Third Party Testing Fails In Latest Slow-Moving Cantaloupe Recall

Posted by Salmonella Attorney on August 29, 2009

Melon Acres has recalled cantaloupes distributed through Farm-Wey Produce of Lakeland, FL due to possible salmonella contamination.

The cantaloupes were shipped August 13th and 14th and were identified as 41 MG 10, Bin Numbers 4753-4980. These bins were distributed to Aldi's in Greenwood, Indiana and Meijer in Lansing, Michigan, Newport, Michigan, and Tipp City, Ohio.

The recall was issued following a testing on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that revealed one out of twenty cantaloupes tested positive for Salmonella. The FDA reported the positive test to Melon Acres on Friday, August 21, 2009.

Why it has taken another eight days to recall the melons was a question not answered by the company press release issued on the FDA's website.

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. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

As of this date, there have been no reports of illness. Further, the FDA and Melon Acres identified the field in which the contaminated sample was grown. No further shipments will be made from the source field. Melon Acres is currently working with the FDA to identify the source of contamination.

On August 7th, Primus Labs, a third party food safety auditing firm specializing in produce, inspected Melon Acres' fields and facilities regarding its food safety practices. Melon Acres received grades of excellent/good respectively, in this audit.

Sprouts Thought To Be Serving Up Salmonella Cubana In Canada

Posted by Salmonella Lawyer on August 14, 2009

Up in Canada, sprouts may be serving up an outbreak of Salmonella Cubana, a rare sub-type that in some cases can lead to fatal infections.

The Salmonella Cubana outbreak appears centered on the Ontario area where seven confirmed cases have been logged to date.   The last person known to become ill was on July 12th, but the number of cases could increase with the ongoing investigation.

There is a Health Hazard Alert issued Aug 9th by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for onion sprouts and mixed onion and alfalfa sprouts sold under the Sprouts Alive and Sun sprout brands. The alert concerns possible Salmonella contamination.

Sunsprout Natural Foods of Brantford, ON makes the sprouts subject to the alert, and is apparently not connected with the Omaha-based company with a similar name that was linked to a May outbreak that sickened 121 in several Midwestern states.

CFIA says some who are infected with Salmonella Cubana report they ate sprouts. 

Symptoms of salmonellas usually occur within six to 72 hours after exposure to contaminated food or water. This may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever, lasting for two to five days.

California Produce Firm Recalls Jumbo Green Onions Out Of Fear of Salmonella

Posted by Salmonella Attorney on August 13, 2009

Salinas, CA-based NewStar Fresh Foods  has recalled 772 cartons of iced jumbo green onions it distributed under the Omo and Fu Choy brand names in Georgia, Michigan, and California. The company fears the onions may be contaminated with Salmonella.No illnesses have been reported. The product is packaged in a 48-count iced carton, item numbers 02487403 and 02487452, product lot numbers 40550707 and 40510707, with production dates of July 20th and July 21st 2009. No other food service distributors or products are involved in this recall.

All affected product within the foodservice channel has already been accounted for and destroyed.

Fifty-eight cartons were shipped from two distributors to small grocery outlets in the Detroit and San Francisco areas. Consumers in California may have purchased the product from Larry’s Produce in Fairfield, La Loma Produce, Good Life Grocery and El Grande, all San Francisco, and Valley Produce & Meat Market, San Pablo. Consumers in Michigan may have purchased the product from Confers Supermarket in New Lothrop, Ryan’s Food in Detroit, Brothers Supermarket and Al Jazeera Market in Dearborn and Sahara Market in Warren.

For more,check out the official FDA post.
 

Six days after FSIS announces the recall of Salmonella Newport beef from Beef Packers (Cargill) and still no list of where the beef went?

Posted by Salmonella Lawyer on August 12, 2009

On August 6, 2009 Beef Packers, Inc., of Fresno, California recalled approximately 825,769 pounds of ground beef products linked to an outbreak of salmonellosis (disease that can be caused by antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Newport). This was announced on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) website.

Today is August 12 – six (6) days into a Class 1 Recall. The FSIS is supposed to make available to the public the names and locations of retail consignees (grocery stores, etc.) of meat products recalled by a federally-inspected meat establishment (like this one) if the recalled product has been distributed to the retail level. The rule applies to Class I recalls (like this one). The information is supposed to be posted on the FSIS website, generally within three (3) to ten (10) working days, following the announcement of the recall.

So, FSIS, Day six (6) of ten (10), what gives? California has already produced what is thought to be a complete list of retail consignees. Why cannot the FSIS? More to the point, why cannot Beef Packers, Inc., (a.k.a. Cargill)?

So far at least 28 people in California, Colorado and Wyoming have reported salmonella-related illnesses since last week.  You have to wonder why the "foot-dragging?"  Wouldn't it be better to tell the public where contaminated beef might have been sold?  Wouldn't it make it much easier for people to check there freezers if they knew they may have purchased contamianted meat?

Safeway Joins In Beef Packers Inc.'s Salmonella Recall In Nine Western States

Posted by Salmonella Attorney on August 11, 2009

In cooperation with Beef Packers, Inc.’s (Cargill's) recall of 825,769 pounds of ground beef linked to an outbreak of salmonellosis, Pleseanton, CA-based Safeway Inc. is recalling fresh ground beef products sold between June 6 through July 14, 2009, at stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming.


While the recalled product is no longer in stores, Safeway is asking its customers to check all ground beef in their freezers.

Fresh ground beef products sold at both the full-service counter and in the self-service area on the dates listed above, should be discarded or returned for a full refund. These products include fresh ground beef, fresh ground beef patties and fresh meat loaf.

Multi-State Salmonella Newport Outbreak Leads To Huge Ground Beef Recall; Consumers At Risk In Four Western States

Posted by Salmonella Attorney on August 06, 2009

The multi-state Salmonella Newport outbreak centered on Colorado has taken new twist with a huge beef recall out of California being announced today by the  U. S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety & Inspection Service. 

Target of the recall is an estimated 825,769 pounds of ground beef products manufactured by Fresno, CA-based Beef Packers Inc.  From there, the ground beef was sold to grocery stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Utah; which then repacked it for sale to consumers.

No list of retailers selling the dangerously contaminated ground beef in the four states has yet been issued by FSIS, which it is suppose to do under its own policy.

In a prepared statement, FSIS said: "As a result of an ongoing investigation into an outbreak of Salmonella Newport associated with ground beef products, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) notified FSIS of the situation. Epidemiological and traceback investigations conducted by FSIS and CDPHE determined that there is an association between the fresh ground beef products and illnesses reported in Colorado. The illnesses were also linked through the epidemiological investigation by their uncommon pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern found in PulseNet, a national network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

We previously reported that the strain of Salmonella Newport under investigation in Colorado is resistant to many normal antibiotics.

Treatment failure in infected individuals and increase risk of hospitalization is possible.
 

Continue Reading...

Salmonella Newport Proving Resistant To Antibiotics Might Be Caused By Ground Beef Still Being Sold

Posted by Salmonella Attorney on August 04, 2009

Colorado doctors and hospitals are combating Salmonella Newport infections that resistant to the most commonly used antibiotics.   Twenty-one people spread mostly up and down the Front Range are being treated for Salmonella Newport. Cases have been reported in eight other states as well.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and health departments in the other states are conducting an investigation into the illnesses.

Ground beef is the suspected source of the outbreak. It is unusual for ground beef to be contaminated with Salmonella. “We can’t be certain that ground beef is the source of these infections, but we are concerned enough that it might be and want consumers to be aware,” says Alicia Cronquist, a Colorado state epidemiologist.

The Colorado salmonella cases are found in these counties: Arapahoe (3); Broomfield (3); Denver (3); Douglas (1); Elbert (1); Garfield (1); Jefferson (4); Mesa (1); Pueblo (1); and Weld (3). Four people were hospitalized, and all are recovering. 

Most of the Colorado illnesses occurred during late June and early July with the most recent starting on July 13. 

Colorado health officials believe they are dealing with the second Salmonella outbreak of the summer related to ground beef, and that the contaminated product may still be for sale.

The earlier Salmonella outbreak related to ground beef may have been caused by ground beef recalled on July 22nd by the Denver-based King Sooper’s grocery store chain. June 23rd was the latest “sell-by” date on that meat, but it is always possible that it could be in home or even commercial freezers.

The Sooper’s ground beef was believed responsible for 14 illnesses in Colorado from the Salmonella strain known as Typhimurium DT104.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which is not located far from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, is warning consumers to either not eat ground beef or make sure it is well done. 

Colorado Salmonella Outbreak(s) Bring Warning From State Not To Eat Ground Beef Or Be Real Sure Its Cooked Throughout!

Posted by Salmonella Attorney on August 01, 2009

A second Salmonella outbreak, or maybe the second stage of the first one, is underway in Colorado.

It adds up to 21 confirmed cases of Salmonella from the end of June into July.   First reports of Salmonella in Colorado coincided with the July 22ND recall of nearly 500,000 pounds of ground beef by the Kroger owned grocery store chain know as King Soopers, based in Denver.

The ongoing Salmonella outbreak has prompted the Colorado Department of Environmental Health to warn the public to either avoid eating or thoroughly cook ground beef to avoid illness.

The recalled beef was contaminated with salmonella, and the strain involved is resistant to antibiotics.

Health officials say they have more investigating to do, but they have linked all the illnesses to ground beef.  The recalled King Soopers beef was also distributed through Dillon stores in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.   None of it was still being sold at the time of the recall, but health officials suspected consumers might have the ground beef in their home freezers.