Salmonella Blog - Surveillance & analysis on salmonella news & outbreaks

According to the lawsuit, David Small ate a Banquet brand turkey pot pie on Saturday, September 24, 2007 and became ill with symptoms of Salmonella infection the following day. Mr. Small’s symptoms worsened over the next days, and he sought medical attention at Munson Medical Center on September 27, 2007. He was admitted and remained hospitalized until September 29. Mr. Small later learned that his stool specimen had tested positive for Salmonella serotype I 4,[5],12:i:-, the strain associated with the Banquet pot pie outbreak. 

Mr. Small's attorneys at Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness outbreaks since the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak. Since that time, the firm has represented victims of outbreaks traced to lettuce, sprouts, apple juice, ground beef, peanut butter, and other foods. 

Eric Robertson's 2-year-old daughter, Rebecca, tested positive for the same strain of salmonella associated with the ConAgra pot pie outbreak.  Full Story from Seattle Post Intelligencer

First it was peanut butter, now it's potpies," said William Marler, the Robertsons' attorney, who filed a similar lawsuit on behalf of a Minnesota family. "It's time ConAgra took a hard look at the manufacturing processes for all of its food products and stopped shipping contaminated product to consumers."

ConAgra voluntarily stopped producing its Banquet potpies on Oct. 9, and told consumers not to eat its chicken or turkey potpies. It recalled the products two days later.

The company recalled all potpies produced in its Marshall, Mo., plant and sold under the labels Banquet, Albertsons, Food Lion, Great Value, Hill Country Fare, Kirkwood, Kroger, Meijer and Western Family. This includes all flavors and all varieties.

A lawsuit was filed today against ConAgra, the company whose Banquet chicken and turkey pot pies were identified as the source of a nationwide Salmonella outbreak. The lawsuit was filed Snohomish County Superior Court on behalf of Snohomish County resident Eric Robertson, whose 2-year-old daughter, Rebecca, became ill with a Salmonella infection after eating a Banquet pot pie. 

According to the lawsuit, Rebecca fell ill with symptoms of Salmonella poisoning on September 22, experiencing severe diarrhea. Rebecca’s symptoms worsened over the next few days, and her diarrhea became bloody. She was treated at a walk-in clinic on September 26^th, and there provided a stool sample for testing. Later that evening, she was again treated in the emergency room, where a spinal tap was performed as part of diagnostic procedures. Rebecca required additional medical treatment on September 28^th and 29^th. Eric Robertson later learned that his daughter’s stool sample had tested positive for Salmonella serotype I 4,[5],12:i:-, the strain associated with the Banquet pot pie outbreak. 

“First it was peanut butter, now it’s pot pies,” said William Marler, attorney for the Robertson family. “It’s time ConAgra took a hard look at the manufacturing processes for all of its food products and stopped shipping contaminated product to consumers.”

BACKGROUND: Marler Clark (www.marlerclark.com), has represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness outbreaks, since the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak. Since that time, the firm has represented victims of outbreaks traced to lettuce, sprouts, apple juice, ground beef, peanut butter, and other foods.

Here is more about the possible salmonella outbreak from Banquet brand pot pies from. Full story from The Seattle Times

ConAgra Foods voluntarily stopped production Tuesday at the Missouri plant that makes its Banquet pot pies after health officials said the pies may be linked to 139 cases of salmonella in 30 states, including Washington.

The Omaha-based company told consumers Tuesday not to eat its chicken or turkey pot pies until investigations are complete.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a health alert Tuesday to warn about the possible link between the pot pies and the salmonella cases.

The USDA is advising consumers to discard the pies, said Amanda Eamich, of the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service. ConAgra is not recalling the pies but is offering mail-in refunds and store returns.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been tracking reported salmonella cases since last Wednesday.

Three cases of salmonellosis in Washington may be linked to frozen pot pies, part of a national outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people in several states.

The Washington cases are potentially linked to products made by ConAgra, most of which were sold under the Banquet brand name.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a health alert advising consumers not to eat ConAgra frozen pot pies with "P9" in the identification code printed on the box. USDA says the pot pies are sold under Banquet and store-brand names, each containing the "P9" identifier.

Six cases of Salmonella infection in Minnesota residents have been linked to eating Banquet brand turkey or chicken pot pies, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) said today. The finding prompted health and agriculture officials to warn consumers not to eat any Banquet brand pot pies. An investigation is ongoing.

Banquet brand pot pies are sold in the freezer section at grocery stores and other outlets throughout the country. Pot pies made at the same plant are also sold under a dozen store labels, but all carry a code number beginning with 5009. “Best if used by” dates for implicated product are not known at this time.

Three of the Minnesota cases are adults and three are children. Five of the cases are from outstate Minnesota, and one is from the Twin Cities metro area. No one has been hospitalized.

The Minnesota cases are part of a much larger multi-state outbreak of Salmonella infections. Since June, at least 135 confirmed cases have been identified from approximately 25 states. The six Minnesota cases were reported in September; interviews of these cases by MDH epidemiologists led to the identification of Banquet pot pies as the source of the illnesses. The national investigation to determine the extent of the outbreak, production dates of contaminated product, and the source of contamination is ongoing.