This summer 80 people got Salmonella poisoning from food sold at the Ecuador Independence Day (celebracion de independencia de Ecuador) festival. We were contacted by people sickened after eating roasted guinea pig and contacted the Minnesota Department of Health to get more details. At the time, the roasted guinea pig was one suspected food item. Further investigation has found that 3 roasted pigs (the farmyard kind) were the initial source of the outbreak. The guinea pig meat had been contaminated with Salmonella via cross contamination (Salmonella from the roasted pig got on the guinea pigs).
Pritzker Hageman Salmonella lawyers are accepting clients for these cases. To find out if you have a Salmonella poisoning case (and who you can sue), you can contact us for a free case review by calling 612-338-0202 or submitting our free consultation form found here.
Salmonella Investigation Points to Roasted Pig Contamination
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture investigation found that the owner of New York Plaza Produce, Nieves Riera, bought 3 roasted pigs from Shuang Hur BBQ on Nicollet Avenue, according to the Star Tribune:
An Agriculture Department investigator determined the pork probably had low levels of salmonella when Riera bought it, but the salmonella likely grew and spread through cross-contamination.
“The fact that there was further preparation and serving at the festival, and that it was a multi-hour process, it’s likely that any contamination just multiplied” and cross-contaminated rice, beans and guinea pig meat, Carrie Rigdon, an Ag Department investigator told the Star Tribune. “If not held at the right temperature, you get into this zone where any salmonella is really happy and keeps growing,” she said.
By law, meat purchased at a retail market should not be resold. Riera was also fined for slaughtering guinea pigs without authorization.
The investigation revealed that Riera purchased two frozen guinea pigs from a Minneapolis store and a dozen guinea pigs on Aug. 8 from Gary Ash in Cedar, Minn, according to the Star Tribune.