Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) closed without solving its investigation of a Salmonella Newport outbreak that sickened 11 people in August. But information the agency gathered during its probe unearthed a troubling finding. During interviews with patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) learned that people who got sick had eaten cantaloupe or watermelon before developing symptoms of Salmonella infections. Tracing the source of the melons back from the point of purchase, the FDA was able to determine that the melons were grown in Southwest Indiana. Three environmental samples collected from farms there matched the outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport. Other samples from a “farm of interest and surrounding areas” were positive for … [Read more...]
A Recurring Salmonella Strain and a Secret, Deadly Ground Beef Outbreak
Two years before a 2018 Salmonella outbreak linked to ground beef produced by JBS Tolleson triggered one of the largest beef recalls in modern history, another outbreak, a secret and deadly one was linked to the same strain. The deadly 2016 outbreak was never announced and no recall was ever issued because the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) said traceback records didn't conclusively point to a single establishment. So, contaminated ground beef was sold to consumers and 106 people in 21 states got Salmonella infections. Forty-eight percent of the patients were hospitalized, and one person died. One year after that outbreak ended, the first illness in the 2018 outbreak was reported. That outbreak, which was publicly announced, eventually … [Read more...]
Polls: Consumers Back Stronger Salmonella Standards, Industry is Split
A nationwide poll shows overwhelming support for stricter poultry regulations aimed at reducing the number of illnesses from Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens. The poll of 1,000 registered voters, conducted by the nonprofit STOP Foodborne Illness, found 86 percent of voters want the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adopt such changes. In the U.S., Salmonella causes more foodborne illness than any other bacteria, about 1.35 million cases each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Contaminated poultry accounts for about 23 percent of those illnesses. For more than two decades, the USDA has been trying to reduce Salmonella illnesses by testing for the presence of the bacteria on poultry at processing plants. But over that time period, … [Read more...]
Kellogg Salmonella Lawyer Explains Outbreak Will Most Likely Grow
Kellogg Salmonella lawyer explains why this multistate outbreak linked to Honey Smacks cereal, which has already sickened 73 people in 31 states, will most likely grow. "The cereal was recalled on June 14, 2018, but unfortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that consumers should not "eat Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal of any size package or with any 'best if used by' date," said Fred Pritzker, a food safety attorney who is representing clients sickened in this outbreak. Consumers should discard any size of this product they may have on hand, even if some of it was eaten and no one has been sick. "Salmonella bacteria can cluster in tiny, tiny clumps and may not be distributed evenly throughout the cereal," Fred added. "In addition, the recall … [Read more...]
Mr. Rick’s Flouted Permit Rule For Years Before Salmonella Outbreak
Mr Rick's Catering, the source of a Salmonella outbreak in Washington state, operated for years without a permit, ignoring health department warnings to stop doing so even after being fined. Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department named Mr Rick's in a warning it issued about the importance of choosing a caterer with a permit to operate. The event was attended by as many as 175 people, but not all of them are sick. The health department "has notified Mr. Rick’s Catering not to operate several times since 2012, and as a result of the incident in Snohomish County, recently issued a $710 fee for continuing to operate without a permit. In the interest of protecting public health, and because the business owner continues to advertise as a viable business, Tacoma-Pierce County Health … [Read more...]
E. coli and Salmonella Outbreaks from Nuts, Nut Butters and Nut Cheese
Nuts and products made from them are common sources of food poisoning as a look back at some E.coli and Salmonella outbreaks shows. Yesterday, a Salmonella outbreak linked to Wonderful brand pistachios that has sickened 11 people was announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A recall has been issued for pistachios sold under the brand names Wonderful, Paramount Farms, and Trader Joe’s, consumers who have purchased the recalled nuts should not eat them. In 2015, a Salmonella outbreak linked to Jem brand nut butters sickened 13 people in 10 states. A recall was issued for the products which were linked to illnesses from July 2015 to November 2015. Cases of Salmonella Paratyphi B variant L(+) tartrate(+) infection were reported from the following states … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Wonderful Pistachios
Wonderful brand pistachios have been linked to a nine-state Salmonella Montevideo outbreak that has sickened 11 people, hospitalizing two of them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A recall has been issued for pistachios sold under the brand names Wonderful, Paramount Farms, and Trader Joe's, consumers who have purchased the recalled nuts should not eat them. State and federal health officials have used DNA "fingerprinting" to identify case patients, who range in age from 9 years to 69 year old. Those sickened reported onset of illness dates ranging from December 12, 2015 to February 9, 2016. The outbreak strain has also been isolated from samples of raw pistachios collected from Paramount Farms, where Wonderful pistachios are grown. Health officials … [Read more...]
FDA Joins Salmonella, E. coli “Sproutbreak” Investigations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has join the investigations into the E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks linked to contaminated alfalfa sprouts. The multistate outbreaks, that are unfolding simultaneously, have been linked to sprouts produced by two different companies: Jack and the Green Sprouts of River Falls, Wisconsin. and Sweetwater Farms of Inman, Kansas. Recalls have been issued for alfalfa and onion sprouts sold under these brand names which were distributed to restaurants, grocery stores, co-ops and food service operations. Consumers and customers who have purchased these products should not eat them as E. coli and Salmonella can both cause serious illness. The Salmonella outbreak, linked to Sweetwater alfalfa sprouts, has sickened 13 people in four states. The … [Read more...]
A Tale of Two Chickens and Salmonella: Koch Poultry and Foster Farms
Two giant poultry processors have been linked to serious food poisoning outbreaks in the past few years. One, Foster Farms, was the source of chicken tainted with antibiotic-resistant Salmonella that sickened almost seven hundred people. Despite objections from food safety experts, that company only issued a small recall of chicken produced over a period of one week in March 2014. Other retailers such as Costco did issue recalls of Foster Farms chicken, including rotisserie chickens that were professionally cooked. The second, Koch Poultry, under the name Aspen Foods, was the source of frozen breaded stuffed chicken tainted with Salmonella. While the company did recall products linked to an outbreak last summer, they refused to issue a new recall when the USDA requested it after finding … [Read more...]
Salmonella at DC Fig & Olive May Have Sickened 160 in 5 States
A Salmonella outbreak at the Washington, DC City Center Fig & Olive may have sickened as many as 160 people, according to the DC Department of Health (DOH). Ten cases have been confirmed and another 150 cases from five states are being investigated. Those states have not been named. Health officials say anyone who ate at the restaurant and developed symptoms of a Salmonella infection including fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea that may have been bloody, should see a doctor and mention possible Salmonella exposure. A stool culture can confirm an infection and determine if it it part of the outbreak. The restaurant reopened today after a six-day closure triggered by the outbreak. Health investigators say they were able to confirm through follow-up inspections that the … [Read more...]
