Our law firm is investigating the Salmonella Montevideo outbreak linked to Daniele International Inc. salami (spelled salame on most products). The outbreak has sickened over 200 people in 42 states, according to the CDC. Contact Pritzker Olsen Attorneys about a Daniele salami lawsuit.

The outbreak prompted a January 23 recall of salami manufactured by Daniele International and distributed to retail stores throughout the United States (list of retailers is below). On January 31, 2010, Daniele International expanded the recall to include 1,240,000 pounds of Daniele salami made with black pepper.

The recalled salami was sold under the Daniele brand name and other brand names, including but not limited to, Boar's Head and Dietz & Watson. The retailers listed below may also have repackaged the salami for resale, an act which could make a retailer liable to anyone sickened by the repackaged salami:

• Albertsons Stores in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming
• Beverages & More Stores in California
• Bi-Lo Stores in South Carolina and Tennessee
• BJ’s Stores Nationwide
• Bloom Stores in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia
• Bottle King Stores in New Jersey
• Brookshire Brothers Stores in Texas
• Costco Stores Nationwide
• D’Agostino Supermarkets in New York
• Dave’s Market Stores in Rhode Island
• Earth Fare Stores in North Carolina and Tennessee
• Food Emporium Stores in New Jersey
• Fred Meyer Stores in Arkansas, Idaho, Oregon and Washington
• Fresh Fields Stores in Texas
• Fry’s Food and Drug/Fry’s Marketplace Stores in Arizona
• Giant Food Store in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia
• Haggen Stores in Oregon and Washington
• Hams Teeter Stores in Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia
• Hilander Stores in Illinois
• Jetro Restaurant Depot Stores in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York Pennsylvania and Rhode Island
• Kings Stores in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
• Kroger Stores in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia
• Market Basket Stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Jersey
• Pathmark Stores in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania
• Piggly Wiggly Stores in South Carolina
• Quality Food Center/QFC – Fresh Fare Stores in Oregon and Washington
• Ralphs/Ralphs Fresh Fare Stores in California and New York
• Roche Brothers Stores in Massachusetts
• Sams Club Stores Nationwide
• Scotts Stores in Indiana
• Shoppers Market Stores in Maryland and Virginia
• Shop-Rite Stores in New Jersey
• Smiths/Smiths Marketplace Stores in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming
• Stop and Shop/Super Stop and Shop Stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island
• Super K-Mart Stores in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina
• The Fresh Market Stores in North Carolina
• Top Food Stores in Washington
• Waldbaums Stores in New York
• Walmart Stores Nationwide
• Wegmans Stores in New York
• Weis Stores in Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania
• Whole Foods Stores in Texas

YOU SHOULD NOT EAT ANY OF THE RECALLED PRODUCTS LISTED BELOW, AND IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVERS YOU SHOULD NOT THROW THEM AWAY UNTIL YOU ARE SURE NO ONE HAS BEEN SICKENED BY THEM (Contact our law firm about preserving evidence):

• 10-ounce packages of "DANIELE NATURALE SALAME COATED WITH COARSE BLACK PEPPER."
• Catch weight packages of "DANIELE PEPPER SALAME."
• 9-ounce packages of "BLACK BEAR OF THE BLACK FOREST BABY GENOA PEPPER SALAME."
• 20-ounce packages of "DANIELE DELI SELECTION, GENOA SALAME, SMOKED SALAME, PEPPERED SALAME, RUSTIC SALAME."
• 340- and 454-gram packages of "DANIELE SURTIDO FINO ITALIANO, SALAMI GENOA CON PIMIENTA, LOMO CAPOCOLLO, SALAMI CALABRESE."
• 16-ounce packages of "DANIELE ITALIAN BRAND GOURMET PACK, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, HOT CAPOCOLLO."
• 8-ounce packages of "DIETZ & WATSON ARTISAN COLLECTION PARTY PLATTER PACK, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, HOT CAPOCOLLO."
• 8-ounce packages of "DANIELE ITALIAN BRAND GOURMET PACK, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, HOT CAPOCOLLO."
• 16-ounce packages of "DANIELE GOURMET COMBO PACK, PEPPER SALAME, CAPOCOLLO, CALABRESE."
• 500-gram packages of "DANIELE ITALIAN BRAND GOURMET PACK EMBALLAGE ASSORTI GOURMET ITALIEN, HOT CALABRESE, PEPPER SALAME, CALABRESE PIQUANT, SALAMI AU POIVRE, HOT CAPOCOLLO, CAPOCOLLO PIQUANT."
• 8-ounce packages of "BOAR'S HEAD BRAND ALL NATURAL SALAME COATED WITH COARSE BLACK PEPPER."
• Catch weight packages of "DIETZ & WATSON ARTISAN COLLECTION, BABY GENOA PEPPER SALAME, MADE WITH 100% PORK COATED WITH BLACK PEPPER AND PORK FAT."
• 20-ounce variety packages of "DANIELE DELI SELECTION, GENOA SALAME, SWEET SOPRESSATA, PEPPERED GENOA, MILANO SALAME."
• 21-ounce variety packages of "DANIELE GOURMET ITALIAN DELI SELECTION, SWEET SOPRESSATA SALAMI, PEPPERED GENOA SALAMI, HOT SOPRESSATA SALAMI, MILANO SALAMI, SALAMI SOPRESSATA DOUX, SALAMI GENOA POIVRÉ, SALAMI SOPRESSATA PIQUANT, SALAMI MILANO."
• 7-ounce packages of "DANIELE SALAME BITES PEPPER SALAME."
• 14-ounce packages of "DANIELE GOURMET ITALIAN DELI SELECTION ASSORTMENT DE FINES CHARCUTERIE ITALIENNE, SWEET SOPRESSATA SALAMI, MILANO SALAMI, SALAMI SOPRESSATA DOUX, SALAMI MILANO."
• Catch weight packages of "DANIELE NATURALE SALAME COATED WITH COARSE BLACK PEPPER."
• 32-ounce variety packages of "DANIELE DELI SELECTION, GENOA SALAME, SWEET SOPRESSATA, PEPPERED GENOA, MILANO SALAME."

Each package bears a label with establishment number "EST. 9992" or "EST. 54" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

Salami Recall and Salmonella Outbreak: The Smoking Gun

Washington and Iowa health departments have tested samples of Daniele International salami and found Salmonella Montevideo indistinguishable from the outbreak strain. In addition, recent test results provided by the Rhode Island Department of Health revealed that an opened container of black pepper used in the manufacturing of at least some of the recalled Daniele salami/ salame products was positive for Salmonella Montevideo and that the DNA fingerprint matched the outbreak strain. These are smoking guns that directly link the products to the nationwide Salmonella Montevideo outbreak.

If you or a family member has been diagnosed with Salmonella after eating salami, it is critical that you contact a Salmonella attorney at our law firm immediately to protect your legal rights. The following may apply to you:

• Additional stool testing and other testing may need to be done
• You may have leftover salami that needs to be tested and used as evidence
• Hospital and other medical bills may be putting a financial strain on your family
• You and others in your family may have had to take time off of work because of the Salmonella Montevideo infection
• You may have developed a serious complication, such as Reiter's syndrome (a form of arthritis) or neurological problems, that may require future medical care
• You may have questions about how much your Salmonella case is worth

Contact Pritzker Olsen Attorneys for a free consultation about a salami recall lawsuit: 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online free consultation form.

Salami Recall and Salmonella Outbreak: Epidemiological Evidence

During January 16-21, 2010, CDC and public health officials in multiple states conducted an epidemiologic study by comparing foods eaten by 41 ill and 41 well persons. Preliminary analysis of this study has suggested salami as a possible source of illness. Ill persons (58%) were significantly more likely than well persons (16%) to report eating salami. Additionally, 13 ill persons have been identified who purchased the same type of sliced salami variety pack at different grocery store locations before becoming ill. This salami was manufactured by Daniele International and recalled by the company on January 23.

Labels: Salmonella lawsuit, salmonella lawyer, Salmonella recall

A Minnesota man in his 70s who was living in a nursing home while coping with multiple health problems is the second person in the state to die after being sickened by a peanut butter-related outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said a total of five deaths are associated with the 4-month-old outbreak: Two in Minnesota, two in Virginia and one in Idaho.

Doug Schultz, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health, said the extent of Salmonella's contribution to the Minnesota man's death is unknown. A week ago, Schultz said a Minnesota woman in her 70s who also had health conditions died after contracting the Salmonella bug.

She too lived in a long-term care facility. Fred Pritzker, one of the leading food safety lawyers in the U.S., said Thursday he has been retained by the heirs of the Minnesota woman who died. His firm, Minneapolis-based Pritzker Law, is one of the few firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation.

Pritzker said he plans to commence a lawsuit very soon against the maker and distributor of contaminated peanut butter that was in use at the care facility in Brainerd, Minn., where Shirley Mae Almer was living when she contracted her Salmonella infection. She died Dec. 21 at age 72.

Officials from the Minnesota Department of Health told members of Almer's family that a five-pound tub of King Nut creamy peanut butter at Mrs. Almer's care facility tested positive for the same genetically matched strain of Salmonella that had infected Mrs. Almer. Later, the strain was genetically matched to the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium that has sickened at least 434 people in 43 states.

Pritzker said Mrs. Almer likely contracted the disease from toast topped with peanut butter shortly before she became ill.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said again Thursday that commercially sold peanut butter is the likely cause of the outbreak. To date, the CDC has said, the outbreak has not been associated with any retail brand of peanut butter sold in grocery stores.

The two companies involved in making and selling King Nut and Parnell's Pride peanut butter to nursing homes, hospitals, schools and other institutions have announced recalls of the product. The first to act was distributor King Nut Companies of Solon, Ohio. Then on Tuesday, Virginia-based Peanut Corporation of America, the maker of both brands, announced its own voluntary recall of peanut butter produced at its Blakely, Georgia, processing plant "because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.''

Peanut Corporation of America said none of the recalled peanut butter was sold in grocery stores. The containers range in size from five to 50 pounds each. Customers were asked to immediately remove all peanut butter from 21 lots of production made after July 1, 2008.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published Peanut Corporation's recall announcement. The FDA also published a related announcement from Kellogg Company of Battle Creek, Mich., relating to Keebler and Austin brand sandwich crackers containing peanut butter. Kellogg said it is voluntarily putting a "precautionary hold'' on all inventories it controls of certain sandwich crackers. Kellogg said it was taking the action because Peanut Corporation has been one of its suppliers of peanut paste.

The CDC said Thursday that it is continuing to investigate outbreak patients' exposure to peanut butter and "peanut butter-containing'' products.

Labels: King Nut, peanut butter salmonella, salmonella deaths, Salmonella lawsuit, salmonella lawyer

The current Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak has prompted leading food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker to issue a press release this week as a call to action to improve federal food safety. He is founder and president of Pritzker Law, one of the few firms in the country that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. Pritzker's firm has been involved with practically every major food poisoning outbreak including the Peter Pan peanut butter Salmonella outbreak of early 2007. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of food poisoning. For more information, visit http://www.pritzkerlaw.com or contact Fred Pritzker at (612) 338-0202.
According to USA Today's latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the outbreak has sickened 425 people in 43 states. Three deaths are associated with the outbreak; one in Minnesota and two in Virginia.


Pritzker Press Release
Minneapolis, Minn. -- The second major U.S. Salmonella outbreak in less than 24 months involving peanut butter suggests an industry-wide problem and demonstrates the need for more intense regulation and faster detection of an outbreak's source, leading food safety lawyer Fred Pritzker said.
"The American public should not have to guess about the safety of a product beloved by children,'' said Pritzker, one of the nation's most experienced practitioners of foodborne illness litigation.
King Nut Companies of Solon, Ohio, has announced a recall of its King Nut brand of peanut butter after the Minnesota Department of Health, working in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, announced it found evidence that Salmonella Typhimurium found in a five-pound container of King Nut creamy peanut is a genetic match to the strains of Salmonella associated with the national outbreak.
King Nut peanut butter is manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America, a company based in Lynchburg, Virginia. The brand is sold to commercial foodservice accounts, including nursing homes and hospitals, not to retail stores.
Pritzker's Minneapolis law firm has been closely monitoring developments in the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that has sickened at least 410 people in 43 states since mid-September, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three deaths are associated with the outbreak, the CDC has said. In early 2007, Pritzker witnessed first hand the suffering of clients sickened in a nationwide Salmonella outbreak caused by Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter.
In that instance, ConAgra recalled the product, but not before it was linked to 628 Salmonella illnesses in 47 states, according to the CDC.
Pritzker said federal agencies have failed to readily find the cause of two consecutive Salmonella outbreaks, raising questions about the government's effectiveness. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration drew heavy criticism for falsely correlating a nationwide Salmonella outbreak with U.S.-grown tomatoes. After weeks passed and more than 1,400 people became ill, the same Minnesota investigators who zeroed in on King Nut peanut butter correctly linked last year's Salmonella outbreak to jalapeno peppers grown in Mexico.
Pritzker said the record is evidence that more resources must be devoted to federal food safety -- both in prevention of contamination and detection of outbreaks. The current system is undermined by too much fragmentation of responsibility and not enough coordination between federal, state and local agencies, Pritzker said.
"This means more money and more staff must be devoted to federal food safety,'' Pritzker said.
"One also has to wonder if microbiological testing is lax,'' Pritzker said, especially in manufactured foods such as peanut butter. "This isn't a case involving fresh produce that is difficult to test. It's about a food product with a long shelf life that should not be allowed to leave the manufacturer unless its safety is confirmed.''
Pritzker called on the companies involved in the latest outbreak to launch a major communications effort to alert consumers to the dangers associated with the products that have been recalled. The campaign should include instructions for handling and testing product believed to be associated with the outbreak, he said.
In addition, Pritzker called on the responsible companies to immediately agree to pay for medical expenses and wage loss benefits for victims linked to the outbreak. There also should be a prompt and robust plan for reimbursing purchasers for the cost of the recalled product, he said.
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Labels: fred pritzker, peanut butter recall, peanut butter salmonella, Salmonella lawsuit, salmonella typhimurium

Health officials are expecting to receive confirmation in the coming week from tests on King Nut brand peanut butter -- the product suspected by the Minnesota Department of Health as the cause of a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that has sickened at least 399 people in 42 states.
The distributor of the peanut butter, Ohio-based King Nut Companies, has recalled the product and also has advised its customers to discontinue use of Parnell's Pride peanut butter. Both brands are made by Virginia-based Peanut Corporation of America.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published King Nut's recall announcement on its website.
In part, the recall announcement said: "King Nut took this action as soon as it was informed that Salmonella had been found in an open five-pound tub of King Nut peanut butter. King Nut distributes peanut butter only through food service accounts. It is not sold directly to consumers... Customers are asked to take all King Nut peanut butter and Parnell’s Pride peanut butter distributed by King Nut out of distribution immediately.''
Onset of the first known illnesses in the outbreak date back to early September. As the number of cases with matching DNA fingerprints grew, state and federal health officials worked vigorously to identify the food or foods causing the disease. The mystery came to a head last week when the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture found bacterium matching the outbreak strain in an open container of King Nut creamy peanut butter. The state's own epidemiological investigation had implicated King Nut creamy peanut butter as the likely source of Salmonella infections in 30 state residents, including 10 who lived in nursing homes.
Doug Schultz, a Minnesota Department of Health spokesman, has said one woman in her 70s who had other health problems died with the illness. (Minnesota Salmonella wrongful death information.)
Schultz said DNA fingerprint tests that could confirm whether the Salmonella found in the peanut butter is the same strain that caused illnesses across the United States should be finished Monday or Tuesday. Meanwhile, King Nut and FDA were waiting for Salmonella tests on peanut butter that had been in unopened containers.
CDC Response

Labels: peanut butter salmonella, Salmonella lawsuit, salmonella lawyer

Below is a list of recent Salmonella outbreaks. PritzkerOlsen is representing several victims of the Salmonella outbreaks (some of the cases have settled), and we continue to receive contacts from people regarding the outbreaks.

• Almost 50 laboratory-confirmed Salmonella cases have been linked to Safeway ground beef.
• CDC, USDA-FSIS and state health officials linked over 200 Salmonella cases to Banquet pot pies.
  
• Over 700 people reported being sickened after eating at the Pars Cove booth at Taste of Chicago. Over 150 of the cases were laboratory-confirmed Salmonella cases associated with Pars Cove food served at Taste of Chigago.
• Health officials linked over 50 laboratory-confirmed Salmonella cases to Veggie Booty, a vegetarian snack.
• Thousands of people claimed to be sickened by Peter Pan peanut butter. Over 700 cases were reported to CDC. Although the numbers may change, hundreds of cases of Salmonella have been linked to Peter Pan peanut butter.

Labels: Salmonella Banquet pot pie, Salmonella lawsuit, salmonella lawyer, Salmonella Pars Cove, Salmonella Peter Pan peanut butter, Salmonella Safeway, Salmonella Taste of Chicago, Salmonella Veggie Booty

At least 38 people have been sickened in Arizona, California, Utah and Nevada in a Salmonella Newport outbreak associated with ground beef products sold at Safeway supermarkets in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico between September 19 and November 5, 2007. According to the public health alert, an exhaustive and continuing investigation could not identify specific establishments, lots and products that would be subject to a recall. Therefore, in response to this outbreak USDA-FSIS has issued a public health warning in lieu of having Safeway initiate a voluntary Safeway ground beef recall.

This public health alert was initiated after epidemiological investigations and a case control study conducted by the California Department of Public Health, Arizona Department of Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, determined that there is an association between the fresh ground beef products and 38 illnesses reported in Arizona (16), California (18), Idaho (1) and Nevada (3). The illnesses were linked through the epidemiological investigation by their rare PFGE pattern found in PulseNet, a database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read about a possible Safeway ground beef lawsuit.

Labels: Safeway ground beef recall, Safeway lawsuit, Salmonella lawsuit, salmonella lawyer