In the past ten years, there have been many food poisoning outbreaks linked to fast food restaurants. The outbreaks slowed significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, however. This year, there was only one fast food outbreak that was allegedly associated with Wendy's restaurants in several states that may have been caused by romaine lettuce. These outbreaks can be very large simply because there are so many restaurants in these fast food chains. Now that people are no longer staying at home, and are eating out more, will there be more food poisoning outbreaks linked to fast food restaurants? Only time will tell. How many outbreaks are linked to fast food restaurants? In 2022, an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak was allegedly associated with romaine lettuce served on Wendy's hamburgers and … [Read more...]
Pritzker Hageman Files Second E. coli O157:H7 Lawsuit in Ohio
The law firm of Pritzker Hageman has filed a second E. coli O157:H7 lawsuit in the state of Ohio on behalf of a teenage girl who was sickened with a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection after allegedly eating food purchased at the Chipotle at 1140 Polaris Parkway in Columbus, Ohio. The suit was filed on Friday, November 6, 2020. The first lawsuit, also against the same restaurant location, was filed on October 31, 2020. Their client allegedly ate a salad bowl or burrito bowl purchased from that restaurant on September 22, 2020, and another on September 24, 2020. The bowl contained romaine lettuce, tomato salsa, guacamole, and other items. Several days later the teenager got sick with bloody diarrhea, and sought medical treatment. A diagnosis of STEC infection was … [Read more...]
Chipotle E. coli Lawsuit Filed by Pritzker Hageman in Ohio
A Chipotle E. coli lawsuit has been filed by the Pritzker Hageman law firm in Ohio, alleging that their client, a teenage girl, was sickened with an E. coli O157:H7 infection after eating food at that establishment. Their client got sick after eating a salad bowl, which was made with romaine lettuce, tomato, salsa, and guacamole, on September 24, 2020 at the Chipotle restaurant on 1140 Polaris Parkway in Columbus, Ohio. As a result of this infection, the girl was hospitalized for a debilitating and painful gastrointestinal illness. As a result of the Chipotle E. coli lawsuit, the law firm's attorneys are investigating whether this illness is associated with either of the two recently announced multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks that have sickened 44 people and hospitalized 18. … [Read more...]
One Of the New E. coli O157:H7 Outbreaks Associated With a Restaurant
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that one of the two new E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks is associated with a restaurant. This deadly outbreak, which has sickened twenty-one people in eight states and killed one person from Michigan, is caused by a pathogen that is closely related to the 2018 E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to romaine lettuce that sickened 210 people in 36 states. Patients sickened in this outbreak live in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Utah, and Wisconsin. The outbreak notice states, "Several ill people have been identified as part of an illness cluster at a restaurant. An illness cluster is defined as two or more people from different households who report eating at the same restaurant location, attending … [Read more...]
History of E. coli O26 Outbreaks Including Chipotle, Cargill Ground Beef
There are several serotypes of E. coli bacteria that cause serious human illness. The most common is E. coli O157:H7, but other strains, called non-O157 serogroups, have also caused outbreaks. This is the history of E. coli O26 outbreaks including Chipotle and Cargill ground beef in the United States in the past five years. The most common non-O157 serotypes are E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145. The government has grouped them into a category they call the "Big Six." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 265,000 people are sickened in this U.S. every year with these infections. E. coli O157:H7 causes about 36% of illnesses, while the Big Six are linked to the rest. In 2011, the USDA declared a zero tolerance policy for these strains, … [Read more...]
Restaurant Food Safety Fails When Training Fails
As food safety lawyers, people have been asking us (from a distance) how worried they should be about COVID-19 and the safety of their takeout food? While we can’t tell them about viral transmission rates via various sources – we’re lawyers, not scientists - we can tell them what we have learned from years of representing people sickened by germs in restaurant food. Good sanitary conditions and safe food preparation processes and procedures (food safety plans) are very important…but it all fails when employee training fails. Obviously, when food safety plans are bad (for example, if they do not include proper testing of food storage areas for correct temperature control or mandate specific locations to keep raw foods from cross-contaminating cooked foods) then germs can spread. Too … [Read more...]
Chipotle Outbreak in Ohio Caused by Clostridium Perfringens; Lawsuits Filed
The huge food poisoning outbreak in Ohio linked to one Chipotle restaurant on Sawmill Parkway in Powell, Ohio was caused by Clostridium perfringens, according to an update posted by the Delaware General Health District. At least 647 people have reported symptoms of diarrhea and abdominal cramps after eating at that restaurant. This bacteria grows in protein-rich and other foods, such as beef and gravy, that are held at unsafe temperatures for too long. The danger zone for bacterial growth is 40°F to 140°F. Laws governing restaurants and food handling prohibit foods held at this temperature for precisely this reason. These outbreaks usually occur in restaurants because large quantities of food can often remain at unsafe temperatures for long periods of time. Although food samples … [Read more...]
Possible Food Poisoning Outbreak at Los Angeles Chipotle
A possible foodborne illness outbreak at Chipotle Mexican Grill in California has been reported by the Los Angeles City Health Department. The city has activated its Acute Communicable Disease Control unit. The facility is located at 4550 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. There are few details about the outbreak. It was first discovered when people started reporting they were feeling ill after eating there around the middle of December, 2017 on the website I Was Poisoned. Shares of Chipotle stock fell by more than 3% after the news came out. There is no word on how many people have been sickened, what their symptoms were, or if anyone has seen a doctor or been hospitalized. We don't know the possible pathogen; it could be anything. More information about this possible outbreak … [Read more...]
Outbreak at Chipotle in Sterling, VA is Norovirus
The Loudoun County Health Department has announced that the outbreak at the Chipotle Mexican Grill at 21031 Tripleseven Road in Sterling, Virginia is most likely caused by norovirus. The notice states that two ill patrons have tested positive for the same strain of norovirus. Dr. David Goodfriend, director of the Health Department said, "Based on symptoms reported and these preliminary laboratory results, the cause of the outbreak is believed to be norovirus, though the specific source of the norovirus has not yet been identified. The Health Department is not aware of any customers becoming ill since the reopening of the facility last Wednesday." Some of the people who are sick in this outbreak are Chipotle employees. But the source of norovirus is notoriously difficult to track … [Read more...]
Illnesses at Chipotle Mexican Grill in Sterling, Virginia
An outbreak of illness has sickened about 60 people after they ate at the Chipotle Mexican Grill in Sterling, Virginia, according to the Loudoun County Health Department. Dr. David Goodfriend, director of the department, said, "one ill patron has tested positive for norovirus. This provides additional information but is not sufficient to determine the cause of the outbreak. The Health Department is awaiting further test results, which should be available early next week." On Monday, July 17, 2017, LCHD was notified by the Chipotle Mexican Grill at 21031 Tripleseven Road, Sterling, VA 20165, and by local medical providers of customers complaining of nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea over the previous two days. The restaurant closed voluntarily. Health Department officials investigated … [Read more...]
