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Personal Injury and Wrongful Death

Ohio E. coli Outbreak
Law Firm and Lawsuit


E. coliOur law firm settled a lawsuit that we filed in Ohio against Kroger Co. on behalf of an Ohio man who was a victim of a multistate E. coli outbreak linked to ground beef. They are now investigating an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Tyson ground beef. Contact them for a free Tyson lawsuit consultation. Read our information about Ohio E. coli compensation.

Tyson Ground Beef Recall and E. coli Outbreak in Ohio

Ground BeefPeople in Butler, Ohio have contracted E. coli infections after eating ground beef processed by Tyson and others, including Kroger. The outbreak prompted a recall by Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., an Emporia, Kansas establishment of about 131,300 pounds of ground beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The following products are subject to recall:

  • 5-pound chubs of Kroger-brand "GROUND BEEF 73% LEAN - 27% FAT," packed in 40-pound cases containing eight chubs. Cases bear an identifying product code of "D-0211 QW." These products were produced on Aug. 23, 2011 and were shipped to distribution centers in Ind. and Tenn. for retail sale.

  • 3-pound chubs of Butcher’s Brand "GROUND BEEF 73% LEAN - 27% FAT," packed in 36-pound cases each containing 12 chubs. Cases bear an identifying product code of "D-0211 LWIF." These products were produced on Aug. 23, 2011 and were shipped to distribution centers in N.C. and S.C. for retail sale.

  • 3-pound chubs of a generic label "GROUND BEEF 73% LEAN - 27% FAT," packed in 36-pound cases each containing 12 chubs. Cases bear an identifying product code of "D-0211 LWI." These products were produced on Aug. 23, 2011 and were shipped to distribution centers in Del., Fla., Ga., Md., Ill., Ind., Mo., N.Y., Ohio, Tenn., Texas and Wis. for retail sale.

The products subject to recall have a "BEST BEFORE OR FREEZE BY" date of "SEP 12 2011" and the establishment number "245D" ink jetted along the package seam.

FSIS and the establishment are concerned that consumers may freeze the product before use and that some product may be in consumers’ freezers. FSIS strongly encourages consumers to check their freezers and immediately discard any product subject to this recall.

FSIS became aware of the problem yesterday (Sept. 26, 2011) when the agency was notified by the Ohio Department of Health of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses located in Butler County. Illness onset dates range from Sept. 8, through Sept. 11, 2011. The on-going investigation involved collecting leftover ground beef from the patients’ home on Sept. 19 which tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 by the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s laboratory today (Sept. 27).

E. coli Outbreak in Ohio, Michigan and New York Linked to
Freshway Foods Lettuce

An outbreak of E. coli O145 infection has been linked to consumption of shredded, bagged lettuce sold by Freshway Foods, a Sidney, Ohio firm. As of March 6, 2010, there are 7 confirmed and 2 probable cases of E. coli O145 in Ohio. People in Michigan and New York also were sickened.

Confirmed cases are persons with:

(1) E. coli O145 infection, or E. coli infection with O Group pending, AND
(2) an illness onset on or after March 1, 2010, AND
(3) a DNA fingerprint matching the outbreak strain; AND
(4) an epidemiologic link to the outbreak.

Probable cases are persons with an epidemiologic link to the outbreak and

(1) E. coli O145 infection with an illness onset on or after March 1, 2010 regardless of DNA fingerprint pattern, AND/OR
(2) hemolytic-uremic syndrome; AND/OR
(3) a laboratory isolate positive for Shiga toxin 2 [stx2] or isolate positive for Shiga toxin, but toxin type is unknown or pending.

Among the confirmed and probable cases with reported dates available, illnesses began between April 10, 2010 and April 26, 2010. Infected individuals range in age from 13 years old to 29 years old and the median age is 19 years. Sixty-nine percent of patients are male. Three of the people sickened in this outbreak have developed a type of E. coli kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Prompted by this outbreak, Freshway Foods recalled certain products containing romaine lettuce. The Freshway Foods recall involves lettuce products sold to restaurants, distributors, and retailers, including Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Market and Marsh, where the recalled lettuce may have been sold at the deli counter or in a “grab and go” salad.

The bacteria responsible for this outbreak, E. coli O145, are referred to as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or STEC. STECs have been associated with human illness, including bloody diarrhea and a potentially fatal kidney condition called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). STEC bacteria are grouped by serotypes (e.g., O157 or O145). The STEC serotype found most commonly in U.S. patients is E. coli O157. Other E. coli serotypes in the STEC group, including O145, are sometimes called “non-O157 STECs” or non-O157 E. coli. Currently, there are limited public health surveillance data on the occurrence of non-O157 STECs, including E. coli O145, therefore E.coli O145 may go unreported. Because it is more difficult to identify than E. coli O157, many clinical laboratories do not test for non-O157 STEC infection.

New York health officials found E. coli 0145 in a bag of unopened Freshway Foods romaine lettuce--THE SMOKING GUN.

FREE CONSULT REGARDING A FRESHWAY FOODS LAWSUIT >>

E. coli Outbreak in Ohio and Michigan Linked to
Kroger Ground Beef

COLUMBUS (June 25, 2008) (Updates in brackets) - Ohio departments of Health and Agriculture confirmed today that a raw ground beef sample provided by an Ohio E. coli O157:H7 case is linked by genetic fingerprinting to the multistate outbreak in Ohio and Michigan. Test results released today verify the E. coli present in the beef sample shares the same genetic fingerprint with the bacteria that has sickened [22] Ohioans in recent weeks [and at least 21 people from Michigan, one prerson from Georgia (12 cases may eventually be included) one person in Indiana, one person in Kentucky and one person in New York].

Ground BeefInformation submitted with the positive beef sample indicates the product was purchased at the Kroger Marketplace in Gahanna [Ohio]. [CDC reports that other Kroger ground beef samples have also tested positive with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7.] It is important for consumers to realize beef purchased from other sources may also be tainted, and steps should be taken to protect themselves from foodborne illnesses.

“Food safety is the No. 1 priority of the Ohio Department of Agriculture,” said Director Robert Boggs.  “The department is working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to perform a traceback investigation to find the source of this ground beef.”

[The CDC has reported that epidemiological and microbiological evidence points to Kroger ground beef as being the source of this outbreak. Read about the legal implications of this link and a Kroger E. coli lawsuit. The Ohio Department of Health and the CDC have also associated Nebraska Beef, Ltd. with this outbreak.]

A second sample, purchased by a consumer from a Kroger in Fairfield County, was sent to the Ohio Department of Agriculture Consumer Analytical Lab in Reynoldsburg and tested negative for E. coli O157:H7.  No further tests were necessary.

The Ohio Department of Health and local health departments in six counties continue to investigate [25] Ohio cases of E. coli O157:H7 that have been linked genetically and epidemiologically to cases in Michigan. The [25] cases being investigated are in the following counties:

  • Franklin [eleven confirmed, three probable]
  • Delaware (one confirmed)
  • Fairfield (four confirmed)
  • Lucas [three confirmed, one probable]
  • Seneca (one confirmed)
  • Union (one confirmed).

“Reports of foodborne illnesses tend to increase in the summer months and Ohioans should be aware of steps they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones,” said Ohio Health Director Alvin D. Jackson, M.D. “E. coli infection is a serious illness that is preventable.”

Summary of Ohio E. coli Outbreak of June 2008:

  • Our law firm has filed a lawsuit against Kroger Co. and Nebraska Beef, Ltd. on behalf of a victim of this outbreak.
  • 21 cases of E. coli O157:H7 confirmed in Ohio.
  • These 21 cases are part of an E. coli Outbreak that includes 22 Michigan E. coli cases, Georgia E. coli cases, and cases in Kentucky, Indiana and New York.
  • Ground beef purchased at Kroger stores tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7.
  • The CDC reports that a statisically-significant number of people sickened by E. coli in this outbreak reported consuming and/or prepared ground beef purchased from Kroger.
  • Kroger recalled an undetermined amount of ground beef in response to this outbreak (Kroger Recall).
  • Nebraska Beef, Ltd. recalled over 5 million pounds of beef trim and other ground beef components in response to this outbreak (Nebraska Beef Recall).



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