The deadly Dole salad Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has been updated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One more illness has been reported from Minnesota since the last update in December 2021. In all, 17 people in 13 states are sick. The patient case count by state is: Idaho (1), Iowa (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (2), Nevada (1), North Carolina (1), Ohio (2), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), Texas (2), Utah (1), and Wisconsin (1). Illness onset dates range from August 16, 2014 to December 30, 2021. The patient age range is from 50 to 94 years. Of 15 people who gave information to public health officials, 13 have been hospitalized. Two deaths have been reported: one each from Michigan and Wisconsin. The actual number of people in an outbreak is … [Read more...]
FDA Updates Dole Leafy Greens Listeria Outbreak
The FDA has updated its investigation into the multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in Dole Leafy Greens produced in the facility in Springfield, Ohio. Nineteen people infected with the outbreak strain were reported in nine states. The outbreak stretched from July 2015 through February 2016. The case count per state is: Connecticut (1), Indiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (4), Missouri (2), New Jersey (1), New York (6), Ohio (2), and Pennsylvania (1). Seventy-four percent of all ill persons were female. All nineteen people sickened in this outbreak were hospitalized, and one person died as a result of listeriosis. One of the illnesses occurred in a pregnant woman. The Ohio Department of Agriculture collected a Dole brand Field Greens packaged salad from a retail … [Read more...]
Researchers Develop Antimicrobial Wash for Fresh Produce
The Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Dole packaged salads and greens has sickened at least 18 people in nine states. And there are two other ongoing outbreaks of illness linked to fresh produce products. An E. coli O157 outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts produced by Jack and the Green Sprouts has sickened at least 9 people in two states. And a Salmonella Muenchen outbreak linked to Sweetwater Farms alfalfa sprouts has sickened 9 people in three states. All of these outbreaks have consumers understandably nervous. The FDA says that we should continue consuming fresh produce for good health, and that the health benefits of these products outweighs the risk of illness. However, if you have been sickened after eating a salad or a sandwich, the health benefits of lettuce and sprouts … [Read more...]
Dole Found Listeria in Springfield Plant Years Before Outbreak
Years before salads produced at Dole's plant in Springfield, Ohio were linked to Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks in the U.S. and Canada, the company found Listeria there, FDA inspection records show. One of the records, obtained by Food Poisoning Bulletin through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, shows the company found Listeria in the plant in early 2014 and "infrequently" before that. The records, dating back to a 2012 inspection triggered by a Listeria recall of American Blend salad, offer a glimpse inside the facility which has been closed since January when the outbreaks were announced. During the inspections, FDA investigators noted the plant is not constructed in a manner that allows floors and walls to be kept in good repair. Specifically, they cite cracks in the … [Read more...]
Salad Recalled for Listeria Leaves Ohio Woman in Coma, Lawsuit Alleges
A lawsuit has been filed against Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. on behalf of an Ohio woman who is in a coma stemming from a Listeria infection she developed after eating a prepackaged salad that she purchased from a grocery store. Prepackaged salads produced at Dole's plant in Springfield, Ohio and sold under Dole and other brand names have been linked to an ongoing Listeria outbreak that has sickened 18 people, one of whom has died, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Al 18 people included in the outbreak have been hospitalized. "While, Listeria is the most virulent foodborne pathogens, this outbreak may be particularly frightening. So far, it has a 100% hospitalization rate," said Eric Hageman, a Minnesota food poisoning lawyer with … [Read more...]
