Almark Foods expands its first egg recall of hard boiled egg products for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination to include all hard-boiled eggs that were manufactured at the firm's Gainesville, Georgia facility. This is a secondary recall of sorts because the brand names of the recalled products is so vast. The hard-boiled eggs are associated with a deadly multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has sickened at least seven people in five states. All retail, pillow pack, pouch pack, frozen diced, and protein kit products are recalled. The FDA notified Almark Foods about the outbreak on December 18, 2019. A more recent FDA sample from a facility matched the outbreak strain, suggesting the possibility that the strain may have remained present in teh facility. Listeria … [Read more...]
Eggs Suspected in Salmonella Outbreak at Grille at Gold Dust West
The Salmonella outbreak that is associated with the Grille at Gold Dust West restaurant in Elko, Nevada is still under investigation. At least seventeen people are sick in that outbreak, according to news reports. Now, eggs seem to be the focus of the investigation. Several news outlets state that the Nevada health department has asked the restaurant to remove eggs from its menu. The investigation of other menu items continues. Lab tests on the eggs and other foods are due next week. Eggs have been the source of Salmonella outbreaks for years. Most recently, a 2018 Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked to recalled Gravel Ridge Farms shell eggs sickened 44 people in 11 states. Twelve people were hospitalized in that outbreak because they were so seriously ill. Another outbreak, … [Read more...]
Gravel Ridge Farms Egg Salmonella Outbreak Details in FDA Warning Letter
The Gravel Ridge Farms shell egg Salmonella outbreak sickened 45 people in 12 states last year. The FDA sent the owners of that facility a warning letter on February 12, 2019, that gives us more information about the issues at the farm. Gravel Ridge Farms recalled more than 600,000 shell eggs in response to this outbreak. First, the final update by the CDC stated that 44 people were sickened in that outbreak. This warning letter adds one more person. The patients were sickend with the same outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteriditis that was found in the company's Cullman, Alabama location in egg laying houses No. 2 and No. 4. The isolates were genetically identical isolates taken from patients. Inspections revealed that the firm was in violation of the FDA's egg safety rule. The … [Read more...]
CDC Warns Against Eating Raw Dough
Warnings against eating raw dough have been issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The holiday season is when most people bake sweets, and eating raw dough and batter is a fun thing to do. But it can make you very sick. People also often make doughs for crafts, such as making Christmas ornaments. Never use raw flour for those projects. There's a special warning, too, about the Salmonella outbreak that is linked to Duncan Hines cake mixes. Check your pantry to see if you have any of these recalled cake mixes. If you do, throw them away. The problem ingredients in cookie doughs and cake batters are eggs and flour. Eggs are often contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. And flour has been linked to E. coli outbreaks in the past. Flour is a raw agricultural … [Read more...]
Gravel Ridge Farms Shell Eggs Salmonella Enteritidis Outbreak Ends; Some May Sue
The Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that is linked to recalled Gravel Ridge Farms shell eggs has ended with 44 people sick in 11 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twelve people in this outbreak were hospitalized because their illnesses were so serious. The case count by state is: Alabama (7), Colorado (1), Georgia (1), Iowa (1), Kentucky (1), Maryland (1), Montana (1), New York (1), Ohio (4), Tennessee (25), and Texas (1). The patient age range is from one year to 94. Of 378 people interviewed, 12 were hospitalized, for a rate of 32%. That's high for a Salmonella outbreak; the typical hospitalization rate for this illness is about 20%. Gravel Ridge Farms recalled their cage-free large eggs with use-by dates from July 25 through October 3, 2018. … [Read more...]
Lawyer Asks Where Were Gravel Ridge Farms Eggs Linked to Salmonella Outbreak Sold?
Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker wants to know where the cage free shell eggs from Gravel Ridge Farms that are linked to a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak were sold. "We know that most of those sickened ate the eggs at restaurants. But we don't know the names of those restaurants or where they were located," he said. The Alabama Department of Public Health states that a gastrointestinal outbreak occurred among people who attended a catered event on July 30, 2018. Two of those sickened have confirmed Salmonella Enteritidis infections. The press release from Alabama also states that "Individuals who consumed an undercooked food item made with eggs were almost four times more likely to become ill than those who did not consume the food." The press release also states, "Most of those … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Gravel Ridge Farms Eggs Sickens 14 in 2 States; Lawsuits May Be Filed
A Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked to recalled Gravel Ridge Farms eggs (cage free) has sickened at least 14 people in two states. Two people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. Twelve people are sick in Tennessee, and two people in Alabama are ill. The recall notice was posted on the FDA website today. The recalled product is cage-free large eggs in packages of a dozen and 2.5 dozen. The recalled eggs have "best if used by" dates of July 25, 21018 through October 3, 2018, although the notice states that consumers should "Return any Gravel Ridge Farms eggs to the store for a refund or throw them away, regardless of the “best if used by” date." The CDC notice tells consumers to then wash and sanitize drawers and shelves in your refrigerator where the eggs were … [Read more...]