A Listeria outbreak linked to raw milk produced by Miller's Organic Farm in Bird in Hand Pennsylvania sickened two people in 2014, killing one of them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health officials are now looking for other illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. Although the two confirmed illnesses, one in California and one in Florida, both occurred during 2014, the source was not discovered until January 2016. Because the Listeria was found in the raw milk recently, CDC officials are "concerned that conditions may exist at the farm that may cause further contamination of raw milk and raw dairy products distributed by this company and make people sick," the agency stated in its announcement of the outbreak. In January, officials from … [Read more...]
Some Who Ate Recalled Dole Salads Still Watching for Listeria Symptoms
Listeria has such a long incubation period that some people who ate Dole salads recalled in January still have a month to watch themselves for symptoms of an infection. Dole recalled the salads after it was linked salads produced at Dole's facility in Springfield, Ohio and sold under a variety of brand names was discovered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The outbreak has sickened 18 people; one person has died. The recalled salads were sold under the following names: Dole, Fresh Selections, Simple Truth, Marketside, The Little Salad Bar, and President’s Choice. The manufacturing code found underneath the “enjoy by” date of potentially affected salads begins with the letter “A.” They were sold at Giant, Kroger, ALDI, Price Chopper, Walmart, Fred Meyer, Schnucks, … [Read more...]
Three Stores Recall Cheese for Possible Listeria Contamination
Three stores have posted recalls of Karoun Dairies cheeses on their websites for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. There is an outbreak associated with these cheeses that has sickened 24 people, killed one person, and caused one miscarriage over the past five years. Wegmans has posted a recall of six varieties of cheese sold in the Cheese Shop. They are Queso Del Valle Queso Blanco with UPC number 277889000000, Queso Del Valle Queso Panela with UPC number 277884000000, Queso Del Valle Queso Fresco with UPC number 277883000000, Queso Del Valle Cotija with UPC number 277885000000, Central Valley Creamery Farm Fresh Basket Cheese in 8 ounce packages with UPC number 79625222003, and GOPI Paneer in 226 gram packages with UPC number 79625270008. Big Y has posted a recall as … [Read more...]
Karoun Dairies Issues Photos of Cheese Recalled for Listeria
Karoun Dairies has released photos of the cheeses recalled for Listeria monocytogenes contamination. These cheeses are linked to a Listeria outbreak in this country that has sickened at least 24 people in nine states. One person in Ohio has died, and one pregnant women suffered a miscarriage. Additional illnesses are under investigation, according to the CDC. You can see pictures of the recalled products at the FDA web site. Look at them carefully. If you ate any of these products over the past five years and suffered the symptoms of a Listeria infection, see your doctor. The headline of the CDC article is "Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Soft Cheeses", but in the report, they state that "the investigation has not conclusively identified the source of this outbreak, but most ill … [Read more...]
International Recalls of Listeria Contaminated Cheese
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Tree of Life Canada are recalling Yanni and Gopi brand cheese products for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. There have been no illnesses reported in Canada associated with the consumption of these cheeses, but there is an outbreak in the United States linked to recalled Karoun Dairies products. In fact, in the United States, the Listeria outbreak linked to these cheeses has sickened 24 people in nine states. Twenty-one people, including five pregnant women, have been hospitalized because of their illness. One person in Ohio has died and one woman suffered a miscarriage, according to the CDC. The case patient count is: California (14), Colorado (1), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (1), New York (2), Ohio (1), … [Read more...]
Law Firm Clients Speak Out on Food Safety
The American Association for Justice held a press conference today on the importance of litigation in food safety. The civil justice system is one of the last resources consumers have to protect themselves against contaminated foods put into commerce by big business. Lawsuits are "sometimes the only mechanism for deterring negligent behavior and rooting out systemic problems in the food chain," according to the report, Food Safety and the Civil Justice System. In June of 2012, John McKissick ate soft cheese that was imported into the United States from Italy. He got very sick with listeriosis and was hospitalized for months. For most of that time, he was unconscious and suffered from hallucinations and sepsis. His wife Pat contacted our law firm, which underwrites Food Poisoning … [Read more...]
Blue Bell Restarts Limited Ice Cream Production After Listeria Outbreak
After a deadly Listeria outbreak triggered a shutdown of its ice cream manufacturing facilities, Blue Bell Creameries is restarting production on a limited basis. During a test period, production will resume at the company's plant in Sylacauga, Ala. where changes to the facility, the process and employee training have been put in place. A firm date for the start of ice cream sales has not been set. “We have been working diligently to prepare our facilities to resume test production, and our focus throughout this process has been to ensure the public that when our products return to market, they are safe,” said Greg Bridges, vice president of operations for Blue Bell. “We are very excited about taking these important first steps as part of the process of getting high-quality Blue Bell … [Read more...]
Listeria Patient Who Sued Blue Bell Barely Escaped Death
The former Texas resident who is the first person to sue Blue Bell ice cream in connection with a deadly Listeria outbreak endured well over a year of intensive neurological treatment, therapy and rehabilitation, according to the formal complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Austin, Texas. The plaintiff, 32-year-old D. Philip Shockley, fell ill in October 2013 and continues to suffer from posterior fossa syndrome (PFS), a severe neurological syndrome caused by damage to the brainstem and cerebellum, the complaint said. The Listeria Blue Bell lawsuit, filed May 19 on Shockley's behalf, states that Listeria monocytogenes in Blue Bell ice cream infected the victim's blood and migrated to his brain, where it caused extensive damage, leaving him unconscious and near death inside his … [Read more...]
Blue Bell Listeria Agreements Require Ice Cream ‘Test and Hold’
Listeria patients who were treated at Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita as part of the Blue Bell ice cream outbreak, and hospital officials themselves, may be interested to hear that Blue Bell will be prohibited from distributing future products until sampling tests indicate that the ice cream is safe. The so-called "test-and-hold'' method is mandated under an agreement between Blue Bell's CEO Paul Kruse and the Texas Department of State Health Services. The Listeria agreement lays out conditions under which Blue Bell's ice cream facilities in Brenham will be allowed to resume production after a massive ice cream Listeria recall and shutdown of commercial manufacturing. A separate but similar agreement will apply the same standard to Blue Bell's plant in Broken Arrow, … [Read more...]
FDA Report on Blue Bell Broken Arrow, OK Ice Cream Plant
The Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to Blue Bell ice cream has sickened 10 people and killed three of those patients. The FDA has issued a report on each of Blue Bell's facilities after extensive inspections and investigations. We told you about the Brenham, Texas facility inspection report last week. Now here are details on the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma facility. The initial recall of Blue Bell ice cream was for product made at the Brenham facility. But officials in Kansas conducted an investigation at the Via Christi hospital kitchen after a Listeria outbreak there earlier this year. An unopened single serving cup of Blue Bell ice cream taken from the hospital kitchen contained the pathogenic bacteria. That ice cream was made in the Broken Arrow plant. The inspection report … [Read more...]
