As of July 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now identified 61 children from 19 states who have become ill. Six children were hospitalized. There are no reported deaths. States reporting illnesses include: California (seven cases), Colorado (five), Connecticut (two), Georgia (one), Illinois (two), Indiana (one), Massachusetts (four), Minnesota (two), New Hampshire (two), New Jersey (two), New York (15), Oregon (one), Pennsylvania (four), Tennessee (one), Texas (two), Virginia (one), Vermont (three), Washington (four), and Wisconsin (two).

Also, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed on July 13 that a strain of Salmonella Wandsworth bacteria found in Veggie Booty snack food is responsible for the disease outbreak that occurred between March and June 2007.

According to Robert’s American Gourmet’s website, The Veggie Booty seasonings, believed made with Chinese ingredients, contained the salmonella and that it had purchased the seasoning from Atlantic Quality Spice & Seasonings of Edison, N.J.

Unanswered questions:

  • If Robert’s American Gourmet only markets Veggie Booty, etc and Atlantic Quality Spice & Seasoning provides the spices, who manufacturers the product, and where?
  • Have other strains of Salmonella (in addition to Wandsworth) been found in either human stool or product samples – like Salmonella Typhimurium?

According to the CDC report on Friday the 13th, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Laboratory (MDAL) has isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella Wandsworth from 4 sealed bags of Veggie Booty obtained from retail stores. MDAL also isolated Salmonella Typhimurium, a different strain of Salmonella, from an additional sealed bag of Veggie Booty collected at the same time as the four bags positive for Salmonella Wandsworth.

  • Why has Robert’s American Gourmet not offered to help the victims?  Medical bills and wage losses are mounting.