A Butler County woman yesterday sued Wheeling, West Virginia based Coronet Foods in U.S. District Court, saying she got sick from salmonella poisoning after eating tomatoes Coronet supplied to a Sheetz store.
Torsten Ove of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that It was the second federal lawsuit filed over the salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people in the region.
The number of salmonella cases in Pennsylvania linked to a regional outbreak continues to rise.
The state Department of Health reported in a Pittsburg Post-Gazette article by Christopher Snowbeck yesterday that 260 Pennsylvanians have been sickened in the outbreak thus far -- up 50 from Friday. At that time, health officials in West Virginia, Maryland and Ohio were reporting another 73 cases likely tied to the outbreak.
Further tests will determine which of the cases being reported now can be linked definitively to the outbreak. But if the numbers currently reported hold up -- and the trend continues for a few more days -- the salmonella outbreak could become one of the largest in the nation during the past decade.
A study of the salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 250 customers at Sheetz convenience stores suggests that Roma tomatoes were the source of the infection, the state Department of Health said yesterday in a Pittsburg Post-Gazette interview with Christopher Snowbeck.
The state compared the food histories of about 50 people who ate at Sheetz and didn't get sick, with the histories of another 50 or so who became ill. Investigators found a strong link between tomatoes and sickness.
The customers who became ill ate many different kinds of sandwiches and salads, but almost all of them reported eating tomatoes to the Department of Health.
With those results in hand, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said yesterday its investigation of a regional salmonella outbreak was focusing on certain pre-sliced Roma tomatoes sold at deli counters in Sheetz stores between July 2 and 9.
If experience from other outbreaks holds true, the more than 200 people sickened during this month's salmonella outbreak shouldn't hold their breath waiting for the original source of the contamination to be pinpointed theorizes Christopher Snowbeck in a report for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Past experience with salmonella outbreaks indicates that the original source of the outbreak may not be pinpointed by investigators. Two years ago contaminated Roma tomatoes in central Florida restaurants sickened people and the tomatoes were traced back to a company that diced the tomatoes but evidence of salmonella was never discovered at the plant.
Two years later, health department officials still can't say whether contamination occurred at that company's facility, on the tomato farm or at some point in between. It's a conclusion not unlike the one reached after last year's hepatitis A outbreak here, which found circumstantial evidence of problems at four farms in Mexico.
As the investigation continues into the cause of a salmonella outbreak affecting at least 188 people in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the number of suspected cases are on the rise as 13 Ohioians have become ill possibly as the result of eating contaminated produce from a Sheetz convenience store reports Bethany Holstein of Wire Dispatches.
Ohio Department of Health spokesman Kristopher Weiss said Wednesday that only two of the 13 cases in Ohio had the same bacterial strain that's being investigated in Pennsylvania. More testing is being done and investigations continue at Coronet Foods Inc., the Wheeling-based distributor that supplied the tomatoes to the Sheetz stores.
According to Coronet Foods Inc. Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager Alicia Thayer, no new test results have been received that would identify the cause of the salmonella outbreak, but she did say the investigation is ongoing.
On Monday] the company did have a sample of sliced Roma tomatoes come back with a positive test for salmonella, but the strain found was not the javiana type that was found in the patients diagnosed with salmonellosis.
The number of Pennsylvanians sickened in a regional salmonella outbreak increased to 210 today, the state Department of Health reported.
Maryland and Ohio officials are reporting a combined 49 cases of salmonella among people who recently ate at Sheetz convenience stores, the chain where people in Pennsylvania were exposed to salmonella through food says Christopher Snowbeck reporting for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A West Virginia epidemiologist did not have an updated total on cases in that state. In Virginia, officials are looking at five cases that might be connected to Sheetz.
Health officials suspect tomatoes or lettuce served at Sheetz were contaminated prior to their arrival at the stores, but it's not clear how.
People who were sickened in the outbreak ate at Sheetz during the first 10 days or so of July. But now it appears that some who were sick ate at Sheetz in late June, as well.
The state Department of Agriculture announced today that it is currently testing seven food samples for clues about the contamination source - two more samples than had been collected yesterday. Test results aren't expected until Monday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has begun trying to find the sources of the tomatoes used in sandwiches at Sheetz convenience stores to determine what might have caused a regional salmonella outbreak.
FDA is moving ahead with the tomato search -- called a "trace-back" -- even though public health officials haven't yet determined whether tomatoes, lettuce or some other food product was the vehicle for the salmonella contamination.
Christopher Snowbeck reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that State agriculture officials found Monday that one tomato sample from Sheetz was contaminated with salmonella. But it that turned out that it was a different strain of the bacteria than the one blamed in the multistate outbreak, which has sickened roughly 160 people.
The number of Pennsylvanians sickened in a regional salmonella outbreak now stands at 130, the state Department of Health reported this afternoon.
The 130 cases in Pennsylvania are spread out among 31 counties. Seven counties including Butler and Westmoreland have at least five residents who have taken ill in the outbreak. Another 24 counties including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver and Washington counties have seen fewer than five cases, according to the state.
But Allegheny County officials said today Christopher Snowbeck of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette they had 12 salmonella cases associated with the outbreak. Even so, Dr. Bruce Dixon, director of the Allegheny County Health Department believes ”the new cases are pretty much over.”
As the number of confirmed salmonellosis outbreak victims grew to 172 Tuesday, state and federal investigators tried to unravel the far-reaching outbreak and its causes.
State and federal investigators worked to contain the far-reaching salmonellosis outbreak as he number reached 172 victims Tuesday.
"We will take care of people who got sick," vowed Steve Sheetz, chairman of the Altoona-based convenience store chain linked to the outbreak. The company will compensate those customers, but officials have not decided how, he told Karen Roebuck of the Tribune-Review.
State and federal investigators still are looking at lettuce or Roma tomatoes as the likely carriers of the salmonella bacteria, but were surprised Monday when salmonella found on tomatoes at a Franklin County Sheetz store turned out to be a different strain than the Javiana one that sickened people in 24 Pennsylvania counties, Ohio, West Virginia and possibly in Maryland and Virginia.
A salmonella outbreak linked to Sheetz convenience stores in Pennsylvania may have crossed the line into Ohio reports Beacon Journal medical writer Tracy Wheeler.
The Ohio Department of Health is reporting thirteen laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonella in people who had eaten at Sheetz. However, as of Tuesday afternoon, just two of those thirteen cases were confirmed to be the same bacterial strain, known as javiana, that's being investigated in Pennsylvania.
Three of Ohio's cases are in Summit County and four are in Stark. There are two cases in Mahoning County and one each in Medina, Cuyahoga, Lorain and Tuscarawas counties.
Pennsylvania health officials said Monday that 110 people were sickened in that state after eating at Sheetz. The Food and Drug Administration reported additional illnesses in Maryland and West Virginia.
A salmonella lawsuit against Coronet Foods Inc. was filed Monday in Federal District Court by Marler Clark, the Seattle law firm that represents victims of food borne illness throughout the United States, and Meyers, Rosen, Louik & Perry, a respected Pittsburgh personal injury firm. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is James Groves, a resident of West Sunbury who became ill and was hospitalized for three days after consuming a sandwich purchased from a Sheetz store on July 2nd.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has determined that more than 60 people, including Mr. Groves, became ill after eating raw tomatoes served at Sheetz outlets. Sheetz operates over 300 stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.
The Salmonella serotype Javiana outbreak has spread across eleven Pennsylvania counties and three states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. Investigators determined that the contamination originated at Coronet Foods, and that contaminated tomatoes and lettuce had been distributed to Sheetz stores.
"Unfortunately, we are seeing another bacterial outbreak tied to fresh fruits and vegetables. Over the past years, we have seen a decline in cases involving the traditional culprits, such as ground beef, however, the number of produce-related outbreaks seems to be on the rise," said William Marler, attorney for Mr. Groves and the families of 23 other victims of this outbreak.
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff today announced that the state Department of Agriculture has confirmed a positive test for salmonella in Roma tomatoes distributed by Coronet Foods of West Virginia.
The laboratory division of the Bureau of Food Safety confirmed a unopened bag of Roma tomatoes taken from a Sheetz store in Greencastle tested positive for salmonella according to PRNewswire. The tomatoes were distributed by Coronet Foods of West Virginia. Bureau of Food Safety will continue testing other samples collected to help ensure that the outbreak is not linked to other sources.
Sheetz voluntarily pulled all products in question immediately upon notification of a potential problem. The Department of Health will now test the sample to type the strain.
The origin of the recent salmonella outbreak remains unclear as the number of cases in Pennsylvania alone hit seventy, and a Seattle-based law firm announced it will file suit Monday on behalf of at least one area couple.
Bill Marler of the Seattle law firm Marler Clark - which specializes in cases involving food-borne illness - said he will file the suit Monday on behalf of six people sickened in the outbreak, including a couple from Butler according to Amanda Gillooly of the Times.
Marler indicated Sheetz is legally liable for tainted food sold at its convenience stores but said he is more inclined to sue the supplier who provided the food.
About 44 samples of lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and mayonnaise taken from 10 Sheetz convenience stores across the state showed no trace of the salmonella bacteria, a state Department of Agriculture spokesman said. Testing of an additional 197 food samples will resume over the weekend.
Coronet Foods in Wheeling is being linked to a salmonella outbreak in food sold at Sheetz convenience stores in Pennsylvania.
Coronet Foods acknowledged that the Pennsylvania Health Department has linked the Sheetz chain of stores to a salmonella outbreak in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. As a produce supplier of Sheetz, Coronet told reporter Bethany Holstein it is aware of the possibility of the bacteria in its processing plant.
According to Alicia Thayer, the quality assurance manager and director of safety for Coronet Foods, Sheetz is still doing business with the company.
Sheetz convenience store workers are not to blame for 34 cases of salmonellosis in 11 Pennsylvania counties according to health officials interviewed by CS News and the Associated Press.
The salmonella bacteria is believed to have been on tomatoes and lettuce served on deli sandwiches made at 16 Sheetz stores in the Pittsburgh area and along the Pennsylvania Turnpike but the food was likely contaminated when it came from a supplier -- which hasn't been identified.
Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz operates more than 300 stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. The company has changed its tomato supplier and pulled tomatoes and lettuce from its stores before disinfecting them and re-supplying them. The stores do not sell the produce separately.
Pittsburgh area Sheetz convenience stores have been linked to an outbreak of salmonella that has made 34 people ill in 11 counties. State Department officials told KDKA that they believe produce brought in to Sheetz convenience stores from an outside supplier may have been contaminated with salmonella.
Sheetz is working with the Health Department to discover the source of the contamination. Health officials told KDKA that they believe produce brought into the stores -- most likely a cold, over-the-counter deli product like lettuce or tomatoes -- is to blame.
Sheetz has set up a toll-free hotline for customers; for more information call 1-800-765-4686.
11 counties have been affected by a salmonellosis outbreak that has sickened at least 34 people. The state Department has linked the outbreak to tainted produce sold at more than a dozen Sheetz convenience stores in Pennsylvania.
Sheetz customers who ate store-prepared deli sandwiches or salads between July 2 and 8 became sick. Symptoms of diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps hit 12 to 72 hours after they were infected.
The tainted produce may have been plum tomatoes and was packaged in individual servings by a food distributor, according to a report by Michael Hasch, Jennifer Reeger and Karen Roebuck.
In the latest in a series of recalls since mid-May involving millions of raw almonds grown by Paramount Farms of California, numerous store brands of granola bars and muesli cereals made by a Minnesota company are being recalled because they may contain salmonella-contaminated raw almonds.
The Grist Mill Company of Lakeville, Minn., is recalling batches of its Fruit & Trail Mix Granola Bars and Muesli Cereals - sold under a variety of store-brand names around the country - that may contain the affected raw almonds. The recalled granola bars come in 7.4-ounce boxes. The recalled muesli cereals come in a 15.3-ounce box.
Grist Mill said random testing of the almonds it used did not reveal salmonella, but issued the recall as a precaution, says the Nashua Telegraph.
State health officials told the Associated Press that they have reported 24 cases of salmonellosis in Western Pennsylvania since Friday and say the number of cases will likely grow in coming days.
The officials won't know until tomorrow, however, whether the infections were the same or different types -- and therefore, whether the recent cases are just a statistical oddity or possibly part of a widespread outbreak.
Because the onset is rapid, those cases reported since Friday likely involve people who have eaten contaminated foods or otherwise come in contact with the bacteria in the last week.
Each year, about 2,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported statewide. Nationally, there are 40,000 cases reported, including about 600 deaths. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the actual total number of cases may be 30 times as high, however, because milder cases may not be diagnosed.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is looking for a link between at least two dozen reported cases of salmonella in four southwestern Pennsylvania counties.
The Tribune-Review reports that the investigation is in its early stages, and health department investigators haven't yet been able to find a common source for the 24 cases reported. The state health department is looking for "commonality" among the cases reported in the region in an effort to determine the source of the outbreak, said Richard McGarvey, spokesman for the department.
Health department nurses are contacting all patients reported suffering from the illness, asking where they ate, what they ate, where they went and what they did during the last three days. The questioning will get more detailed as a clearer picture of the outbreak's scope develops.
More than 50 people who ate food at a recent church picnic got sick, and 10 cases have been confirmed as salmonella infection. The caterer had no permit from the Durham Health Department and his business had not been inspected, reports the News Observer.
Tests proved that the baked beans on the menu at the 29th pastoral anniversary of Peace Missionary Baptist Church on June 26 were contaminated, said Brian Letourneau, Durham County health director.
An investigation last week by health officials found that 55 people had gotten sick. But Thompkins said the number has grown and is closer to 68 of the 200 people who attended the event. At least five people were admitted to hospitals.
Caterer Carl T. Privette had provided food at a church event in 1999, and members thought he had a permit. Privette said he has a business license and works out of his home. The church plans no action against the caterer.
Letourneau urged people to verify the permits of catering services.
Grist Mill Company of Lakeville, MN, is voluntarily recalling Fruit & Nut Trail Mix Granola Bars and Muesli Cereals, sold under retailer brand names because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
Almonds received by Grist Mill Company were randomly tested for the presence of Salmonella. This ingredient testing did not reveal a presence of Salmonella in raw almonds before the ingredient was used to manufacture the subject products and there are no reported illnesses associated with these products. However, the company is working with FDA to assure the quality and safety of the food supply.
This recall is in response to a voluntary recall by Paramount Farms of California of whole and diced raw almonds based on over 20 possible illnesses associated with the almonds nationwide.
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Brinker Restaurant Corporation, the owner of the Vernon Hills Chili's restaurant where hundreds were sickened a year ago as a result of eating salmonella-contaminated food.
According to the complaint, "the number of possible class members could easily exceed one-thousand" due to possible underreporting of cases by people who got sick but did not contact the health department or seek medical care.
The class action lawsuit was filed jointly by MARLER CLARK, a Seattle law firm known nationally for its successful representation of outbreak victims, and SALVI, SCHOSTOK & PRITCHARD, the well known and highly respected Plaintiff's personal injury firm in Chicago.
These two law firms represent the largest number of persons injured in the Chili's outbreak, and have already filed a total of seven lawsuits so far, with several more planned in the coming weeks.
Indiana authorities are warning consumers in several states, including Wisconsin, Thursday that Meadow Valley Farm brand sharp cheddar cheese may be contaminated with salmonella and should be thrown out.
The cheese has been sold since May 1 at farmers' markets and specialty food stores in and around Rockville in western Indiana, Middlebury in northern Indiana, and at least one undetermined outlet in Wisconsin, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health said in a news release. The cheese also has been sold directly from Meadow Valley Farm in Parke County, a tourist destination near the Illinois border.
The farm is a small Amish producer with no telephone, and a distributor, who also is Amish, took the cheese to an undetermined number of other outlets. The cheese can be identified by a round product label with the words "Natural Raw Milk Cheese." Also printed on the label are "Meadow Valley Farm" and "Made in Parke County" below a red barn.
John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc. of Elk Grove Village, Illinois has announced a voluntary recall Tuesday of products containing raw whole and diced almonds because of possible salmonella contamination.
The company is recalling its California Mix products under the Evon's brand in 11-ounce packages and in 1-pound, 5-ounce unbranded packages showing a "Distributed by John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc." sticker on the back.
The company said the recalled nuts were distributed in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota and Michigan.
The Salmonella blog supplements Marler Clark's Web site about Salmonella, a site that provides information about Salmonella, the symptoms and risks of infection, testing and the detection of salmonellosis, and how to prevent Salmonella outbreaks.
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