Bogopa spinach products and other brands are being recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. No illnesses have been reported to the company to date in connection with the consumption of these products. The recalling firm is Solata Foods of Newburgh, New York. The recalled products were sold locally in retail stores. The spinach is sold under different brand names, including Greens Solata, Greens Gaia Organic, Full Circle Organic, Greens Farmer Direct Organic, Uncle Vinny's Savoy, and Bogopa, among others. You can see the long list of recalled products at the FDA web site. No pictures of the recalled items were provided in the recall notice. The items include baby spinach, power greens, spring mix, savoy spinach, and organic spring mix, among others. You can see … [Read more...]
Which Restaurant Chains Like Applebee’s Have Had Outbreaks?
Which restaurant chains like Applebee's have had outbreaks? More than you'd think, including Wendy's, McDonald's, and Jimmy John's. Just because a restaurant is famous or popular doesn't mean they don't serve contaminated food. Every year there are hundreds of outbreaks associated with restaurants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the time frame from 2017 to 2019, 800 outbreaks associated with 875 retail food establishments were reported to NEARS, the National Environmental Assessment Reporting System that was set up to compliment surveillance. The most common pathogens were norovirus and Salmonella. About 40% of those outbreaks had at least one reported factor associated with contamination by a sick or infectious food worker. Contaminated … [Read more...]
Expired Fresh Express Caesar Salad Recalled For Possible E. coli O26
Expired Fresh Express Caesar Salad Kits are being recalled for possible E. coli O26 contamination. The recall is for product that is eight days past its use by date. Some of this product may still be in consumers' homes, although that is unlikely. This salad kit was sold mostly in western and southwestern U.S. states. The "possible distribution" includes these states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. This recall is not posted on the USDA or FDA web sites, but was released by the company. The recalled product is a "limited number" of cases of expired 10.5 ounce packages of Fresh Express Kit Caesar Supreme. The use by date printed on the package is November 8, 2020. The … [Read more...]
Applebee’s Hepatitis A Exposure in Mount Vernon, Illinois
An Applebee's Hepatitis A exposure at the restaurant in Mount Illinois may have exposed customers to the virus, according to a Facebook post by the Jefferson County Health Department. The employee worked while infectious from July 9 through July 19, 2020. Applebee's has cleaned and sanitized the restaurant and has been working with public health officials. There is something strange about this, though. On the Facebook page someone asks if the employee worked before July 9, 2020, since they ate there on July 6, 2020. The health department doesn't give a direct answer, but advises the person to discuss vaccination with their doctor. So we don't know if this Applebee's hepatitis A exposure window was longer than stated. If you ate at the Applebee's in Mount Vernon, Illinois during … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. coli Lawsuit Addresses 2014 Applebee’s Outbreak
The Minnesota Department of Health investigated an E. coli O111 outbreak in 2014 that led to a lawsuit against Apple Minnesota, LLC d/b/a Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar. State epidemiologists traced the mid-summer outbreak to food served at Applebee's restaurants, then narrowed their focus to whole head green cabbage, an ingredient in Oriental Chicken Salad. From there, the FDA took over the investigation but no results have been published by the agency as to the origin of the tainted cabbage or the source of contamination. The initial Minnesota Health press release on July 14 discussed 13 cases that were under review, but officials later upped the number of Minnesotans sickened in the outbreak to 15. The illnesses were confirmed between June 24 and July 10 and four of the … [Read more...]
Applebees E. coli Lawsuit Assigned to Judge Magnuson
The E. coli lawsuit filed against Apple Minnesota, LLC d/b/a Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson in the Twin Cities. The suit, filed on behalf of Applebee's patron Keith Comstock, was the first legal action taken by victims of this summer's outbreak of E. coli O111 traced to nine Applebee's restaurants in Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 15 people were infected with the highly toxic foodborne pathogen in late June and early July. Agency officials late last week identified green, whole head cabbage as the likely source. Mr. Comstock suffered food poisoning symptoms three days after eating Oriental Chicken Salad at the Applebee's in Woodbury, Minn., near his home. Under medical care, he tested … [Read more...]
Applebee’s E. coli Outbreak Source Was Likely Cabbage, Officials Say
Green, whole head cabbage was the likely source of an E. coli O111 outbreak that sickened at least 15 people who ate at the Yard House or one of several Applebee's restaurants in MN, the Minnesota Department of Health said today. Four people were hospitalized and have recovered. Thirteen patients ate at Applebee's restaurants in Minnesota in June and July 2014. Most of those sickened ate the Oriental Chicken Salad at the Applebee's restaurant. Applebee's temporarily removed the item from the menu and changed the ingredients before making it available again. The outbreak strain of E. coli O111 has not been seen in the United States before this particular outbreak. Health officials say the cabbage was likely contaminated before it was delivered to restaurants. A common out-of-state … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. coli Investigators Solve Two Outbreaks In One Month
Minnesota epidemiologists have solved a pair of unrelated E. coli outbreaks in the span of a month, first linking Applebees restaurants in the state to infections of E. coli O111 and then proving that a traveling petting zoo put seven people in the hospital. The agency responsible for the disease sleuthing is the Minnesota Department of Health. "Without a doubt the Minnesota Department of Health stopped these outbreaks before other people could become infected,'' Minneapolis-based E. coli lawyer Fred Pritzker said. "They provide an invaluable public service.'' In the most recent outbreak, Zerebko Zoo Tran traveling petting zoo withheld its animals from the last two county fairs at which it was scheduled to exhibit in August, according to a health department news release. The … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. coli Investigators Busy on Two Fronts
The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating two unrelated toxic E. coli outbreaks at the same time -- one on the Fond du Lac Reservation involving type O157:H7 and the other involving E. coli O111 at Applebees restaurants. In both outbreaks, officials are trying to pinpoint the source of contamination even while victims in the Applebees outbreak have launched an Applebees E. coli lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. The Applebees outbreak was announced July 14 in a press release that alerted customers of the chain who ate there since June 20 to report if they suffered bloody diarrhea or severe diarrhea within days of their meal. Fifteen people have been confirmed as case patients, including four who were hospitalized, but Health Department spokesman Doug Schultz has … [Read more...]
Minnesota Applebees E. coli Outbreak Fact Sheet
Ten days after the Minnesota Department of Health created a health bulletin about an E. coli O111 outbreak associated with Applebees, there have been no new public pronouncements about the precise cause of the food poisoning episode or whether it spread beyond the state's borders. To date, here is what Food Poisoning Bulletin has learned from various sources: 15 people -- two more than originally announced -- have been confirmed as case patients by the Health Department. 12 of the 15 people say they ate at an Applebees in Minnesota between June 23 and June 29. The nine Minnesota Applebees locations named by the Health Department as linked to this outbreak are in Woodbury, Willmar, Monticello, Bemidji, New Hope, Duluth, Roseville and two locations in Blaine. Anyone who ate at a … [Read more...]
