Salmonella Lawyer

Subscribe to Salmonella Lawyer

As of October 4, 2018, 57 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Newport have been reported from 16 states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Map of Reported Cases page.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from August 5, 2018, to September 6, 2018. Ill people range in age from less than one year to 88, with a median age of 33. Sixty-one percent are male. Of 45 people with information available, 14 (31%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 2 to 4 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of Salmonella Infection for more details.

Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicates that ground beef produced by JBS Tolleson, Inc. of Tolleson, Arizona, is a likely source of this outbreak.

In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Thirty-six (92%) of 39 people interviewed reported eating ground beef at home. This percentage is significantly higher than results from a survey[PDF – 787 KB] of healthy people in which 40% of respondents reported eating any ground beef at home in the week before they were interviewed.  Also, several ill people ate ground beef at the same events or purchased ground beef at the same grocery store chains. When several unrelated ill people ate at the same event or shopped at the same store within several days of each other, it suggests that the contaminated food item was served or sold there.

USDA-FSIS and state partners traced the source of the ground beef eaten by ill people in this outbreak to JBS Tolleson, Inc. On October 4, 2018, JBS Tolleson, Inc. recalled approximately 6.5 million pounds of beef products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Newport.

I took the time to fully read FDA Warning Letter sent to Kerry, Inc., that manufactured Honey Smacks for Kellogg’s.  Here is the somewhat redacted beginning:

The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) inspected your Kerry, Inc. facility, located at 320 West Gridley Road, Gridley, IL 61744-8723 from June 14 to 29, 2018. The inspection was initiated as (b)(4) in three environmental swabs taken from your (b)(4) cereal (“cereal”) production rooms during FDA’s inspection. Further, FDA’s Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis of the three isolates of (b)(4).

Here are the highlights/lowlights of the Warning Letter:

Between September 29, 2016 and May 16, 2018, you repeatedly found Salmonella throughout your facility, including in cereal production rooms. During this time period, you had 81 positive Salmonella environmental samples and 32 positive Salmonella vector samples (samples taken in response to finding a positive on routine testing), including four Salmonella (b)(4) samples in the cereal coating room (Line (b)(4)) and one Salmonella (b)(4) sample in the cereal (b)(4) room (Line (b)(4)). Further, you had repeated findings of other Salmonella species in some production lines and rooms used for the manufacture of cereal. These repeated findings of Salmonella in your environment should have resulted in a reanalysis of your food safety plan as required by 21 CFR § 117.170(b)(4) and the identification of contamination of RTE cereal with environmental pathogens as a hazard requiring a preventive control (i.e., sanitation preventive control).

So, in the coming days, as I explain to clients how a company, like Kerry, can seem to ignore 113 positive Salmonella samples and continue to manufacture and ship the Sugar Smacks. The Kerry, the FDA and Kellogg’s will need to explain this to the general public.  My clients and a part of the public is included in:

Total Salmonella Illnesses: 135
Hospitalizations: 34
Last illness onset: 8/29/2018

Today the CDC reported that it, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections.

As of September 7, 2018, 14 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis have been reported from Alabama and Tennessee.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from July 10, 2018 to August 7, 2018 Ill people range in age from 1 year to 94, with a median age of 31. Fifty percent are female. Of 9 people with information available, 2 (22%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicates that shell eggs from Gravel Ridge Farms in Cullman, Alabama are a likely source of the outbreak.

On September 8, 2018, Gravel Ridge Farms recalled cage-free large eggs because they might be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis bacteria. Recalled eggs were sold in grocery stores and to restaurants in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. The FDA website has a list of the grocery stores where recalled eggs were sold. Consumers who have any Gravel Ridge Farms cage-free large eggs in their homes should not eat them. Return them to the store for a refund or throw them away. Restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell recalled Gravel Ridge Farms cage-free large eggs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert out of an abundance of caution due to concerns about contamination with Cyclospora. The beef, pork and poultry salad and wrap products were distributed by Caito Foods LLC, an Indianapolis, Ind. establishment.

The beef, pork and poultry salad and wrap items were produced between July 15 to 18, 2018, with the either “Best By,” “Enjoy by,” Best if Sold By” or “Sell By” dates ranging from July 18 through July 23, 2018. [View Label (PDF only)]

The complete list of products, product labels, the UPC code numbers and other identifying information can be found here.

The products bear establishment number “EST. 39985 or P-39985” inside or next to the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to distribution centers nationwide.

The problem was discovered when Caito Foods LLC received notification from their lettuce supplier, Fresh Express, that the chopped romaine that is used to manufacture some of their salads and wraps was being recalled.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators and that consumers may be at risk due to the length of the Cyclospora incubation period. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Caito Foods LLC and FSIS are working together to remove the products from commerce.

Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider. Cyclospora infection is an illness cause by the intestinal parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis. The incubation period for Cyclospora ranges from two to 14 days, which would include the dates of July 25 through August 6, 2018. Illnesses might not have been reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. For Cyclospora infections this could take up to six weeks.

As of July 24, 2018, 77 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Adelaide were reported from nine states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Case Count Map page.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from April 30, 2018, to July 2, 2018. Ill people ranged in age from less than 1 year to 97, with a median age of 67. Among ill people, 67% were female. Out of 70 people with information available, 36 (51%) were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.

Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicated that pre-cut melon supplied by the Caito Foods, LLC of Indianapolis, Indiana was the likely source of this multistate outbreak.

Information collected from stores where ill people shopped indicated that Caito Foods, LLC supplied pre-cut melon to these stores. On June 8, 2018, Caito Foods, LLC recalled fresh-cut watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and fresh-cut fruit medley products containing one of these melons that were produced at the Caito Foods facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Pepperidge Farm has been notified by one of its ingredient suppliers that whey powder in a seasoning that is applied to four varieties of crackers has been the subject of a recall by the whey powder manufacturer due to the potential presence of Salmonella.  Pepperidge Farm initiated an investigation and, out of an abundance of caution, is voluntarily recalling four varieties of Goldfish crackers. The products were distributed throughout the United States. No illnesses have been reported. No other Pepperidge Farm products in the U.S. are subject to this recall.

The following four varieties with the indicated codes are subject to this recall:

  • Flavor Blasted® Xtra Cheddar
  • Flavor Blasted® Sour Cream & Onion
  • Goldfish® Baked with Whole Grain Xtra Cheddar
  • Goldfish® Mix Xtra Cheddar + Pretzel

As a precautionary measure, Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO) is voluntarily recalling Swiss Rolls sold under the brand names Mrs. Freshley’s, Food Lion, H-E-B, Baker’s Treat, Market Square, and Great Value, distributed nationwide, and Captain John Derst’s Old Fashioned Bread distributed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, due to the potential presence of Salmonella in an ingredient, whey powder. The ingredient recall was initiated by a third-party whey powder manufacturer and supplier. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled items. See below for list of UPC #s and “best by” dates.

The recalled products are:

BRAND UPC # BEST BY / ENJOY BY DATES
Mrs. Freshley’s – 4 ct./7.2 oz. 072250011907 10/09/18 through 10/19/18 309 8187 A 75 D
309 8187 B 75 D
309 8190 C 75 D
309 8194 B 75 D
309 8194 C 75 D
Mrs. Freshley’s – 6 ct./12 oz. 072250903233 10/14/18
309 8194 B 75 D
Food Lion – 6 ct./13 oz. 035826092779 10/16/18
H-E-B – 6 ct./12 oz. 041220296583 09/19/18
Baker’s Treat – 6 ct./13 oz. 041498188382 09/21/18 through 09/28/18
Market Square – 6 ct./12 oz. 087381760556 309 8194 B
Great Value – 6 ct./13 oz. 078742147550 Sep 17 2018 Through Sep 25 2018
309 8191 B
Captain John Derst’s
Old Fashioned Bread		 071316001180 07/16/18 through 7/28/18

Mondelēz Global LLC announced today a voluntary recall in the United States, including Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands, of certain Ritz Cracker Sandwiches and Ritz Bits product. These products contain whey powder as an ingredient, which the whey powder supplier has recalled due to the potential presence of Salmonella.

This recall is limited exclusively to the products listed in the grid below, available at retail stores nationwide. No other Mondelēz Global LLC product is included in this recall.

Description Retail UPC Best When Used By Dates Package Image
RITZ BITS CHEESE
BIG BAG
3 OZ		 0 44000 00677 8 07 MAR 19
Thru
13 APR 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
RITZ BITS CHEESE
1 OZ		 0 44000 02025 5 07 MAR 19
Thru
13 APR 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
RITZ BITS CHEESE
12 PACK CARTON		 0 44000 02032 3 08 MAR 19
thru
13 APR 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
RITZ BITS CHEESE
30 PACK CARTON		 0 44000 01309 7 03 MAR 19
thru
13 APR 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
RITZ BITS CHEESE
1.5 OZ		 0 44000 00929 8 03 MAR 19
thru
13 APR 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
RITZ BITS CHEESE
3 OZ GO PACKS		 0 44000 03215 9 07 MAR 19
thru
12 APR 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
10.8 OZ RITZ CHEESE CRACKER SANDWICHES 0 44000 88211 2 14 JAN 19
thru
11 FEB 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
1.35 OZ RITZ CHEESE CRACKER SANDWICHES 0 44000 00211 4 14 JAN 19
thru
11 FEB 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
10.8 OZ RITZ BACON CRACKER SANDWICHES
WITH CHEESE		 0 44000 04566 1 05 FEB 19
06 FEB 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
1.35 OZ RITZ BACON CRACKER SANDWICHES
WITH CHEESE		 0 44000 04567 8 05 FEB 19
thru
06 FEB 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
10.8 OZ RITZ WHOLE WHEAT CRACKER
SANDWICHES WITH WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE		 0 44000 04577 7 04 FEB 19
05 FEB 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
1.35 OZ RITZ WHOLE WHEAT CRACKER
SANDWICHES WITH CREAM CHEESE		 0 44000 04580 7 06 FEB 19 07 FEB 19
08 FEB 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
1.35 OZ RITZ EVERYTHING CRACKER
SANDWICHES WITH CREAM CHEESE		 0 44000 04580 7 06 FEB 19
07 FEB 19
08 FEB 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
MIXED COOKIE CRACKER VARIETY
20 PACK		 0 44000 04100 7 01 FEB 19
thru
04 FEB 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW
MIXED COOKIE CRACKER VARIETY
40 PACK		 0 44000 04221 0 31 JAN 19
thru
05 FEB 19		 SEE IMAGE BELOW

As of July 13, 2018, 212 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 44 states.

  • Illnesses started from February 15, 2018 to June 21, 2018.
  • 34 ill people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
  • 26% of ill people are children younger than 5 years.

Epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory findings link these outbreaks to contact with live poultry, such as chicks and ducklings, which come from multiple hatcheries.

  • In interviews, 100 (72%) of 138 ill people with information available reported contact with chicks or ducklings in the week before their illness started.
  • People reported obtaining chicks and ducklings from several sources, including feed supply stores, websites, hatcheries, and from relatives.

WGS analysis to identify antibiotic resistance was performed for 118 isolates from ill people in this outbreak. Twenty-two isolates from ill people contained genes expected to cause resistance or decreased susceptibility to all or some of the following antibiotics: ampicillin, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, gentamicin, ceftriaxone, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin, and fosfomycin. Ninety-six isolates did not identify predicted resistance. Testing of 5 outbreak isolates using standard antibiotic susceptibility testing by CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory confirmed these results. Some infections may be difficult to treat with commonly recommended antibiotics, and may require another kind of antibiotic.

Here is a good reminder:

Ninety people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Reading have been reported from 26 states. Forty people have been hospitalized. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Reading has been identified in samples from raw turkey pet food in Minnesota, from raw turkey products from 19 slaughter and 6 processing establishments, and from live turkeys from several states.

The samples collected by FSIS at these slaughter and processing establishments were part of FSIS’ routine testing under the Salmonella performance standards. Furthermore, WGS showed that the Salmonella strain from these samples is closely related genetically to the Salmonella strain from ill people.  This result provides more evidence that people in this outbreak got sick from preparing raw turkey products.

Yesterday I suggested that the FDA’s Dr. Scott Gottlieb should be a bit more transparent on who produced, processed, transported and sold the E. coli tainted romaine.  Today, the FDA notes that retailers are still selling Salmonella tainted Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal (See below)

The FDA has become aware that recalled Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal are still being offered for sale. All Honey Smacks cereal was recalled in June 2018. Retailers cannot legally offer the cereal for sale and consumers should not purchase Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. The FDA has learned that some retailers are still selling this product. The FDA will continue to monitor this situation closely and follow up with retailers as we become aware of recalled products being offered for sale.

As of July 12, 2018, 100 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Mbandaka have been reported from 33 states.

Illnesses started on dates from March 3, 2018, to July 2, 2018. Ill people range in age from less than one year to 95, with a median age of 57. Of ill people, 68% are female. Out of 77 people with information available, 30 (39%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after June 19, 2018, might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when their illness is reported. This takes an average of 2 to 4 weeks.

State and local health officials continue to interview ill people and ask questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Fifty-five (85%) of 65 people interviewed reported eating cold cereal. In interviews, 43 people specifically reported eating Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. Ill people in this outbreak reported this cereal more often than any other cereals or food items.

Health officials in several states collected Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal from retail locations and ill people’s homes for testing. Laboratory testing identified the outbreak strain of Salmonella Mbandaka in a sample of unopened Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal collected from a retail location in California. Laboratory testing also identified the outbreak strain in samples of leftover Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal collected from the homes of ill people in Montana, New York, and Utah.

The Kellogg Company recalled all Honey Smacks products that were on the market within the cereal’s one-year shelf-life. However, Honey Smacks products with earlier dates could also potentially be contaminated. Do not eat Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal of any size package or with any “best if used by” date.

Dr. Gottlieb it is past time for the FDA – especially during an outbreak and recall situation – to make the supply chain transparent.

The Mexican federal consumer protection agency has issued a warning about the possible presence of salmonella in boxes of Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal.

The warning from the Federal Consumer Protection Agency in Mexico (Profeco)

comes almost a week after the first reports of the contaminated cereal, manufactured and packaged in the United States, began to surface.

That US Food and Drug Administration alerted consumers last week after 73 people in 31 states were reported to have become sick after eating salmonella-infected Honey Smacks. The illnesses took place between March and May. Twenty-four people were hospitalized, but there have been no fatalities.

Profeco said the 434, 652 and 866-gram boxes of the cereal are most likely to be contaminated, but authorities in Mexico and the U.S. have advised consumers to avoid the cereal altogether.

The affected products have “best before” dates between June 14, 2018 and June 14, 2019.

On its Mexico website Kellogg’s asked consumers who bought the product not to eat it, dispose of it and contact the company for an exchange with another Kellogg’s product. It said no other product was affected by the salmonella contamination.

There had been limited distribution of the Honey Smacks cereal in Mexico and several other countries, the company said.

Perhaps Mexico will pay for it!

As of June 14, 2018, 73 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Mbandaka have been reported from 31 states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Case Count Map page.

Illnesses started on dates from March 3, 2018, to May 28, 2018. Ill people range in age from less than one year to 87, with a median age of 58. Sixty-five percent are female. Out of 55 people with information available, 24 (44%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Epidemiologic evidence indicates that Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal is a likely source of this multistate outbreak.

In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Thirty (77%) of 39 people interviewed reported eating cold cereal. In interviews, 14 people specifically reported eating Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal. Ill people in this outbreak reported this cereal more often than any other cereals or food items.

On June 14, 2018, the Kellogg Company recalled 15.3 oz. and 23 oz. packages of Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal.

Recalled Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal have a “best if used by” date from June 14, 2018 through June 14, 2019. The “best if used by” date is on the box top.

The recalled 15.3 oz. Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal has a UPC code of 38000 39103. The recalled 23.0 oz. Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal has a UPC code of 38000 14810. The UPC code is on the bottom of the box.