A lawsuit was filed against the Fig & Olive restaurant chain for a client after she was seriously sickened with a Salmonella infection. She ate at the Fig & Olive Washington D.C. location on August 31, 2015. Her dinner included croquettes with truffle oil. Two days later she became violently ill and was hospitalized for four days. She requires continuing medical treatment to this day. The Salmonella outbreak at the Fig & Olive restaurants in Washington D.C. and Melrose Place, Los Angeles, California, has sickened almost two hundred people. More cases are waiting confirmation with laboratory analysis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has taken over the case from the Washington D.C. Department of Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Public … [Read more...]
CDC Takes Charge of Fig & Olive Salmonella Outbreak Investigation
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has taken the lead in the investigation of a multi-state Salmonella outbreak linked to Fig & Olive restaurants. The agency is working in collaboration with health officials in various states. The Washington DC Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) are among the agencies collaborating on the investigation. DFS has collected and tested food and environmental samples taken from Fig & Olive in DC's CityCenter. So far, 45 food samples and 15 environmental samples have been negative for Salmonella. Results on 10 other tests are still pending. DOH has interviewed 135 people who became ill after eating at the restaurant. Those who became ill are from DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois and … [Read more...]
Fig & Olive DC Salmonella Outbreak Includes Cases From MD, PA, VA, IL & AL
The Salmonella outbreak at the Fig & Olive in Washington DC's City Center sickened more than 60 people in five states and the District of Columbia. Case patients were from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois and Alabama, health officials told Food Poisoning Bulletin today. The outbreak, which began over Labor Day weekend, may have sickened as many as 150 people. Several people were so sick they required hospitalization. The DC location was closed for six days for cleaning and staff training. When it reopened, two items were no longer on then menu, truffle fries and mushroom croquettes. Fig & Olive operates several restaurants in New York, two in California, one in Chicago and one in Washington DC. Health officials in New York City, Chicago and Newport Beach, … [Read more...]
Fig & Olive: Salmonella Outbreaks on Opposite Coasts
The restaurant chain Fig & Olive has been linked to two Salmonella outbreaks on opposite coasts of the country. One of the restaurants is located in Washington D.C.'s City Center, and the other is on Melrose Place in West Hollywood, California. Restaurants are the most common setting for foodborne illness outbreaks, and restaurant chains are often involved. The Washington D.C. outbreak may have sickened 160 people in 5 states. The outbreak in West Hollywood has sickened at least 12 people, with nine confirmed cases. Some of the patients in the California outbreak are employees. The restaurants are part of a New York-based chain. The D.C. Fig & Olive was closed for six days while an investigation was conducted by health inspectors. The restaurant reopened when management … [Read more...]
Salmonella at Fig & Olive on Melrose Place, Too?
Earlier this month, the Fig & Olive restaurant in Washington DC’s City Center was linked to Salmonella outbreak that sickened as many as 160 people from five states and the District of Columbia. But was the West Hollywood location affected, too? At least 12 people who ate at the Fig & Olive on Melrose Place have Salmonella infections. So far, nine cases are confirmed. Of those, six are patrons and three are employees, the Los Angeles County Health Department told Food Poisoning Bulletin in an email. All food handlers and any symptomatic nonfood handlers have been removed from work and were asked to submit stool samples. Interviews are ongoing with ill individuals and confirmed cases. At both locations, truffle oil was mentioned as a suspected source. Fig & Olive … [Read more...]
Salmonella at DC Fig & Olive May Have Sickened 160 in 5 States
A Salmonella outbreak at the Washington, DC City Center Fig & Olive may have sickened as many as 160 people, according to the DC Department of Health (DOH). Ten cases have been confirmed and another 150 cases from five states are being investigated. Those states have not been named. Health officials say anyone who ate at the restaurant and developed symptoms of a Salmonella infection including fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea that may have been bloody, should see a doctor and mention possible Salmonella exposure. A stool culture can confirm an infection and determine if it it part of the outbreak. The restaurant reopened today after a six-day closure triggered by the outbreak. Health investigators say they were able to confirm through follow-up inspections that the … [Read more...]
At Least 70 Sickened in Suspected Fig & Olive Salmonella Outbreak
At least 70 people are sick in the Salmonella outbreak associated with the Fig & Olive restaurant in Washington, D.C. The restaurant, which is part of a New-York based chain, is located in CityCenterDC. All 70 patients reported that they ate or drank at the Fig & Olive restaurant before getting sick. The Washington D.C. Department of Health is closed today, September 15, 2015, so we were unable to contact anyone regarding this outbreak. The restaurant is closed while investigators collect samples and try to figure out the problem. There is no word on whether the outbreak was caused by a contaminated food item, a sick worker, or cross-contamination or a problem in the kitchen. Several environmental and food samples have returned negative, so more testing is taking place this … [Read more...]
What Caused Salmonella Outbreaks at Chipotle and Fig & Olive?
Two Salmonella outbreaks at restaurants are sickening people in Minnesota and Washington, D.C. A Salmonella Newport outbreak at Chipotle restaurants in Minnesota has sickened at least 45 people, and an outbreak at Fig & Olive in Washington, D.C. may have sickened at least 20 people. There is a nationwide Salmonella Poona outbreak linked to imported cucumbers as well, with at least 341 people sickened in 30 states and two dead. Are these outbreaks related? The short answer is we don't know, but the Minnesota Department of Health has stated that the nationwide cucumber Salmonella outbreak is not related to the Chipotle outbreak. The cucumber Salmonella outbreak, caused by Salmonella Poona, has the potential to be huge, since the distributor, Andrew & Williamson, shipped the … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Closes DC Fig & Olive
A Salmonella outbreak has triggered the temporary closure of the Washington D.C. Fig & Olive restaurant in City Center. Twenty people are sick, two have confirmed cases of salmonellosis. Four people have been hospitalized at Sibley Memorial Hospital. Three of illnesses occurred over Labor Day weekend. In a statement Fig & Olive management said: “The health and safety of our restaurants and patrons is of paramount importance to us. Fig & Olive has closed the City Center DC restaurant due to reports that some patrons have recently been sickened. We have retained third-party consultants to provide assistance in this investigation and will cooperate fully with the Department of Health. We will continue to work with the DOH to insure that we have done all we can for the safety … [Read more...]
