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Foodborne Illness

Alamosa, Colorado, Salmonella Outbreak

A story in The Denver Post gives a glimpse into the pain suffered by one small victim of the Salmonella outbreak linked to the Alamosa, Colorado, water system. At least 237 residents have reported experiencing symptoms of Salmonella. There have been 72 lab-confirmed cases.

According to The Denver Post story, Miya Spangler, one of the lab-confirmed cases, became ill last Tuesday:

"Last Tuesday she woke up after midnight crying. She had a really high fever and bad diarrhea," said Miya's mother, 20-year-old Amanda Spangler.
"I had a really bad feeling about it," she said.

She took her daughter to the doctor the day officials realized they were in the grip of a salmonella outbreak caused by contaminated city drinking water.

"I felt terrible because I gave her the bottle, the formula, that made her sick," Amanda said. "For two days she had no expression on her face. She just lay there."

Miya's father, Joey, said that for part of her week-long illness his daughter was either asleep or crying.

The water was bad, so her parents couldn't bathe her to bring down her temperature, which her mother said topped out at 105.9 degrees.

The baby had a terrible rash. She threw up. She had blood in her stool, her mother said.

Posted March 2008.

Labels: Alamosa Colorado, Salmonella

Salmonella Recall: Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix

The Quaker Oats Co. has announced an Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix recall. The recall involves a “small quantity” of Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix: Original, Original Complete and Buttermilk Complete, which may have potential Salmonella contamination. No other Aunt Jemima, frozen Aunt Jemima or Quaker products are affected.

The products, sold in 2 pound and 5 pound boxes with Best Before dates of FEB 08 09 H through FEB 16 09 H stamped on the top, contain the following UPC codes:

30000 43272: Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete, 5 lb.
30000 05040: Aunt Jemima Original, 2 lb.
30000 05070: Aunt Jemima Original Complete, 2 lb.
30000 05300: Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete, 2 lb.

Quaker is in the process of recovering the product involved. Quaker knows specifically to which customer warehouses the product was shipped. Approximately 98% of the product is within Quaker's control. The 2% of product which is outside of Quaker's control was shipped to a limited number of retail and mass merchandiser stores (no direct distribution to West Coast). Of that small quantity, the vast majority likely has not been placed on store shelves. Product was shipped to 17 states including Texas, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois, Florida, Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, New Mexico, Kansas and Utah.

Posted March 2008.

Labels: Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix, Salmonella

California and Washington Sprout Recall - Alfalfa Sprouts

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has warned consumers not to eat certain Salad Cosmo alfalfa sprouts because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. Salad Cosmo USA Corp., a California firm, voluntarily recalled the alfalfa sprouts after routine testing detected Salmonella.

"Consumers, especially young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are susceptible to serious infection when exposed to Salmonella," said Dr. Mark Horton, director of CDPH. "Today’s warning is part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of foods sold in California."

Salad Cosmo distributed the recalled alfalfa sprouts to retail stores, including SaveMart Supermarket and wholesale distributors throughout California and Washington.

The Salad Cosmo recalled alfalfa sprouts are packaged in 2.5-ounce plastic containers with white and green labels and clear 1-pound bags with blue labeling. Both packages are labeled Salad Cosmo Alfalfa Sprouts. The products have “Use By” codes: 0219, 0220, 0221, 0222, 0223, 0224, 0226, 0227, 0228, 0229, 0302 and 0303. The codes are located on the front label of the 2.5-ounce packages and on the left side of the 1-pound bags near the product name.

CDPH continues to advise consumers about the risk of consuming raw sprouts. Conditions required for sprout growing are ideal for rapid bacterial growth. Sprouts usually are eaten raw, with no additional treatment such as cooking which eliminates bacteria that can cause disease.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Consumers who have eaten this product and are experiencing the above symptoms should consult their health care provider. If there is diagnosis confirming a Salmonella infection (salmonellosis), a Salmonella lawyer should be contacted.

Posted March 2008.

Labels: alfalfa sprout recall, California sprout recall, Salmonella

Microwave Safety

Microwavable foods present a danger to consumers if the foods are not properly cooked. Risks include the transmission of foodborne pathogens such as E. coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella. In 2007 two foodborne outbreaks were associated with foods that were microwaved: an E. coli outbreak linked to Jeno’s and Totino’s frozen pizzas and a Salmonella outbreak linked to Banquet Pot Pies. Below are efforts by the food industry to address the issue of microwave safety. Note that these efforts do not address the problem of E. coli and Salmonella contamination in food processing plants. Although it is important for consumers to be educated as to the correct use of microwave ovens, consumers need to know that food manufacturers and others are liable for contamination of food products with E. coli and Salmonella, meaning consumers who are sickened by their food should be compensated regardless of how consumers cook the food product.

To address this issue, organizations such as the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) have been working to ensure consumers are properly cooking their food. AFFI put out a guide called “Cooking with Microwave Ovens, Nutrition and Food Safety Considerations” which shows readers how to prepare nutritious and safe meals using their microwave oven. The AFFI is also working with various organizations to make sure the labels of microwavable products have more information to account for varying power ratings and options on different microwaves.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association is also working microwavable food labels to ensure that cooking instructions on labels are valid, especially among not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) products. The validation of cooking instructions lets consumers know that following the instructions will ensure that their food has been properly prepared and has eliminated the risk of foodborne pathogens in NRTE products.

The need to validate cooking instructions comes from the problem of microwaves to unevenly heat food. Uneven cooking allows for hot and cold spots in the food and is ineffective at inactivating foodborne pathogens in the cold spots.

The International Assocation for Food Protection released a series of presentations that address the risks of microwavable foods. The presentations address a variety of areas that affect uneven heating:

Non-uniform distribution of dipolar molecules and ionic materials within the food.
Differences in microwave absorption of frozen/thawed areas.
Product/component edge heating effects.
Areas of high and low microwave field strength within the oven cavity and product.
Different food component and thermal properties.

All of the compiled information allows consumers to see the bigger picture when it comes to safely preparing microwavable foods. More testing and adequate labeling will allow consumer to know what they need to do to make sure that the food they prepare in microwaves is safe to eat.

Labels: E. coli, microwave safety, Salmonella

Salmonella Prevention: FSIS Initiates New Procedures

In a recent press release from the USDA’ Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), new procedures and sampling techniques are being compiled into data in order to decrease the growing prevalence of Salmonella in our nation’s beef and poultry supply. According to a CDC report in 2006, Salmonella accounted for 38.6% of human foodborne illnesses, the greatest of all such pathogens. FSIS also launched their new protocol to deal with Salmonella in 2006. The initiative grouped production establishments into categories based on their rates of Salmonella with current regulations.

The categories for establishments are as follows, as stated in the report:

Category 2 establishments are those with sample set results above half but not exceeding the current standard for one or both of their most recent sample sets and Category 3 are those that are exceeding the current standards. Category 1 establishments have the lowest Salmonella rates of the three categories with sample set results at or below half of the current standards.

All the collected data from the establishments will be posted on the FSIS web site on March 28, 2008. The new compilation of data will shed more light on data already analyzed which shows differences in the third quarter of 2007 with the first quarter.

Eighty-four percent of turkey slaughter establishments are now Category 1, the other 16 percent are in Category 2. These numbers represent significant improvement from the first quarter of 2007 where 53 percent of establishments were in Category 1, 38 percent in Category 2 and three percent at Category 3. For broilers, the percentage of establishments in Category 1 is 73 percent and the percentage of establishments in Category 2 is 23 percent. This figure is up by ten percent from the first quarter of 2007. This is compared with only 35.5 percent of broiler establishments performing in Category 1 after the first quarter of 2006.

New technology such as new equipment, procedures, and processing techniques are also being tested at Category 1 establishments to measure their effectiveness at combating the presence of Salmonella. The partaking establishments take samples during every shift to be sent to FSIS for analysis.

Along with all of the data being collected and analyzed, FSIS has reexamined how to deal with smaller ground beef establishments that produce very little of the beef supply. Rather than taking the majority of test samples from these establishments, more samples are being taken from the larger establishments, while random testing of the smaller establishments continues. FSIS is also looking into sub-groups of establishments, such as ratite or religious-exempt establishments, to make sure that all possible sub-groups are documented and tested so that it can be clearer where contamination is coming from. All data is being compared to data on the CDC’s PulseNet so that the FSIS can have a clearer picture of which facilities are producing products that lead to foodborne illness.

Labels: beef, food safety, FSIS, poultry, Salmonella

Salmonella Linked to Quizno's and Lawsuit Information

We have been contacted by a family that was hospitalized after eating at Quizno's in Rochester, Minnesota. Our Salmonella lawyers are investigating the outbreak. There are ten culture-confirmed cases of Salmonella, and all ten of the people affected ate at Quizno's around the same time. All 10 of the cases involve a matching strain of Salmonella, meaning the genetic fingerprints of Salmonella isolates collected from each of the ten people are identical or nearly identical. Because each Salmonella outbreak has its own, genetically-unique Salmonella strain, all 10 of the people sickened after eating at Quizno's are part of the same outbreak.

Minnesota health officials suspect that tomatoes are the cause of the outbreak but have not yet ruled out other sources of the outbreak. For legal purposes, it is not essential that the food source of an outbreak linked to a restaurant is found. We have recently settled a Salmonella lawsuit against a Minnesota restaurant where the food source of the outbreak was never pinpointed.

Labels: lawsuit, lawyer, Quizno's, Salmonella, tomoatoes

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Firm News

Fred Pritzker Listed in The Best Lawyers in America

Fred Pritzker has been notified that he will again be listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

Taste of Chicago

Pritzker | Ruohonen attorney Rich Ruohonen is managing attorney for our Taste of Chicago / Pars Cove Salmonella cases, which involve a Salmonella outbreak with over 180 confirmed cases of Salmonella. Contact Rich Ruohonen regarding these cases at 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free).

E. coli Wrongful Death Settlement

We have recently settled a number of E. coli cases involving victims of various E. coli outbreaks, including a wrongful death claim.

Attorney Rich Ruohonen Has Article Published

Rich Ruohonen's recently published article addresses effective cross examination of the defence neuropsychologist.

Foodborne Outbreaks

Georgia E. coli - Barbecue Pit Lawsuit
Ohio E. coli Outbreak: Ground beef may have sickened people in both Michigan and Ohio.
Michigan E. coli Outbreak: Ground beef may have sickened people in both Michigan and Ohio.
Multi-State Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak: Tomatoes have sickened hundreds of people throughout the United States.
Minnesota Preschool E. coli: Outbreak associated with Wonder World Preschool in Slayton, Minnesota.
Washington E. coli Lettuce: Outbreak associated with commercial romaine lettuce.
Texas Salmonella Saintpaul - Tomato: Outbreak most likely caused by Roma, red plum and/or red round tomatoes.
New Mexico Salmonella Saintpaul Linked to Tomatoes: Outbreak most likely caused by Roma, red plum and/or red round tomatoes.
Nebraska E. coli Outbreak Associated with Roast Beef
Hepatitis A - La Mesa California Chipotle - Lawyer and Lawsuit: San Diego County hepatitis A outbreak
Salmonella - Puffed Rice Recall and Puffed Wheat Recall: Malt-O-Meal cereal recall.
Minnesota Salmonella - Milford Valley Farms Lawsuit: Frozen chicken product.
Salmonella - Agropecuaria Montelibano Cantaloupe Recall: Cantaloupe from Honduras.
Salmonella Litchfield Cantaloupe Lawsuit: Recall of Dole, Chiquita and other brands.
Honolulu E. coli - Sekiya's Lawsuit and Lawyer: E. coli associated with Hawaii restaurant.
Alabama E. coli - Church Supper: Outbreak associated with Eastern Shore Baptis Church.
E. coli - Rochester Meat Company Recall and Lawsuit: Ground beef recall.
E. coli - Jeno's and Totino's Pizza Recall and Lawsuit: Pepperoni on pizza.
E. coli - Topps Recall and Lawsuit: Hamburger patty recall.
E. coli - Cargill/Sam's Club Recall and Lawsuit: Ground beef patty recall.
Listeria - Whittier Farms Recall and Lawsuit: Miscarriage and death linked to milk.
Hawaii Salmonella - Tuna Recall and Lawsuit
Salmonella - Safeway Ground Beef Recall and Lawsuit