September 2006

The AP just reported that California based Natural Selection Foods may be the missing link in this ongoing outbreak:

Natural Selection Foods LLC said in a statement that it was cooperating with federal and state health officials to identify the source of the contamination and had stopped shipping all fresh spinach products. They are sold

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I was awakened this morning at 3:00 AM Seattle time by a reporter wanting to know the status of the outbreak. At that time the toll on consumers stood at 30 from 7 states. Over 12 hours later and countless interviews, spinach contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 has now sickened at least 94 people across…

Another in a series of articles by Mr. Lin and the LA Times tracking the problems with fresh, "pre-washed," ready to eat lettuce and spinach: FDA issues spinach warning.

From the article:

An ongoing outbreak of E. coli has killed one person and sickened at least 48 others in eight states, prompting the U.S.

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Lois M. Collins of the Deseret Morning News has reported on the E. coli increase in Utah. From the article:

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli outbreaks linked to pre-washed or ready-to eat spinach or lettuce, sold under various brand names, are nothing new, attorney William Marler, of Seattle’s Marler Clark LLP, told the Deseret Morning News.

Marler, who has sued on behalf of consumers sickened by E. coli contamination, cited examples: October 2003, when 13 California retirement center residents got sick and two died after eating E. coli-contaminated spinach; or September 2003 when nearly 40 patrons of a California restaurant chain got sick after eating salads made with pre-bagged lettuce; or July 2002, when more than 50 young women got sick at a dance camp after eating pre-washed lettuce. Several of them were hospitalized, and one suffered permanent kidney damage.

Last September, health authorities investigating pre-washed lettuce as a source of E. coli outbreaks in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Oregon estimated as many as 244,866 bags of potentially contaminated lettuce made it to store shelves, Marler said. Many people were critically injured.

Continue Reading Utah sees increase in E. coli

In their article State death tied to E. coli Outbreak linked to spinach, Jesse Garza and Kawanza Newson report on the first fatality linked to the spinach outbreak. As was reported in the article:

Bill Marler of the Seattle-based law firm Marler Clark said he is representing four cases of victims of the latest outbreak, including a Milwaukee family whose two children were hospitalized with the syndrome. In that case, a 6-year-old boy was released from the hospital Thursday. His sister remains hospitalized, Marler said.

Continue Reading Wisconsin State death tied to E. coli

We have learned that in the next few hours a press release will be issued from the CDC, FDA, and State Health Departments to alert the public to an ongoing outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that has been linked to contaminated spinach.  This outbreak appears to involve several states, including Wisconsin, Utah, Oregon and New…

 Nothing yet has been solidly confirmed, however, I have been contacted by two Oregon residents who believe that they are part of a wider E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that is potentially tied to the consumption of bagged "Baby Spinach."  It appears that the Oregon State Department of Health (one of the best in the country) may have cracked the case.  I assume that the FDA  and California State Department of Health are also involved.  I think the next 24 hours will be the key.  We were also contacted by a family in Manitowoc,  Wisconsin that may have also consumed this same product.   This outbreak may also involve over 11 people, mostly children, in Milwaukee.  Sure should seem that Milwaukee would have had enough of E. coli after the Sizzler outbreak of 2000.  I certainly hope that this in not another Salinas Valley, California E. coli outbreak.  As we know, the Dole lettuce case in 2005 sickened dozens in Oregon, Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Also, the recent E. coli outbreak in Utah has implicated lettuce, although it is still possible that the lettuce became contaminated AFTER it arrived at the Wendy’s restaurant.  In addition, there has also been a more recent E. coli outbreak in Utah.  There is not yet a reported source.

E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with lettuce or spinach, specifically the “pre-washed” and “ready-to-eat” varieties sold under various brand and trade names, are by no means a new phenomenon. In October 2003, 13 residents of a California retirement center were sickened and 2 died after eating E. coli-contaminated “pre-washed” spinach.  In September 2003, nearly 40 patrons of a California restaurant chain became ill after eating salads prepared with bagged, “pre-washed” lettuce.  In July 2002, over 50 young women were stricken with E. coli at a dance camp after eating “pre-washed” lettuce, leaving several hospitalized and one with life-long kidney damage.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest found that, of 225 food-poisoning outbreaks from 1990 to 1998, nearly 20 percent (55 outbreaks) were linked to fresh fruits, vegetables, or salads. Continue Reading Lettuce or Spinach – Again?

In an LA Times article E. Coli Outbreaks Prompt Review of Salinas Valley Lettuce Farms, Rong-Gong Lin II reports that Salinas Valley growers’ practices are being evaluated by state and federal health officials after their products’ link to repeated illnesses.

From the article:

Lettuce and spinach grown in the valley, dubbed the "Salad Bowl of the World," have been connected to eight of 19 outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7, associated with such produce since 1995. The eight outbreaks have sickened at least 217 people in eight states, including two who died at a retirement home in Northern California in 2003.

"That organism is so virulent, it is particularly dangerous," said Robert Brackett, who directs the food safety division at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is leading the investigation.

The recent inspections, which started in late August and will continue through the fall, come after nearly a year of heightened pressure from FDA and state officials to reduce the risk of E. coli contamination. The agencies’ concern was intensified when at least 34 people in Minnesota were sickened last year after consuming packaged Dole salad from the Salinas Valley.

The valley grows the vast majority of the nation’s lettuce, thanks to the region’s relatively cool climate. Though the outbreaks thus far appear not to have affected sales, some experts say continued reports of infection could erode confidence in the $2-billion-a-year lettuce industry. In addition, such problems can be a liability for produce distributors and food establishments that serve the greens.

One lawyer, Bill Marler, has represented more than 70 clients in cases linked to Salinas Valley lettuce, with settlements he described ranging from the tens of thousands to millions of dollars.

Continue Reading E. Coli Outbreaks Prompt Review of Salinas Valley Lettuce Farms