There have been quite a few food poisoning outbreaks in 2018 that were linked to packaged and prepared foods, that is, foods that have been prepared in a factory or plant. The Fareway/Triple T chicken salad Salmonella outbreak is one example, as is the Salmonella Mbandaka outbreak that was linked to Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal and the Salmonella outbreak linked to Hy Vee Spring Pasta Salad. Both of these items were "ready-to-eat," which means that the consumer doesn't heat them before eating. That makes them risky, according to an article by Consumer Reports. There is zero tolerance for Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in ready-to-eat products in this country, but no such restrictions apply to Salmonella bacteria. Packaged and prepared foods may seem safe, but they can cause … [Read more...]
Fareway Chicken Salad Salmonella Outbreak: Number 3 of 2018
The Fareway Chicken Salad Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak was the number three outbreak for 2018, with 265 sick in 8 states. One person, who lived in Iowa, died. The patient case count by state was: Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Iowa (240), Minnesota (4), Mississippi (1), Nebraska (5), South Dakota (3), and Wisconsin (1). Illness started on dates ranging from January 8, 2018, to March 20, 2018. The patient age range is from less than 1 year to 89 years. Ninety-four people were hospitalized because they were so sick. Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory evidence found that chicken salad that was produced by Triple T Specialty Meats, and sold at Fareway grocery stores in the midwest was the likely source of this outbreak. PulseNet was used to find more patients who were … [Read more...]
Is 2018 the Summer of Salmonella Outbreaks and Lawsuits?
We are only a month into the summer of 2018, but so far this year there have been five multistate Salmonella outbreaks that have sickened at least 553 people. The outbreaks have been caused by Hy Vee Pasta Salad, Fareway Foods chicken salad, precut melons, Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal, and raw turkey. Of those sickened, more than 200 have been hospitalized because they are so ill. Two of those outbreaks have ended, but three are ongoing. While raw turkey has been associated with Salmonella outbreaks before, grocery store salads and dry cereal are relatively new vehicles for this pathogen. These outbreaks show that any food, at any time, can be contaminated with enough bacteria to make someone sick. The most striking detail about these outbreaks is that four of the five were linked … [Read more...]
Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak Linked to Fareway Chicken Salad Ends; Lawsuits Filed
The huge Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to Fareway chicken salad is now over after sickening 265 people in 8 states. Ninety-four of those people were hospitalized because they were so ill. One person living in Iowa died. More illnesses could still be reported, if people have this salad frozen in home freezers. Triple T Specialty Meats produced the salad for the Fareway chain. Fareway stopped selling the salad on February 9, 2018, after the company was notified about illnesses. The Iowa Department of Public health issued a consumer advisory on February 13, 2018, warning that the salad may be contaminated. On February 21, 2018, Triple T Specialty Meats recalled all of that salad that was produced from January 2, 2018 to February 7, 2018. It was sold from the deli department … [Read more...]
Fareway Chicken Salad Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak Cases Increase to 170 Sick
The Fareway chicken salad Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak has more than doubled, according to a new update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now another 105 people in 6 states are sick. That means that at least 170 people are sick in this outbreak as of March 6, 2018. The update says that the newly ill persons likely bought the contaminated Fareway chicken salad before it was recalled. The most recent illness began on February 18, 2018. Two more states have been added to the outbreak: Indiana, with one ill person, and South Dakota, with two ill persons. The case count by state is: Illinois (9), Indiana (1), Iowa (149), Minnesota (3), Nebraska (5), South Dakota (2), and Texas (1). Illness onset dates range from January 8, 2018 to February 18, 2018. The patient … [Read more...]
CDC Starts Investigating Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak Linked to Triple T/Fareway Chicken Salad
The Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to Triple T/Fareway chicken salad is now being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The government is recommending that people do not eat recalled chicken salad sold at Fareway grocery stores in the Midwest. While the Iowa Department of Health is reporting much higher numbers (37 confirmed and 78 probable cases as of February 20, 2018), the CDC says that 65 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from five states. Twenty-eight people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported. The case count by state is: Illinois (4), Iowa (55), Minnesota (2), Nebraska (3), and Texas (1). The state of Texas has now been added to the outbreak total. These are … [Read more...]
Fareway Chicken Salad, Made by Triple T Specialty Meats, Recalled for Possible Salmonella Contamination
Triple T Specialty Meats of Ackley, Iowa, is recalling about 20,630 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken salad products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium. A Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to this product, sold to consumers as Fareway chicken salad, has sickened more than 100 people in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The Iowa Department of Public Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, and Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory determined that there is a link between the chicken salad from Triple T Specialty Meats, Inc. and this outbreak. So far, 37 confirmed case-patients have been identified in Iowa. The chicken salad was purchased from January 4, 2018 to February 9, 2018, in various weight containers from the deli sections in Fareway grocery … [Read more...]
Two People in South Dakota, One in Nebraska, and One in Minnesota Sickened in Fareway Chicken Salad Salmonella Outbreak
The large Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to Fareway chicken salad has sickened more than 100 people in Iowa. But there are also ill persons in other states. That chicken salad, made by Triple T Specialty Meats, has now been recalled. One person in Nebraska has been sickened, according to Leah Bucco-White, Public Information Officer of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. That person was hospitalized because their illness was so serious. And two people in South Dakota are being investigated, according to Derrick Haskins, Communication Director of the South Dakota Department of Health; they may be associated with this outbreak. One of those people was hospitalized. And one person in Minnesota, living in Martin county, has been confirmed ill with Salmonella … [Read more...]
Salmonella Lawyers File Two Lawsuits Against Fareway Stores in Iowa
Two Salmonella lawsuits have been filed by Pritzker Hageman against Fareway Stores in the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to recalled chicken salad. Both of the patients live in Iowa, where most of the illnesses in this outbreak have occurred. The FDA now says that the salad was made by Triple T Specialty Meats of Ackley, Iowa. The outbreak has sickened more than 100 people in Iowa alone. One person in Minnesota is also sick; there is a confirmed case in Nebraska, and there are reports of people sick in South Dakota and Illinois. Fareway operates 118 stores across the midwest. In the first case, a woman purchased chicken salad from a Fareway Store in West Des Moines on February 11, 2018. She purchased chicken salad in a container with "Fareway" on the label. She started … [Read more...]
Fareway Chicken Salad Salmonella Outbreak: How Do Pathogens Get Into Ready-to-Eat Products?
A huge Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak in Iowa has been linked to recalled Fareway chicken salad. At least 94 people are sick in that state, and one person in Minnesota is sick. There may be illnesses as well in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Illinois, states where Fareway Foods has stores. The USDA has issued a public health alert about this problem. How does chicken salad get contaminated in the first place? Anyone who is familiar with food safety understands that chicken is commonly contaminated with this pathogen. But chicken salad is made from cooked chicken. The answer is that foods can be contaminated anywhere along the food supply chain. Contamination can happen if the chicken is not properly cooked to a safe final internal temperature. Cross-contamination could have … [Read more...]
