Salmonella outbreak due to peanut butter
From the Associated Press:
ATLANTA — A salmonella outbreak that has slowly grown to nearly 300
cases in 39 states since August has been linked to tainted peanut
butter, federal health officials said Wednesday.
It is believed to be the first salmonella outbreak associated with
peanut butter in
The recent headline from the FDA Press Release reads: “FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat Certain Jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter” – why would consumers eat the jars?
According to Reuters News service, FDA health officials are investigating a possible link between Peter Pan brand peanut butter (produced by Con Agra Foods) and more than 100 salmonella tennessee cases in 37 states.
Peanut butter appears to be the cause of the cases, said Dr. Timothy Jones, deputy state epidemiologist for the Tennessee Department of Health. Tennessee has had about 20 cases of salmonella that may be related to peanut butter, Jones said, adding that in all there were cases in at least 37 states dating as far back as October. He could not say how many total cases were being investigated, but a health expert said more than 100 cases were involved.
Salmonella are a family of bacteria that can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach pain in people. The CDC reports 40,000 cases a year in the United States, and 600 deaths.
In 1972 the battle between Peter Pan and Captain Hook was played out in a jingle for the benefit of a jar of Peanut Butter – “If you believe in peanut butter,” the jingle went, “You gotta believe in Peter Pan.”
Marler Clark has brought Salmonella claims against:
Black Forrest Bakery
Brook-Lea Country Club
C.L. Swanson
Cafe Santa Fe
Chili’s
Corky & Lenny’s
Golden Corral
Harmony Farms
KFC
Linh’s Bakery
Malt-O-Meal
Old South Restaurant
Orchid Island
Paramount Farms
Quality Inn
San Antonio Taco
Seasons at the Pond
Sheetz
Sun Orchard
Sunset House
Sushi King
Susie Cantaloupe
Viva Cantaloupe
Wal-Mart
Western Sizzlin’
Wyndham Anatole Hotel
For the full press release on the Peanut Butter Recall, see www.salmonellablog.com. Also, see below from Ben Chapman:Continue Reading Officials check for salmonella tennessee in peanut butter
Thanks to Ben and Doug at Food Safety Network:
Tomorrow I will fly out to Jamesburg, New Jersey, for a seminar put on by The Packaging Group entitled, “E. coli 2007: Understanding, Detecting, and Preventing.” My speech is titled, “E. coli Outbreaks in Fresh Produce: Who has legal responsibility?”
By Ross Anderson (former Seattle Times reporter) for King County Bar News
When Wyoming public health workers convened at a Cody meeting room recently, they spent much of three days listening to various authorities bring them up to date on issues from prenatal care to septic tanks to bioterrorism. But the keynote address did not come from a physician; it was delivered by a lawyer.
“Chasing ambulances is only part of what I do,” Bill Marler told them, drawing a ripple of chuckles across the room of about 125 people. “I represent people who are some of the most vulnerable in our society — kids who face a lifetime of kidney damage and possible transplants, all because they ate an undercooked hamburger.”
And he wanted his audience to know that he and public health officials are, or should be, on the same side of those issues.
Marler and his Seattle firm, Marler Clark LLP, specializes in representing people sickened by food-borne illness — excruciating and sometimes fatal disorders caused by toxins such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and hepatitis A. In the past decade, the firm has won more than $300 million in judgments and settlements from corporate giants across the United States.
And yet as Marler travels the country for his clients, he makes frequent stops at hotel meeting rooms to talk — at no charge — to public health departments and environmental health associations, and to trade groups for the restaurant, supermarket, and meat-processing industries.
His basic message: Make my day. Take the logical, common sense precautions, and this society can virtually eliminate food-borne illness, and therefore the lawyers who are associated with it. Put me out of business, please.
It is an unexpected message, coming from an unusual lawyer.Continue Reading Daniel in the lion’s den or the fox in the hen house?
According to the Daily Dispatch:
To date, the state health department is reporting 48 confirmed cases of Salmonella Oranienburg in the Sierra Vista (Arizona) area since Sept. 1. In addition, health officials have confirmed three new cases of salmonella, but the exact type has not been determined. If any of those three are Oranienburg, they
Brian Tumulty of the Gannett News Service authored an article this morning confirming what has been a well-known secret over the last several weeks – California’s Central Valley lettuce cited in both Taco Bell and Taco John’s E. coli illnesses
Brian noted that the FDA announced on Friday that the infected Taco Bell lettuce originated
Sen. Florez pursues E. coli agreement
Senator Dean Florez (D-Shafter) is criticizing a new agreement between spinach processors aimed at preventing another E. coli outbreak. Florez, the Chairman of a newly-formed Senate Committee on food-borne illness, is criticizing the agreement because only 24 of 170 processors of spinach and other leafy greens signed it. Florez
David Dishneau of the AP wrote on Friday about the death of Hagerstown resident, Ruth Dunning due to an E. coli infection.
After months of testing, public health officials said Friday they cannot conclusively link the E. coli-related death in September of a Hagerstown woman to the bacteria strain found in packaged fresh spinach that
.gif)
.gif)
.jpg)
.jpeg)