The deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to deli sliced meats and cheeses has sickened 8 people in 8 states. One person who lived in Michigan has died. All eight patients were hospitalized. These outbreaks are tragic. What is the history of Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks linked to meats and cheeses? In the current outbreak, patients purchased deli sliced meats and cheeses in unnamed stores. The CDC outbreak notice did state that investigators found the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes in samples from meat sliced at "a deli" and from deli counters in multiple retail locations in New York and Rhode Island. Patients sickened in this outbreak live in Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. This outbreak demonstrates why public health officials tell those … [Read more...]
Protect Yourself Against Listeria Outbreak Linked to Deli Meat Cheese
A deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to unnamed deli meats and cheeses has sickened at least eight people in four states. All eight people were hospitalized. And, sadly, one person in Michigan died. Can you protect yourself and your family against this illness? This pathogen does not cause many outbreaks in the U.S., since it sickens about 2,600 people every year. Compared to Salmonella, which sickens 1,200,000 people every year in this country, it may seem like this pathogen isn't as dangerous. But that perception is wrong. Listeria monocytogenes causes serious illness and death in this country every year. In fact, Listeria infections are the third leading cause of death from food poisoning in the U.S. One of the issues with this pathogen is that the population … [Read more...]
Why Are Deli Sliced Products Vulnerable to Listeria Monocytogenes?
The deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to deli sliced meats and cheeses that was announced yesterday by the CDC has sickened eight people and one Michigan resident has died. For years, Food Poisoning Bulletin has told you about dozens of recalls of deli items for possible Listeria contamination. Why are these deli sliced products vulnerable to Listeria? Listeria monocytogenes is a very persistent and strong pathogen. It is found in the air, water, soil, animals, and plant material. Once it has been introduced into a facility, especially a moist and cool environment, it can become established and be very difficult to get rid of. The pathogen can hide in floor cracks, grease traps, air vents, in machines and surfaces that are difficult to clean, on food preparation … [Read more...]
Deadly Listeria Monocytogenes Outbreak Linked to Deli Meats and Cheeses
A deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to deli sliced meats and cheeses has just been announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Eight people are sick in four states; one person who lived in Michigan has died. All eight patients have been hospitalized because their illnesses are so serious. The patient case count by state is: Michigan (2), New Jersey (1), New York (2), and Pennsylvania (3). Illness onset dates range from November 13, 2016 to March 4, 2019. The patient age range is from 40 to 88 years. It's unusual that illnesses that occurred more than 2 years ago are only now being announced in an outbreak, but this has happened before in Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks; most notably in the Blue Bell ice cream outbreak. Investigators use … [Read more...]
Lawyer Gives Advice About Long History of Prepared Produce Outbreaks
The Salmonella Carrau outbreak that is linked to precut melon products sold at Target, Walmart, Kroger, and other stores has prompted questions about prepared produce. And unfortunately, the history of prepared produce outbreaks is long. Any food can be contaminated with pathogens. The fruits and vegetables can pick up bacteria in the fields, during harvest, during transport, and during processing. While people don't naturally think of produce as a cause of outbreaks, Salmonella in produce is in the top ten pathogen-food combinations that cause food poisoning. And in our modern food production and distribution system, produce that is harvested around the world is brought to huge central processing centers. The fruits and vegetables are cleaned and cut and packaged together. That … [Read more...]
FDA Weighs In On Frozen Raw Ground Tuna Salmonella Outbreak
The FDA has released information about the frozen raw ground tuna Salmonella Newport outbreak that has sickened at least 13 people in 7 states. The tuna was sourced from Jensen Tuna, and imported from JK Fish of Vietnam. Jensen Tuna voluntarily recalled this tuna on April 15, 2019. The FDA statement says that it's unlikely the ground tuna was sold directly to consumers in grocery stores. They think that it was used to make food dishes, such as sushi and spicy tuna, by restaurants and retailers. The tuna was sold in Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York, and Washington state. The patients in this outbreak live in Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York, and Washington state. The tuna could have been distributed to other … [Read more...]
Salmonella Newport Outbreak Linked to Frozen Raw Ground Tuna
A Salmonella Newport outbreak linked to frozen raw ground tuna supplied by Jensen Tuna has sickened at least 13 people in 7 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two people have been hospitalized. The case count by state is: Connecticut (1), Iowa (1), Illinois (1), Minnesota (1), New York, (1), North Dakota (4), and Washington (4). Illness onset dates range from January 8, 2019 to March 20, 2019. The patient age range is from 29 to 85 years. Jensen Tuna, based in Houma, Louisiana, has recalled their frozen raw ground tuna, which was imported from JK Fish. The tuna was sold in Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, and Washington, and may have been distributed to other states. Anyone who orders sushi, from a restaurant or … [Read more...]
Salmonella Contaminated Precut Melons Sold at Target, Kroger, Walmart, Trader Joes, Amazon/Whole Foods
The Salmonella Carrau outbreak linked to precut melons produced by Caito Foods has sickened at least 93 people. The Salmonella contaminated precut melons were sold at Kroger, Target, Trader Joes, Amazon/Whole Foods, Walmart stores, and independent grocery stores in several states under several different brand names. Caito Foods recalled precut melons in many different combinations and iterations on April 12, 2019, the day the outbreak was announced by the FDA and CDC. These products were sold in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The outbreak states line up with where the melon was available: people are sick in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, … [Read more...]
History of Melon Outbreaks Is Long and Deadly
The Salmonella Carrau outbreak just announced by the CDC that is linked to precut melons produced by Caito Foods has sickened at least 93 people. This is not the first time that melons have caused food poisoning outbreaks in the United States. In fact, the history of melon outbreaks is long. Since 1985, there have been 1,520 illnesses, 297 hospitalizations, and 36 deaths linked to contaminated melon. Most of these outbreaks were linked to cantaloupes. One of the big problems with contamination on ready-to-eat foods is that there is no "kill step" before the food is eaten. That means the consumer does not heat the product, which would destroy pathogens. There is zero tolerance for Listeria monocytogenes contamination on ready-to-eat foods, but no such law exists for … [Read more...]
Lawyer Asks: Why Are There Ground Beef E. coli Outbreaks?
This afternoon, amidst the ongoing ground beef E. coli O103 outbreak affecting much of the east-central United States, I began my weekly meal preparation ritual. I went to the freezer and grabbed two pounds of frozen ground beef, defrosted it, and put it in a frying pan to brown. My family of four goes through so much ground beef that I regularly fill my freezer with a “quarter of beef” raised by my father and processed by a local butcher shop. We live on it. My family’s subsistence on ground beef is not uncommon. For 2018, Americans were projected to eat 222.2 pounds of meat and poultry, each. According to the self-proclaimed “best information source” of the beef industry, Beef2Live.com: “Ground beef is the most widely consumed beef product among American consumers. It is estimated … [Read more...]
