In the Revolution Listeria outbreak, how are greens contaminated? The outbreak, which was just announced by the FDA in a recall notice, is linked to Revolution Farms brand lettuces and salad mixes. The multi-state outbreak has not been mentioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so we don't know how many people are sick, the patent age range, or illness onset dates. Listeria gets onto lettuces, other leafy greens, and vegetables and fruits in a variety of ways. The pathogen occurs naturally in soil and water, so the plants could be contaminated in the field. Some animals can carry the bacteria and not get sick. If they poop on plants in the field, the pathogen can easily grab onto the plant and grow. Animal manure used as fertilizer can also be contaminated. And … [Read more...]
Revolution Farms Lettuce and Salad Kits Recalled For Listeria
Revolution Farms Lettuce and Salad Kits are being voluntarily recalled for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The products were sold under many brand names. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem. The recalling firm is Revolution Farms of Caledonia, Michigan. The recalled product was sold to retailers and food service distributors in these states: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. The retailers include: SpartanNash stores, Meijer stores, Bridge St. Market, Kingma’s Market, Fresh Thyme Market Grand Rapids, Fresh Thyme Market Kalamazoo, Horrocks Market Grand Rapids, Doorganics, Cherry Capital Foods, Gordon Food Service, Van Eerden Foodservice, Vine Line Produce, Luna restaurant, Russ’ Commissary, and Pearson Foods … [Read more...]
Kalera Whole Head Lettuces Recalled For Possible Salmonella
Kalera whole head lettuces are being recalled for possible Salmonella contamination. No illnesses have been reported to company to date in connection with the consumption of these items. The recalling firm is Kalera Public Limited Company of Orlando, Florida. The company is recalling 633 cases of Crunch, Butter, and Romaine whole head variety lettuce. The lot codes 001293 and 001294 are printed on the label. The lettuces were sold under the Kalera brand name with the words "kalera. the cleanest lettuce in the world." on the case label. This lettuce is grown indoors. These lettuces were sold to a small number of retail venues and foodservice customers in Florida. The company has notified these customers and is working to make sure consumers do not receive any of these recalled … [Read more...]
History of Romaine E. coli O157:H7 Outbreaks is Long
With the recent Wendy's E. coli romaine lettuce outbreak in the news, how many of these types of outbreaks have been linked to romaine lettuce in the past? Quite a few. This is a look back at the history of romaine E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks. During the pandemic in the years 2020 to 2021, there were many E. coli outbreaks that were not solved, although a few were allegedly linked to romaine. They include three outbreaks in 2020. It was unusual that last year there were no E. coli O157:H outbreaks linked to romaine, since that history is lengthy. However, there were five food poisoning outbreaks linked to packaged leafy greens in 2021, but not specifically E. coli O157:H7. Recent Romaine E. coli O157:H7 Outbreaks The first is the ongoing E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that may be linked … [Read more...]
Wendy’s Romaine E. coli Outbreak Case Count Rises to 97
The Wendy's romaine E. coli outbreak case count has risen to include at least 97 sick in six states, with 43 hospitalized. Ten people are suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That is an increase of 13 new illnesses, five new hospitalizations, two more with HUS, and two new states: New York and Kentucky. The patient case count by state is: Indiana (11), Kentucky (1), Michigan (58), New York (1), Ohio (24), and Pennsylvania (2). Illness onset dates range from July 25, 2022 to August 15, 2022. The patient age range is from 3 to 94 years. Of 81 people who gave information about their health to investigators, 43, or 53%, have been hospitalized, which is a very high hospitalization … [Read more...]
How Many in Wendy’s E. coli Outbreak? Depends on Who You Ask
How many sick in Wendy's E. coli outbreak? It depends on who you ask. According to the CDC, there are 37 people sick with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 as of August 18, 2022. But if you add in the number of confirmed cases according to the Michigan Department of Health, there are 43, not 15 that the CDC counts. And officials in Wood County, Ohio state that there are 22 people sick in that county alone with seven hospitalizations, although only nine have been confirmed as the outbreak strain. The state of Ohio says there are 19 total sick in that state, with seven in Wood county, but 12 in seven other counties. And there are patients in Indiana and Pennsylvania. This type of disparity is fairly common in the early stages of an investigation. And the Centers for Disease … [Read more...]
Wendy’s Michigan E. coli Outbreak Grows to 43 Sick, 24 in Hospital
The Wendy's Michigan E. coli outbreak has grown to include 43 people sickened and at least 24 hospitalized. Four people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that is a complication of this infection. The CDC total for the state is currently just 15, so this is a dramatic case count increase. The case count includes patients from these counties: Allegan, Branch, Clinton, Genesee, Gratiot, Jackson, Kent, Macomb, Midland, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Ogemaw, Ottawa, Saginaw, Washtenaw, and Wayne. The city of Detroit is also included. The patient age range is from 6 to 94 years. Dr. Alexis Travis, senior deputy director of public health administration at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said in as statement, "We are reminding … [Read more...]
History of Fast Food E. coli Outbreaks is Long and Complicated
There is a mystery E. coli outbreak that has sickened dozens of people in Michigan and Ohio. After days of counties reporting the illnesses, the CDC got involved in the investigation yesterday. At least 29 people in those states are sick, and nine patients have been hospitalized. What could be causing this outbreak? We started thinking about the history of fast food E. coli outbreaks over the years. Unfortunately, outbreaks and fast food restaurants are a fairly common combination. There have been many Salmonella, E. coli, and cyclospora outbreaks associated with those restaurants. The main fast food restaurant chains in this country include Wendy's, McDonald's, Jimmy John's, Jack in the Box, Burger King, and Hardees, among others. These are the E. coli outbreaks linked to fast food … [Read more...]
Fall Harvested Romaine More Likely to Cause E. coli Outbreaks
Agricultural Research Scientists have found that fall harvested romaine is more likely to contain more E. coli bacteria and cause more outbreaks, according to the USDA. Between 1998 and 2019, there were 36 outbreaks traced back to lettuce, particularly romaine lettuce, that was harvested in the fall on the California Central Coast, and in late winter in Southern California and Arizona. The seasonal outbreaks are more frequently associated with commercially grown lettuce harvested at the end of the growing season. The question is why. ARS microbiologist Maria Brand, leader of the study, said in a statement, "To begin unravelling the causes of these seasonal outbreaks, our research team looked at various factors to identify conditions that may increase E. coli survival on fresh-cut … [Read more...]
Same E. coli Strain Linked to 4 Outbreaks and 8 Deaths 2018- 2021
This week, the CDC announced the end of a deadly leafy greens E. coli outbreak. And revealed that it was caused by the same strain as the deadly outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, AZ in 2018. This is the fourth multistate outbreak linked to this E. coli O157:H7 strain since 2018. All of them have included at least one fatality. Two of them occurred in 2021. Together these four outbreaks resulted in 274 illnesses, 126 hospitalizations, 33 cases of a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and eight deaths. Leafy greens were identified as the source of two of the outbreaks. For the other two, which occurred in 2020 and 2021, the source was declared as "unknown." Like the 2018 outbreak, some of the greens linked to the outbreak that ended this … [Read more...]
