Two Minnesotans sick with E. coli O157 infections after eating organic baby spinach are part of a larger multistate outbreak, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. That agency is working on this investigation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA, along with public health agencies in other states. The CDC says this is an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, but the state has not yet named the serotype. The two Minnesota patients got sick from October 17 to October 23, 2021. Neither patient was hospitalized. The patients are in their mid-20s. One person lives in the metro area, and the other is from outstate Minnesota. One patient ate Josie's Organics organic baby spinach that was purchased from HyVee, and the other case ate Fresh Thyme organic baby … [Read more...]
Josie’s Organics Baby Spinach E. coli Outbreak Sickens 10 in 7 States
A Josie's Organics baby spinach E. coli O157:H7 outbreak has sickened at least 10 people in seven states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of eight people who gave information to public health officials, two have been hospitalized, for a hospitalization rate of 25%. The patient case count by state is: Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (2), Missouri (1), Ohio (1), and South Dakota (1). Illness onset dates range from October 15, 2021 to October 27, 2021. The patient age range is from 2 to 71 years. Whole genome sequencing showed that bacteria from patient isolates are closely related, suggesting that people in this outbreak got sick from eating the same food. State and local public health officials interviewed people about the foods … [Read more...]
BrightFarms Baby Spinach Included in Salmonella Typhimurium Recall
BrightFarms baby spinach is now included in the company's Salmonella Typhimurium recall, according to an update into the outbreak that is linked to some of that company's packaged salad greens. These packages of baby spinach are past the expiration date. They were produced in the same Rochelle, Illinois greenhouse farm where the other recalled BrightFarms salad products were grown. These recalled baby spinach packages were sold in the same stores in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan as the previously recalled salads. The BrightFarms Baby Spinach is packaged in 4 ounce containers with UPC number 5706200439, and in 8 ounce packages with UPC number 5706200449. The baby spinach was sold in Mariano's Fresh Markets, select Walmart stores, Strack Van Till, Sullivan's … [Read more...]
Can Spinach Be Contaminated With Pathogens At Germination?
We have all heard about the several deadly E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce that sickened hundreds of people last year in the United States. That contamination apparently occurred while the greens were growing in the field. But can leafy greens such as spinach be contaminated with pathogens during germination? Unfortunately, leafy greens are a main source of foodborne illness, because they are easily contaminated in the field and typically aren't cooked before serving. But that contamination was on the surface of the plant, not internalized into the leaves themselves. Now researchers have looks at the possibility that spinach can be contaminated at germination. Even worse, this contamination can be internalized in the leaf, which means that no amount of … [Read more...]
Researchers Pinpoint Factors Influencing Spinach E. coli Contamination
A new research report about E. coli contamination on spinach has been published in the July 2013 issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Scientists found that contamination is "strongly influenced" by the time elapsed since the last irrigation, workers' personal hygiene and what the field was used for before the spinach was planted. In February 2013, Taylor Farms spinach was recalled for E. coli contamination, and late last year, 33 people were sickened in a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to organic spinach. Another E. coli outbreak that sickened 200 people happened in 2006. Researchers studied spinach farms up to four times per growing season over a period of two years in this study. They pulled 955 spinach samples from 12 farms in Colorado and Texas. They … [Read more...]
Largest Multi-State Food Poisoning Outbreaks Of 2012: #7
An E.coli outbreak linked to spinach and spring mix sold at Wegmans and other grocery stores was the seventh largest multi-state food poisoning outbreak of 2012, based on the total number of people sickened. It was the third multi-state E.coli outbreak linked to salad greens in the last three years, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The outbreak, which was announced in November by the CDC sickened 33 people in five states before ending in December. The salad greens identified as the source of the outbreak were produced by State Garden of Chelsea, Mass. and sold in plastic, clamshell containers at Wegmans grocery stores. Case patients who were interviewed by public health authorities reported onset of illness from October 18, 2012 to … [Read more...]
CDC Declares E. coli 0157:H7 State Garden Organic Spinach Outbreak Over
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared that the multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli 0157:H7 infections that are associated with Garden State Organic Spinach and Spring Mix Blend is over. A total of 33 people were infected with the outbreak strain of STEC 0157:H7 in five states. Forty-six percent of ill persons were hospitalized. Two patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. No deaths were reported. State, local, and federal public health and regulatory agencies linked the outbreak to pre-packaged leafy greens produced by State Garden of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Traceback investigation identified State Garden as a common producer, but a source of contamination has not been identified. The FDA is continuing to … [Read more...]
Spinach and Spring Mix E.coli Outbreak Ends
An E.coli outbreak linked to spinach and spring mix sold at Wegmans and other grocery stores has ended after sickening 33 people in five states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The salad greens were produced by State Garden of Chelsea, Mass. and sold in plastic, clamshell containers at Wegmans grocery stores. The outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7) sickened 26 people in New York, three in Mass., two in Conn. and one each in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Almost half of the victims, 46 percent, were hospitalized, two with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. There were no fatalities reported. E.coli 0157:H7 is the strain found most commonly in people who have been sickened by E.coli. For … [Read more...]
Ultrasound Cleans Spinach (And The Teeth That Chew It)
Toothbrushes have been using sonic power to clean teeth for years. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that adding ultrasound pulses to the washing cycle used to sanitize spinach can reduce bacteria count, especially when coupled with the traditional chlorine solution rinse. Reserachers Bin Zhou, Hao Feng and Arne Pearlstein created and tested a spinach-washer with three pairs of ultrasonic heads operating at 25, 40, and 75 kilohertz and found that its use resulted in “significantly lower microbial count reduction” than the chlorine bath alone. Spinach and other leafy greens that grow close to the soil can harbor dangerous bacteria such as E.coli which can cause serious sometimes llife-threatening illness. So finding a better way to wash … [Read more...]
E. coli Outbreak Third In Three Years Linked To Salad Greens
The E.coli outbreak linked to spinach and spring mix salad greens sold at Wegmans and other grocery stores is the third multi-state E.coli outbreak linked to salad greens in the last three years, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The outbreak, which began in New York, now includes cases in Connecticut, Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. A spinach and spring mix blend sold at Wegmans grocery stores has been identified as one source of the outbreak for victims in New York. However, case patients outside of New York mentioned eating other brands of pre-packaged leafy greens before they became ill so other brands are still being investigated. The number of those ill in each state is as follows: Connecticut (2), Massachusetts (2), … [Read more...]
