In-depth analysis from Food Poisoning Bulletin Meat and poultry producers issued 65 recalls last year, up 20 from 2022, but still far below the pre-pandemic four-year average of 126, according to a Food Poisoning Bulletin review of meat and poultry recalls published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS). Twelve of the recalls were for products contaminated with pathogens, seven with Listeria, and five with E. coli. For the second straight year, there were no meat or poultry recalls for Salmonella, even though the only outbreaks caused by contaminated meat or poultry were two ground beef Salmonella outbreaks. Two Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreaks One Salmonella outbreak was linked to ground beef sold at ShopRite stores in four … [Read more...]
2021 Chipotle and Panera Romaine E. coli Outbreak
In 2021, health departments in Washington and Minnesota did something that doesn't happen very often. They solved an E. coli outbreak linked to leafy greens. "It is rare to be able to identify the outbreak vehicle for commercially distributed food like romaine lettuce (much less link back to a farm source) with only four laboratory-confirmed cases who consumed the romaine lettuce at four different restaurant locations in two states," Doug Schultz, an information officer at the Minnesota Department of Health told Food Poisoning Bulletin. The outbreak was never announced because, by the time investigators identified the specific grower, there was no ongoing risk to the public, he said. Stream of Unsolved Outbreaks Leafy greens recently overtook ground beef to become the leading … [Read more...]
Wendy’s E. coli Outbreak – 53 Sick in Michigan, 8 with HUS
A multistate E. coli outbreak tied to lettuce on Wendy's burgers and sandwiches includes 53 people in Michigan, Chelsea Wuth, a health department spokeswoman told Food Poisoning Bulletin today. Thirty-one people have been hospitalized, eight of them with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure that affects some E. coli patients. Six days ago, the Wendy's E. coli outbreak included 43 illnesses, 24 hospitalizations, and four HUS cases in Michigan, according to an outbreak update from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. And the numbers are expected to rise as results of whole genome sequencing tests from 62 other Michigan residents stricken with E. coli infections since the end of July become available. "Two things that are really … [Read more...]
FDA Joins Investigation of New E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has joined the investigation into the new E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. The agency is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).CDC, state partners and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foods Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) in the quest to discover the food source of the outbreak which is causing severe infections. Of the 16 people sickened, nine have been hospitalized, three have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure associated with E. coli infections, and one person has died. While health officials don't yet know the food source, they do know, thanks to whole genome sequencing (WGS), that the outbreak strain is the same one linked to the 2018 outbreak linked to romaine … [Read more...]
Director of FDA CORE on Romaine: “I like to call it poop in a cup”
After a lively presentation today, the FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Network Director Stic Harris, DVM, MPH took questions from the webinar audience. When asked if there was something about romaine lettuce that made it more susceptible to E. coli contamination than other leafy greens, Harris described the funnel-like shape of a head of romaine and said, "I like to call it poop in a cup." The question and answer session followed Harris's presentation called "FDA Grand Rounds: The CORE Network (or How I Learned to Love Lettuce…)" The goal of the webinar was to describe how the FDA works in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state agencies to identify outbreaks, stop them, analyze them, and, ideally, prevent from happening … [Read more...]
E. coli Lawyer Discusses Romaine Lettuce Outbreak
E. coli lawyer Fred Pritzker is representing people sickened in the deadly E. coli O157:H7 (STEC) HUS outbreak that is linked to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. We asked him about the outbreak. "With almost 200 people sickened across the country, this is the largest E. coli outbreak of 2018," says attorney Pritzker. Eighty-nine people sickened in the outbreak have been hospitalized. "The CDC is reporting 26 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, referred to as HUS, associated with this outbreak. HUS damages the kidneys and often causes renal failure," says Pritzker. "The pain and suffering associated with these cases is off the charts." Five people have died, and Pritzker says these families should contact an E. coli lawyer about a wrongful death lawsuit. The … [Read more...]
Family of Boy Sickened in Beef E. coli Outbreak Files Lawsuit
The family of a boy sickened who is one of 14 people sickened in an E. coli outbreak linked to ground beef produced by PT Farm of North Haverhill, NH has filed a lawsuit on his behalf. The nine year old became so sick after eating the contaminated beef that he was hospitalized. At least three others were hospitalized in the outbreak linked to beef produced at PT Farm and sold under the brand names PT Farms, Chestnut Farms, Robie Farms and Miles Smith Farm. Ten illnesses were reported in New Hampshire, two in Massachusetts and one each in Maine and Vermont. A recall was issued for the products which were shipped to retail locations and institutional clients in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. Sold in various weights and sizes, the recalled products have the … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. coli Lawyers Speak out on Raw Sprouts Dangers
A team of E. coli food poisoning lawyers from Pritzker Hageman law firm met in Minneapolis today to urge all restaurants, food co-ops, grocery stores, deli operators, food trucks, lunch counters and other retailers to place warning labels on any food item containing raw sprouts. The attorneys reissued their nationwide call for mandatory consumer warnings on raw sprouts in the wake of two multi-state outbreaks in the first two months of 2016. One of the sprout outbreaks involves toxic E. coli and the other involves Salmonella. “We are calling for a mandatory consumer warning any place where raw sprouts are sold,’’ said attorney Fred Pritzker, founder and president of the firm, one of the very few U.S. law firms practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness … [Read more...]
FDA Joins Salmonella, E. coli “Sproutbreak” Investigations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has join the investigations into the E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks linked to contaminated alfalfa sprouts. The multistate outbreaks, that are unfolding simultaneously, have been linked to sprouts produced by two different companies: Jack and the Green Sprouts of River Falls, Wisconsin. and Sweetwater Farms of Inman, Kansas. Recalls have been issued for alfalfa and onion sprouts sold under these brand names which were distributed to restaurants, grocery stores, co-ops and food service operations. Consumers and customers who have purchased these products should not eat them as E. coli and Salmonella can both cause serious illness. The Salmonella outbreak, linked to Sweetwater alfalfa sprouts, has sickened 13 people in four states. The … [Read more...]
After Sickening 42 with E. coli, Chipotle to Reopen in WA and OR
An E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle stores in Washington and Oregon has grown to include 42 people, 14 of whom have been hospitalized. Now, the chain says it's ready to reopen the 43 stores in those states that it temporarily closed after the outbreak. State health officials linked 11 Chipotle restaurants, including six restaurants in Oregon and five in Washington to the outbreak. But the company voluntarily closed all of them on a temporary basis. As of November 9, 27 people in Washington and 15 in Oregon have been diagnosed with infections from shiga-toxin producing E. coli O26 in food that came from a handful of Chipotle stores. All of them ate at a Chipotle in Washington or Oregon in the week before becoming ill. The case patients, who range in age from 1 to 67, ate at a … [Read more...]
