A Salmonella outbreak is being investigated in Eaton, Massachusetts, Ann Scales of the Massachusetts Department of Health told Food Poisoning Bulletin. The investigation began on Monday, September 25, 2017. The MDH is working with the Easton Board of Health to collect information to determine the source. The outbreak is associated with a restaurant. Other news outlets have mentioned the restaurant by name, but we will not do that until there is confirmation from a government source. Ms. Scales told us, "We do not advertise the names of restaurants under investigation unless there is reason to believe there is an on-going health threat. In this situation, while these reports certainly led us to start an investigation, we really do not have enough information at this point to believe … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak at Boston Back Bay Sandwich and Cafe Med
Two Boston restaurants have had their permits to operate temporarily suspended after an apparent Salmonella outbreak. Ana Karina Vivas, Media Relations Manager at the Boston Public Health Commission, told Food Poisoning Bulletin that there are eight confirmed cases of Salmonella and no known hospitalizations. Four of the patients ate at Cafe Med, two at Back Bay Sandwich, and two people ate at both facilities. She said that they are working on testing employees to identify the source of the outbreak. Boston public health officials found violations in the way those facilities prepare, handle, and hold food. Back Bay Sandwich at 31 Saint James Avenue had its permit pulled on May 17 and May 18, 2017 for "multiple risk factors." And Cafe Med, also at 31 Saint James Avenue was … [Read more...]
Chicken & Rice Guys E. Coli Outbreak Grows to 15 Sick
According to the Boston Globe, 15 people are now sick in the Chicken & Rice Guys E. coli outbreak in Boston, Massachusetts. Officials are testing food taken from the restaurants, along with stool samples from 120 employees. The restaurants and food trucks are closed during this investigation. Ten people had to be hospitalized in this outbreak. That is a high percentage in the average E. coli outbreak. The first person got sick on March 30, 2017, and the most recent diagnosis was April 4, 2017. According to the Globe story, Dr. Anita Barry, director of the Infectious Disease Bureau at the Boston Public Health Commission said that none of those sickened had developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication of an E. coli infection. Most of the patients are in … [Read more...]
E. coli Outbreak at Chicken & Rice Guys Sickens 14 in Boston
Ana Karina Vivas from the Boston Public Health Commission told Food Poisoning Bulletin that 14 people have been sickened with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections. That company has four restaurants and five food trucks that operate in the area. Nine of the patients are Boston, Massachusetts residents. All of the illnesses have been confirmed by laboratory tests. A preliminary investigation has found that ten of those sickened reported eating at a Chicken & Rice Guys restaurant or food truck before becoming ill. Ten of the fourteen people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. There is no word on whether the patients are still hospitalized, or if any of them have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious and potentially life-threatening … [Read more...]
E coli Outbreak at Chicken & Rice Guys in Boston
An E. coli outbreak has sickened seven people and closed some of the Chicken & Rice Guys restaurants in Boston. The facility's food trucks are also shut down, according to the Boston Globe. The company has four food trucks which serve the Greater Boston area. The illnesses are tied to the Allston, Massachusetts location. That facility supplies food to the rest of the restaurant chain's locations and the food trucks. Their operating license has been temporarily suspended by public health officials while the investigation is occurring. An anonymous complaint triggered the investigation on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. Public health inspectors are at the Allston site and are trying to discover the source of the outbreak. There is no word on what type of food, if any, investigators … [Read more...]
E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak Linked to I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter Sickens 29
The CDC has announced that the E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak linked to I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter has grown again. Now 29 people in 12 states have been sickened in this outbreak. That is an increase of six people since the last update on March 21, 2017. Three more states are now included in the count: Florida, Illinois, and Massachusetts. Twelve patients have been hospitalized because their illnesses are so serious. Two of the newly sickened have been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, which brings the total with HUS in this outbreak to nine. No deaths have been reported to date. The case count by state is: Arizona (4), California (5), Florida (1), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (1), Oregon (9), Virginia … [Read more...]
Seattle Chipotle Closed for Food Safety Violations
The Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant at 212 Westlake Avenue North in Seattle, Washington was closed on Thursday, December 10, 2015 for repeated food safety violations, according to a report on Seattle & King County Public Health. The restaurant had three red violations in three consecutive inspections, which prompted the closure. Red violations are those that are serious enough they can cause foodborne illness. In December 2014, an inspection found that food was being held at less than 130°F (food must be held at 140°F or higher to prevent bacterial growth). In October 2015, violations including improper cooking times and temperatures of food, and improper use of non-continuous cooking. The inspection in November 2015 also found improper hot holding temperatures of less than … [Read more...]
Boston College Norovirus Associated with Chipotle Hits 120
The Massachusetts Department of Health has released a statement about the food poisoning outbreak at Boston College, believed to be associated with the Chipotle restaurant at Cleveland Circle. "Initial testing conducted by the State Public Health has shown the presence of norovirus," the statement reads. Now at least 120 students are sick in that outbreak, which was not an E. coli outbreak, as was originally feared. Boston College released another statement to its community, confirming that the outbreak was norovirus and offering information to the students and staff. At least 80 of the sickened students confirmed that they did eat at the Chipotle restaurant at Cleveland Circle. The Chipotle restaurant in question was closed after the reports of illness started to come in. A City of … [Read more...]
Boston College Reports Food Poisoning Cases: Chipotle?
Boston College Health Services is confirming that at least 30 students, including 8 basketball players, have come to them complaining of gastrointestinal symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhea. The common factor among all of those sickened, according to BC officials, is that they ate at the Chipotle restaurant in Cleveland Circle. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has been notified, and is working to determine if these illnesses are connected to the nationwide E. coli O26 outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants or if these illnesses are caused by norovirus or another factor. There is no evidence at this time that the illnesses are caused by E. coli bacteria or that Chipotle restaurants are, in fact, involved. The Chipotle restaurant in question at Cleveland Circle has … [Read more...]
