Minnesota’s food poisoning investigators had a busy year with outbreaks in 2014, successfully tracing the cause of three separate clusters of E. coli hospitalizations and two waves of Salmonella infections. The efforts undoubtedly protected more people from contracting pathogen-related illnesses and gave victims of the solved outbreaks a chance to hold the purveyors accountable. A review by Food Poisoning Bulletin shows that four of the outbreaks had implications beyond the state’s borders, including findings of E. coli O157:H7 in celery that came from the Salinas Valley; E. coli O111 in cabbage purchased by units of a national restaurant chain and Salmonella Enteritidis in a frozen chicken breast product mass-produced in Illinois for the American retail market. “The Minnesota … [Read more...]
Chicken Kiev Salmonella Outbreak Watched in New Hampshire
New Hampshire has become the latest state to warn consumers about a food poisoning concern over Antioch Farms brand Raw Stuffed Chicken Breast Breaded Boneless Breast of Chicken with Rib Meat "A La Kiev.'' The partially prepared chicken kiev product was recalled late last month by the Aspen Foods Division of Koch Meats in Chicago after the Minnesota Department of Health linked it to an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis. The Minnesota investigation confirmed a match between the strain of Salmonella that infected case patients and chicken samples that tested positive for the same strain. The chicken kiev Salmonella recall was announced through USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. In New Hampshire, the product was distributed to Shaw's stores and has since been removed from those … [Read more...]
Antioch Farms Chicken Kiev Recalled in Salmonella Outbreak
More than 14 tons of Antioch Farms Chicken Kiev is being recalled by its Illinois manufacturer as part of a federal regulatory investigation of a Minnesota Salmonella outbreak linked to the frozen, ready-to-cook product. The Class I food recall was requested by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in conjunction with a well-documented cluster of six Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses in Minnesota. One of the food poisoning victims was hospitalized. The illness onset dates have ranged from August 17 through September 27 and the investigation is ongoing. Chicago-based Aspen Foods Division of Koch Meats is recalling 28,980 pounds of single five-ounce plastic packets of Raw Stuffed Chicken Breast Breaded, Boneless Breast of Chicken with Rib Meat “A La Kiev”. The products … [Read more...]
Antioch Farms Raw Chicken Linked to MN Salmonella Outbreak
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced that six people have been sickened with Salmonella food poisoning after eating Antioch Farms raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned stuffed chicken breast entrees. Consumers got sick in August and September 2014 from the same strain of Salmonella Enteritidis. One person has been hospitalized. Dr. Carlota Medus, epidemiologist for the Foodborne Diseases Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health said in a statement, "our DNA fingerprinting found that the individuals were sickened by the same strain of Salmonella. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture collected samples of the same type of product from grocery stores and the outbreak strain of Salmonella was found in packages of this product." The product is Antioch Farms brand … [Read more...]
MN Old Country Buffet Outbreak Source Contaminated Rolls
The Minnesota Department of Health has determined that the Salmonella outbreak that sickened people who ate at the Old Country Buffet diner in Maple Grove was caused by contaminated dinner rolls. The bread was cross-contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis from raw chicken. That outbreak sickened at least 36 people in February 2014. One person was hospitalized in this outbreak. People who got sick ate at the restaurant between January 11 and February 11, 2014. Most of the illnesses took place among those who ate there on January 25, 104. Cross-contamination is often the cause of food poisoning outbreaks. If proper food safety rules are not followed, such as thorough hand-washing after handling raw meats, separating cooked and uncooked foods, and washing utensils and surfaces after … [Read more...]
Lawyer Represents Victims of Old Country Buffet Salmonella Food Poisoning Outbreak in MN
Attorney Fred Pritzker and his team are representing victims of the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked to eating at the Old Country Buffet in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Hennepin County are investigating. Pritzker is providing free consultations to victims of the outbreak. The Salmonella lawyers at Pritzker Hageman, P.A., a Minneapolis, MN law firm, has a national practice representing food poisoning victims. The firm is one of only a few in the United States that focuses on national food litigation. To date, there are 23 reported cases of illness that are part of this outbreak. Of these, 11 are culture-confirmed. MDH told Food Poisoning Bulletin that there is no information available regarding the specific food item(s) that may be the … [Read more...]
Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak Linked to Imported Cucumbers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced an outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul that is linked to imported cucumbers. So far, 73 people in 18 states have been sickened. Fourteen people have been hospitalized. There are no deaths and no recall has been issued relating to this outbreak. On April 24, 2013, the FDA placed Daniel Cardenas Izabal and Miracle Greenhouse of Culiacán, Mexico on an Import Alert. That means cucumbers from those facilities will not be allowed into the United States unless the suppliers show they are not contaminated with Salmonella. There is no evidence that contaminated cucumbers supplied by those firms are still in the marketplace. The patients by state are as follows: Arizona (9), California (28), Colorado (1), Idaho (2), Illinois … [Read more...]
