella in produce is in the top ten pathogen-food combinations that cause food poisoning. And in our modern food production and distribution system, produce that is harvested around the world is brought to huge central processing centers. The fruits and vegetables are cleaned and cut and packaged together. That … [Read more...]
Salmonella Newport Outbreak Linked to Frozen Raw Ground Tuna
A Salmonella Newport outbreak linked to frozen raw ground tuna supplied by Jensen Tuna has sickened at least 13 people in 7 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two people have been hospitalized. The case count by state is: Connecticut (1), Iowa (1), Illinois (1), Minnesota (1), New York, (1), North Dakota (4), and Washington (4). Illness onset dates range from January 8, 2019 to March 20, 2019. The patient age range is from 29 to 85 years. Jensen Tuna, based in Houma, Louisiana, has recalled their frozen raw ground tuna, which was imported from JK Fish. The tuna was sold in Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, and Washington, and may have been distributed to other states. Anyone who orders sushi, from a restaurant or … [Read more...]
Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan Hard Hit by Precut Melon Salmonella Outbreak
People in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan have been hard hit by the melon Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 93 people in 9 states. The case count in each state is: Ohio (27), Indiana (18), Kentucky (16), and Michigan (19). The other states involved include Alabama (1), Illinois (5), Minnesota (3), Missouri (3), and Wisconsin (1). The pathogen that has sickened people, Salmonella Carrau, is relatively rare in the United States. Officials are using the PulseNet system to find people who may be part of this outbreak, and more may be identified. PulseNet identified the outbreak on April 2, 2019. It makes sense that most of the victims are in those states, since the outbreak has been linked by the CDC and FDA to precut melons that were produced and … [Read more...]
Salmonella Contaminated Precut Melons Sold at Target, Kroger, Walmart, Trader Joes, Amazon/Whole Foods
The Salmonella Carrau outbreak linked to precut melons produced by Caito Foods has sickened at least 93 people. The Salmonella contaminated precut melons were sold at Kroger, Target, Trader Joes, Amazon/Whole Foods, Walmart stores, and independent grocery stores in several states under several different brand names. Caito Foods recalled precut melons in many different combinations and iterations on April 12, 2019, the day the outbreak was announced by the FDA and CDC. These products were sold in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The outbreak states line up with where the melon was available: people are sick in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, … [Read more...]
How Does Salmonella Contaminate Precut Melon? Lawyer Explains
The Salmonella Carrau outbreak linked to Caito Foods precut melon has sickened at least 93 people in 9 states. We asked lawyer Brendan Flaherty: how does Salmonella contaminate precut melon? He said, "This isn't the first time that precut melons have been contaminated by pathogenic bacteria. In 2018, a Salmonella Adelaide outbreak was linked to precut melon that was also produced by Caito Foods. At least 77 people were sickened in that outbreak. And in 2017 a Salmonella Newport outbreak in Washington state and Oregon was linked to precut fruit sold at several grocery stores. "Fresh fruit is not a natural vehicle for pathogens such as Salmonella. Salmonella outbreaks are typically linked to foods like chicken. So the fruit had to be contaminated somewhere along the chain of … [Read more...]
Salmonella Carrau Outbreak Linked to Caito Foods Precut Melons
A Salmonella Carrau outbreak is linked to Caito Foods precut melons, and has sickened at least 93 people in 9 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twenty-three people are hospitalized because their illnesses are so severe. The patient case count by state is: Alabama (1), Illinois (5), Indiana (18), Kentucky (16), Michigan (19), Minnesota (3), Missouri (3), Ohio (27), and Wisconsin (1). Illness onset dates range from March 4, 2019 to March 31, 2019. The patient age range is from less than one to 98. No deaths have been reported in this outbreak. Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicate that precut melons supplied by Caito Foods are the likely source of this outbreak. Caito recalled a huge list of precut honeydew, cantaloupe, and … [Read more...]
Salmonella Carrau Outbreak Linked to Precut Melons
A Salmonella Carrau outbreak that is linked to precut melons traced to Caito Foods has been announced by the FDA. At least 93 people in 9 states are sick with the outbreak strain. Twenty-three people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. The states where ill people live are Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The FDA report did not state how many people are sick in each state. The last illness onset date was March 31, 2019. There was a Salmonella Adelaide outbreak in 2018, also linked to Caito Foods precut melons, that sickened at least 77 people in 9 states. Thirty-six people were hospitalized in that outbreak. The FDA is recommending that people not eat these precut melon products, which include cantaloupe, … [Read more...]
CDC Says Ground Beef E. coli O103 Outbreak; 109 Now Sick
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released information today stating that preliminary information indicates that ground beef is the source of the E. coli O103 outbreak that started in Kentucky in late March 2019. And 109 people are now sick in this ground beef E. coli O103 outbreak; 17 have been hospitalized. In addition, Indiana has been added to the case count, with one person ill in that state. The case count by state is: Indiana (1), Georgia (17), Kentucky (54), Ohio (7), Tennessee (28), and Virginia (2). Illness onset dates range from March 2 to March 26, 2019. The patient age range is less than 1 year to 83, with a median age of 18. No cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure, have been reported yet. Ill persons … [Read more...]
