In a 483 Inspection Report released today, FDA inspectors identified multiple food-safety shortcomings at the Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella California that was linked to a Salmonella outbreak earlier this year:
1. The company detected the bacteria in roasted pistachios in October but did not change its processing procedures until March
2. In one instance
Yesterday the FSIS announced that Valley Meats LLC, a Coal Valley, Illinois meat establishment (USDA EST. 5712) recalled approximately 100,000 pounds of ground beef products that are likely contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 after illnesses linked to the hamburger were reported in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. One child is reported to have died as a
The Cleveland Ohio Health Department said moments ago that a 6 or 7-year-old girl died from E. coli O157:H7 last weekend and that the death (likely due to Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome) appears linked to E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois that have led FSIS and CDC health investigators to ground beef produced by Valley Meats, LLC of Coal Valley, Illinois.
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According to Misti Crane of THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH:
The Ohio Department of Health contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a report of three genetically linked cases of E. coli O157:H7 in the Cleveland area earlier this month. All three were sickened in mid-April, but do not have any connection to one another, said ODH spokesman Kristopher Weiss. They were classified as a cluster when the genetic fingerprints of the bacteria that had infected each person matched, he said. The illnesses were then linked to products containing meat from Valley Meats. The people who were sickened were a 3-year-old girl, a 24-year-old man and a 71-year-old man. Two of the three were hospitalized and all have since recovered, Weiss said.
Leila Atassi and Harlan Spector of the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER are also covering the story:
Health officials did not identify the girl or provide details of the circumstances that led to her death. But Cleveland Health Director Matthew Carroll said the case might be the latest in a cluster of E. coli infections traced to Valley Meats LLC, of Coal Valley, Ill.
The company pulled nearly 100,000 pounds of hamburger patties after a U.S. Department of Agriculture investigation confirmed that three Cleveland-area residents were infected by eating the same tainted ground beef. Carroll said two local restaurants, one of them in Cuyahoga County, might also be involved and will be investigated.
The three who grew ill – a 3-year-old girl, a 24-year-old man and a 71-year-old man – have recovered, said Kristopher Weiss, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health. Health officials determined the cases originated from a common source when they found matches among the genetic fingerprints of the bacteria that infected each person, Weiss said. The state reported its findings to the USDA on May 13. The brands included in the recall are 3-S, Grillmaster, J and B, Klub, Thick ‘n Savory, Ultimate, and more than a dozen generic brands.
A few weeks ago I wrote "E. coli O157:H7 Season is Nearly Upon Us – Will it be 2005 and 2006 or 2007 and 2008?"
From 1993 – 2003 we represented over 1,000 people sickened and families who suffered losses due to E. coli O157:H7-tainted hamburger. From 2003 – spring of 2007, the number of ill and the number of recalls dropped significantly. In fact, in 2006, less that 200,000 pounds of E. coli-tainted hamburger was recalled. However, since the Spring of 2007 nearly 42,000,000 pounds of hamburger has been recalled. Clearly, there is a problem. Earlier this year I wrote "Open Letter to a New Under Secretary for Food Safety – FSIS – The End of E. coli Conservatism," in part to start a discussion about why we are again seeing E. coli illnesses and deaths and in part to encourage the new administration to act. The new administration is taking new steps, but much more needs to be done.
For an explaination of the movie clip above:Continue Reading Girl Dies From E. coli O157:H7 in Cleveland – Likely Linked to Other E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois Linked to Hamburger Produced by Valley Meats
I’m heading to the Institute of Food Technologists’ Annual Meeting in California in a few weeks to talk about Leafy Greens and Food Irradiation – Pros and Cons. In addition to the below PowerPoint, I will be handing out my DRAFT Publication “Pros and Cons of Commercial Irradiation of Fresh Iceberg Lettuce and Fresh Spinach:
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E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois have led health investigators to ground beef produced by Valley Meats, LLC of Coal Valley, IL. The company has initiated a recall of 95,898 pounds of ground beef product that is possibly contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
“E. coli in ground beef has been so
FSIS announces the first CLASS I RECALL after E. coli O157:H7 illnesses linked in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois of the season – more to follow?
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ILLINOIS FIRM RECALLS GROUND BEEF PRODUCTS DUE E. COLI O157:H7 CONTAMINATION
Valley Meats LLC, a Coal Valley, Ill., establishment is recalling approximately 95,898 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The problem was discovered through an epidemiological investigation of illnesses. On May 13, 2009, FSIS was informed by the Ohio Department of Health of a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 infections. Illnesses have been reported in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.
For more information about E. coli O157:H7, see, www.about-ecoli.com and for complications like Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, see, www.about-hus.com.
The products subject to recall include:Continue Reading E. coli O157:H7 Illnesses in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois Linked to Hamburger Produced by Valley Meats
I am off to New York in the next few weeks to meet the the Excess/Surplus Lines Claims Association and Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel to sit on a panel of folks discussing insurance issues and how they relate in food poisoning claims. I am going to open with a few slides on an
Overview of Medical Impacts of E. coli O157:H7
After a susceptible individual ingests a sufficient quantity of E. coli O157:H7, the bacteria attach to the inside surface of the large intestine and initiate an inflammatory reaction. This reaction is believed to be due to chemicals secreted by the bacteria, and results in the bloody diarrhea
Adolescents and young adults with chronic kidney disease face a number of complications from their chronic kidney disease failure including alterations in calcium and phosphate balance and renal osteodystrophy (softening of the bones, weak bones and bone pain), anemia (low blood count and lack of energy), hypertension (high blood pressure) as well as other complications.
