• California and Wisconsin E. coli Outbreak Linked to Rochester Meat Company: At least 6 people have contracted E. coli O157:H7 infections associated with eating Rochester Meat Company ground beef served in restaurants and food service institutions in Wisconsin and California. Rochester Meat Company has recalled about 188,000 pounds of ground beef due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. Read more about the Rochester Meat Company recall and lawsuit.
• E. coli outbreak Associated with American Foods Ground Beef: The Illinois Department of Health reported 2 cases of E. coli O157:H7 associated with recalled American Foods ground beef. The American Foods Group recall involved about 95,927 pounds of various coarse and fine ground beef products. The recalled ground beef was sent to retail outlets and distributors in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Learn more about the American Foods ground beef recall and a possible American Foods Group lawsuit.
• Multi-State E. coli Outbreak Linked to Cargill Hamburger Patties Sold at Sam's Club: 5 people in Minnesota , 4 people in Wisconsin, 2 children in North Carolina, and 3 children in Tennessee have been linked to Sam's Club hamburgers processed by Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation.
• Multi-State E. coli Outbreak Linked to Topps Hamburger: At least 40 confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been associated with recalled Topps hamburgers. Learn more about the Topps hamburger recall, the New Jersey E. coli-Topps cases, the Pennsylvania E. coli-Topps cases, and the New York E. coli-Topps cases.
• Oregon & Washington E. coli Outbreak Associated with interstate Meat: Cases of E. coli infection in Washington and Oregon have been associated with Interstate Meat Dist., Inc, an Oregon firm. In response to this outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for approximately 41,305 pounds of ground beef products. Read More about the Ground Beef E. coli recall.
• New York E. coli Outbreak Associated with Stew Leonard's Ground Beef: The recall was prompted by 3 cases of E. coli O157:H7 associated with eating ground beef from the Stew Leonard's Yonkers store. The three people sickened are from the same family. Read Stew Leonard's lawsuit and lawyer information.
• Multi-State E. coli Outbreak Linked to United Food Group Ground Beef: People in several states contracted E. coli O157:H7 infections in an outbreak linked to multi-state recall of ground beef issued by United Food Group LLC.
  

Labels: American Foods Group Recall, Rochester Meat Company, Topps recall, United Food Group gound beef

Food Safety Tips for the Holidays

Clean, separate, cook and chill.

Those are the four basic food safety lessons preached to consumers by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- especially around the holidays.

The food safety experts at PritzkerOlsen, one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation, couldn't agree more.

What follows is a list of reminders on how to keep harmful bacteria from spoiling your holiday feast:

• Keep cream pies, cakes with whipped-cream frosting and other creamy deserts well refrigerated.



• Purchase produce that is not bruised or damaged.



• Do not cross-contaminate, even in the grocery store. Bag meat, poultry and fish separately from fruits, vegetables and other foods that will be eaten uncooked.



• Pre-cut or pre-washed produce, such as lettuce, should be rewashed if taken from an open bag in the fridge.



• Even if produce is peeled first, it is still important to wash it.



• Your refrigerator temperature should be set at 40 degrees, or lower.



• Consider using a separate cutting board for raw meats, poultry and seafood.



• Do not put cooked meat or fish on any unwashed plate that carried raw meat or fish.



• Keep hands washed before and after handling food. Wash with warm water and soap for 20 seconds each time.



• Do not rinse raw meat and poultry before cooking because it makes it more likely for bacteria to be spread on kitchen counters.



• Use a food thermometer to make sure meat, poultry and fish are cooked to a safe internal temperature. For a turkey, that means 165 degrees, and that also goes for stuffing inside the bird.



• When making your own egg nog, use pasteurized egg products or egg substitutes -- not raw eggs.



• Do not feed cookie dough containing raw eggs to yourself or children.



• Don't taste food that looks or smells questionable. When in doubt, throw it out.



• Don't thaw frozen foods on the kitchen counter. They should be thawed in the refrigerator. If you are in a hurry, thaw under cold running water or in the microwave -- but be sure to cook the food right away.

Labels:FDA, food safety, lawyer

USDA to List Stores That Have Received Recalled Meat and Poultry