Archive for January, 2008
Shiloh Farms, New Holland, Pennsylvania, has issued a recall for Shiloh Farms Organic Unhulled Sesame Seeds, 12-oz., because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.
To date, no illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled sesame seeds.
According to the company press release:
This product comes in a 12 oz blue and white 5” x 8” plastic bag with a Shiloh Farms logo and USDA organic symbol. The UPC bar code number is 047593303545. The firm’s name and address appears on the back of the plastic bag. Product distributed between November 1, 2007 and January 25, 2008 is being recalled. Only product with lot codes 17503 and 17133 are affected.
The contamination was identified when FDA testing revealed the presence of salmonella in a sample of organic sesame seeds from a Shiloh Farms supplier.
The recalled Shiloh Farms product was distributed to a total of 98 health food stores located in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Arkansas.
The company is asking stores to discontinue distribution of this product and to promptly return the product and stock on hand to the company for credit. Consumers should not consume this product and return this product to the point of purchase for a refund.
To learn more about the foodborne pathogen, Salmonella, please see Salmonella Food Poisoning. More information can also be obtained on the website www.foodpoisoning.com. Attorney Eric H. Weinberg, who sponsors both sites, represents many clients who have been harmed by Salmonella food poisoning. Visit food poisoning lawyer to learn more.
To learn more about recent food recalls and food poisoning outbreaks, please see Alamosa Salmonella Lawyer.
January 30th, 2008
Public health officials are investigating approximately 35 confirmed cases of Salmonella food poisoning associated with the consumption of raw Ahi, a fish used to prepare poke and sashimi.
The majority of cases occurred in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. DNA fingerprinting (a process that allows scientists to compare bacterial DNA), later linked one case reported in California and two cases reported in Colorado to the Hawaii Salmonella outbreak.
The outbreak first caught the attention of public health officials, because it involved a less common strain of Salmonella known as Salmonella Paratyphi B. The majority of cases occurred between the months of October and December of 2007, and resulted in five hospitalizations.
By using a case-control study design, health officials were able to compare foods eaten by ill and well persons. Their findings eventually identified the raw fish as the likely food poisoning culprit.
The fish distributor has not yet been identified.
For more information about Salmonella food poisoning, please see About Salmonella and Salmonella Symptoms and Conmplications. More information can also be obtained on the website www.foodpoisoning.com. Attorney Eric H. Weinberg, who sponsors both sites, represents many clients who have been harmed by Salmonella food poisoning. Visit food poisoning lawyer to learn more.
For recent food recall, food poisoning outbreak, and food poisoning lawsuit information please see Whittier Farms Listeriosis, Alamosa Salmonella Lawyer, E. coli Contaminated Cheese, and Arby’s Salmonella.
You may also wish to visit our new blog, www.Listeria.com, to learn about Listeria food poisoning and listeriosis.
January 29th, 2008
On Monday, public health officials announced that 11 cases of Salmonella Newport have been confirmed in South Dakota. These cases are part of a larger Salmonella Newport outbreak, totaling 22 cases and involving 3 other states. But which three states, and more importantly, why the secrecy?
Food bloggers have been taking their best guesses. Some have connected the 11 South Dakota cases to an unknown number of cases that were reported in Montana, Texas, and Pennsylvania (see Salmonella in CA, MT, and PA Are Linked). Other bloggers have pointed to the 38 Salmonella Newport cases connected to Safeway ground beef in the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico (see Safeway and Salmonella).
But finally, in a Rapid City Journal news article by Kevin Woster, South Dakota state epidemiologist Ron Kightlinger gave us a hint:
Kightlinger declined to name the other states involved, but noted that one is a South Dakota border state and the other two are “far flung.” Because of the molecular similarities of the cases in the four states, the states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are investigating for links.
A quick look at a map confirms that Montana borders on South Dakota; and California and Pennsylvania do look a bit “far flung” from South Dakota. So here’s our best guess - the 11 Salmonella cases reported in South Dakota are linked to the Salmonella cases reported in California, Montana, and Pennsylvania.
But why are we playing this silly little guessing game when public health and the safety of our food supply is a most serious matter? Fifty-five percent of the South Dakota Salmonella food poisoning victims were hospitalized, demonstrating the virulence of this particular strain of Salmonella Newport. The article also reports:
“Everybody’s recovering,” state epidemiologist Lon Kightlinger of the South Dakota Department of Health in Pierre said Monday. “But since we’ve had so many of these cases hospitalized, which is fairly unusual, it leads me to believe it is a fairly potent strain.”
As the old saying goes, knowledge is power; and when it comes to food safety, knowledge equals the power to protect ourselves and our families.
So hats off to Kevin Woster of the Rapid City Journal and South Dakota state epidemiologist Ron Kightlinger for providing the public with the most information to date. Now let’s hear something from the CDC!
The Law Firm of Eric Weinberg currently represents individuals who have been sickened in Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks nationwide. If you have been injured as a result of Salmonella food poisoning and you have a question concerning you legal rights, please call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274, or see Free Case Evaluation. Our firm currently represents victims of the Arby’s, Peter Pan peanut butter Recall, Veggie Booty Recall, Taste of Chicago, and Banquet Pot Pie Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks.
For recent food recall, food poisoning outbreak, and food poisoning lawsuit information please see Rochester Meats E. coli Recall, Dallas Steps Up Restaurant Inspections For E. coli Meat, and Arby’s Salmonella Lawsuit, Alamosa Salmonella Lawyer.
You may also wish to visit our new blog, Listeria.com, to learn about Listeria food poisoning and listeriosis.
January 16th, 2008
The South Dakota Department of Health, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and three other states are currently investigating a Salmonella Newport outbreak.
According to state epidemiologist, Lon Kightlinger a total of 11 cases involving nine adults and two children have been reported in the Black Hills area of South Dakota. Six of the individuals were hospitalized, and no new cases have been reported since December 17, 2007.
Earlier this month it was reported that individuals in the states of Montana, Texas, and Pennsylvania had become ill from the same strain of Salmonella, and that state health departments along with the CDC were conducting interviews with outbreak victims to identify the food item that served as the source of the Salmonella infection.
To learn more about Salmonella food poisoning and Salmonella food poisoning symptoms please visit our website, foodpoisoning.com.
The Law Firm of Eric Weinberg currently represents individuals who have been sickened in Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks nationwide. If you have been injured as a result of Salmonella food poisoning and you have a question concerning you legal rights, please call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274, or see Free Case Evaluation. Our firm currently represents victims of the Arby’s, Peter Pan peanut butter Recall, Veggie Booty Recall, Taste of Chicago, and Banquet Pot Pie Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks.
For recent food recall, food poisoning outbreak, and food poisoning lawsuit information please see Alamosa Salmonella Lawyer, Dallas Steps Up Restaurant Inspections For E. coli Meat, and Arby’s Salmonella Lawsuit.
You may also wish to visit our new blog, Listeria.com, to learn about Listeria food poisoning and listeriosis.
January 14th, 2008
It seems to be a trend. Restaurants, fast food chains, food growers and manufacturers – they make consumers ill (in some cases they make them very ill, and in the worst cases they kill them), and when those same consumers come forward for what is their due, the food people come up with a bunch of shameful excuses for why they are not at fault.
Come on! It’s time for any entity that causes a food poisoning outbreak to own up to their responsibilities. And Arby’s is no different from the rest. After having sickened over 70 people in Valdosta, Georgia, you’d think Arby’s would be rushing to pay their customers’ medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering instead of offering the following lame excuses for why the outbreak wasn’t their fault.
Here’s a “good” one from Arby’s lawyers – blaming the victim:
Upon information and belief pending further investigation, the sole proximate cause of Plaintiff’s damages, if any she sustained, was Plaintiff’s own negligence with the result that Plaintiff is not entitled to recover from the Defendant in their case.
How about that “pending further investigation” line? With state public health laboratory proof of Salmonella food poisoning and a “smoking gun” in the form of contaminated roast beef and a contaminated meat slicer, what further investigation do they need?
Here’s another line the food people like to use. Basically, it goes like this: You got sick? Well, it’s your own fault!
Upon information and belief pending further investigation, Plaintiff in the exercise of ordinary care, could have avoided the consequences of any alleged negligence (which is expressly denied) on the part of the Defendant.
How exactly could a victim of food poisoning have avoided it? By not eating, or perhaps avoid eating at Arby’s?
And this is the best one of all. Here’s how it goes: Even if we did something bad, you did something worse. Come on, who are they kidding?
Upon information and belief pending further investigation, the negligence of the Plaintiff was at least equal to or greater than any alleged negligence (which is specifically denied) on the part of the Defendant.
All kidding around aside, food poisoning is no joking matter. Dozens of people became ill in Georgia after eating at Arby’s. They incurred medical bills, lost wages when they couldn’t work, and suffered from a debilitating and scary illness. They deserve compensation, not ridiculous excuses for why all of this was their fault.
And just to be perfectly clear, the existence of Salmonella was firmly established in this case. Please see the Georgia Health Department report below:
This report describes an outbreak of Salmonella serotype Montevideo infections associated with a fast food restaurant in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia. The outbreak was identified through Georgia Public Health Laboratory (GPHL) surveillance. Seventy-two case-patients with indistinguishable S. Montevideo Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns (outbreak strain) were identified with onset of gastrointestinal symptoms or laboratory date between August 21 and November 16, 2006. A swab sample taken from a meat slicer used at a local fast food restaurant (Restaurant A) and a sample of roast beef from Restaurant A were positive for the S. Montevideo outbreak strain.
Arby’s: get out of the state of denial and own up to your responsibilities!
January 7th, 2008
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