Kellogg Recall of Honey Smacks  Linked to Outbreak of Salmonella Going Back Months -73 ill in 31 States as of Today

The recall was slow to get on the radar of national health agencies, as the victims are spread widely across the nation.  The most any state has is 7, in New York, with a few states having five victims - the majority have one to three viticms.  The outbreak also started slowly in early March, and then gained momentum in April and May until, on June 10th, with many more potential illness out there, the trace-back investigation pointed to Honey Smacks cereal. This is not the first time that a Kellogg Cereal was linked to a Salmonella recall, as Kellogg cereals were recalled nearly a decade ago due to a contaminated ingredient (peanut butter).  This time the culprit may again be a contaminated ingredient - introduced into the cereal.  It may also be there was a break-down at the Kellogg facility.  T His will be the central question in the Kellogg salmonella lawsuits that follow.   If you ate Honey Smacks, you may want to talk to Kellogg Salmonella Lawyer to discuss a potential Kellogg Salmonella lawsuit linked to consumption of Honey Smack  cereals.  A Kellogg Salmonella lawsuit can seek recovery of medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages.    Speak to a Kellogg Salmonella lawyer at 1-800-224-8146. Click here for a free consultation with a Kellogg salmonella lawyer - or text 281-851-9343 about a Kellogg Salmonella lawsuit.  

The Margarita’s Restaurant in Green Bay, Wisconsin  was linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup, with CDC PulseNet designation JBPX01.0425 - an unusual strain of the bacteria.  The outbreak took place in January of 2017, with three males and three females becoming sick after consumption of food at  Margarita’s restaurant, all on January 14, 2017, located at  1241 Lombardi Access Rd. in Green Bay.  A seventh victim. a female, ate at a different restaurant on January 16, 2017 and became sick whit the same rare strain of Salmonella Braenderup. The restaurants shared some staff, but in stool cultures taken on February 5th and 6th of 2017, all employee stool cultures were negative.  The Margarita's salmonella outbreak is now over - but the statute of limitations for bringing a food poisoning claim in Wisconsin is 3 years.  To speak to a food poisoning lawyer about the a potential Margarita’s salmonella food poisoning lawsuit, call or text 281-851-9343.

Arizona is at the center of a nation-wide outbreak of E, coli that has led to the first reported death from ingestion of Romaine Lettuce in this outbreak.  The 52 hospitalized victims include some with life-threatening Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, or HUS, but thankfully r no one else has died.  E. coli is hard to clean from lettuce once the contamination has occurred, because of its texture and the fact that it cannot be subjected to hot water or heat without ruining its desired consistency.  Consumers are encourages to carefully and thoroughly wash lettuce before eating it. 

California has been hit hardest with 24 victims, including the fatality, with Pennsylvania recording 20 victims. A total of 25 states have recorded victims, but that number is likely to grow.  As a food poisoning lawyer, i have noticed that cases in California seem to find their way to the official count quickly due to the county health department system and the responsiveness of the CDPH.  But it still can take a week or two.  Other states vary in efficiency due to the size or funding of their internal agencies.  The current number could easily hit 200 “confirmed cases”, with the actual number of victims being closer to 2000 due to the low percentage of victims whose cases are actually reflected in the raw data.  

A stool culture is required to ensure a victim is counted by the CDC.  To get process started, a victim needs to test positive for E. coli, then have that sample sent tot eh state lab for further analysis.  

To speak to an e.coli lawyer, call or test 281-851-9343.

Today the FDA took a large step in the right direction by identifying at least one of the farms that sold Romaine Lettuce contaminated with E. coli.  The FDA the source of Romaine lettuce that sickened inmates in a correctional facility in Alaska.  The farm is Harrison Farms of Yuma, Arizona.  The question remains whether the Romaine lettuce contamination began there or if Harrison Farms is but one of the middle persons in the stream of commerce that has been infected.  As an E. coli lawyer, I anticipate the FDA and CDC honing in on the source in a definitive manner soon enough - with 98 confirmed cases in 22 states the available data should provide investigators with the necessary information -- even before they had this information, the risk to the consumer  was so great the CDC issued a warning NOT to consume Romaine lettuce from Arizona even without knowing on which farm the contaminated lettuce was grown.  This rare action by the CDC and the FDA spurred a number of questions that seem, only now, to be getting answered.  The fact that Harrison Farms is the source of the Romaine lettuce that sickened inmates in Alaska, and the fact that  all the victims have consumed (or are believed to have consumed) lettuce from Yuma, Arizona, indicates that there is either a wide-spread infection of Romaine lettuce in Yuma (perhaps sick migratory workers) OR the lettuce growers share a common middleman/shipper where the infection originated.  These are complex questions for the CDC and the FDA to untangle, which I am confident they will do in the coming weeks. For more information, ot to speak to a E. coli lawyer about filing a Romaine E. coli lawsuit, call 281-851-9343.

The Romaine Lettuce outbreak has led the CDC to warn consumers not to eat any Romaine Lettuce for fear of E. Coli Contamination unless it is clear the Romaine Lettuce was not grown or harvested in the Yuma Arizona area.  To speak to a Romaine E. coli Lawyer, or to file a Romaine E. Coli Lawsuit, call or text 281-851-9343.

Rose Acre Farms is recalling millions of eggs as two dozen victims fall ill with salmonellosis from consumption of their eggs.  The number of illnesses remains low, given the size of the recall, but so far six have required hospitalization.  Our food poisoning lawyers are preparing a Rose Acre Farms Salmonella Lawsuit for victims.  No deaths in the  Rose Acre Farms salmonella outbreak have been reported.  

More than a dozen victims of the outbreak linked to International Harvest and Natural Grocer have been identified, including three requiring hospitalization, in a Salmonella outbreak linked to Go Smile! Raw Coconut, Go Smiles Dried Coconut Raw, and Natural Grocers Coconut Smiles. The victims are from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, and Utah. And according to the CDC, it appears this outbreak of salmonella  may  be related to similar coconut salmonella outbreak in September 2017. To speak to a Texas Salmonella Lawyer, or to inquire about a filing a coconut Salmonella lawsuit, call or text 281-851-9343.

More and more Coconut Salmonella victims are being identified in the nation-wide salmonella outbreak linked to raw coconut.  The victims have been identified in  California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, and Utah.  For more information about the outbreak, or to file a Coconut Salmonella Lawsuit, call or text 281-851-9343.

Raw Coconut at center of nation-wide salmonella outbreak, linking two companies and a number of products sold across the nation to at least 13 illnesses.  To discuss a coconut salmonella lawsuit with a food poisoning lawyer, call or text 281-851-9343.

Salmonella Recalls/Outbreaks in March of 2018:

1.  River Valley Sprouts recalled due to Salmonella

2. Haggen Stores Recall Taylor Farms Yellow Onions due to Salmonella

3. Standard Meat Recalls Beef for Salmonella Contamination

4.  Powdered Au Juice Causes Recall of Numerous Beef Products

5.  Go Smile raw coconut from International Harvest recalled for Salmonella

Standard Meat Company is currently recalling over 50k pounds of beef due to salmonella contamination, but has been lucky so far in that there are no confirmed human illnesses.  If this changes, the legal recourse for the victims will include making a claim directly to Standard Meat, or to file a salmonella lawsuit against Standard Meat.  If the salmonella found in the victims stool or blood cultures is the same as that identified by the FSIS, then causation will not be an issue, and the insurance company will simply have to determine the value of the underlying illness.  It is vital a claim include all effects of the salmonella food poisoning, ans victims get only one bite at the apple - long term illness, such as post-infectious IBS or Rheumatoid arthritis, are concerns to be evaluated carefully by an experienced food poisoning lawyer.

Eric Gorbman Catering in Seattle close March 8, 2018 by Public Health after being linked to 17 cases of food poisoning illness outbreak -- the cause of a shigella outbreak at  at Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth Shalom in Seattle was traced back to  Eric Gorbman Catering after a couple of events on March 3rd led to shigella illnesses.At least two  Eric Gorbman Catering employees have tested positive for shigella.  For more information or to talk to a shigella lawyer call 281-851-9343.

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Salmonella, like a car accident, only happens when there is human error in making or preparing food.  Like a car driver acquires auto insurance, so food producers acquire insurance against negligent or even incidental cases of food poisoning.  For example, a restaurant may be negligent in allowing a sick employee come to work.  But the same restaurant might have done nothing overtly wrong - they may simply have purchased a product that was contaminated.  They are still liable for illnesses, but may seek to be reimbursed for having to pay for illnesses caused by one of their suppliers.  Salmonella lawsuits, like other food borne illnesses, often lead to claims or lawsuits for lost work, medical expenses, and pain and suffering.    

Chicken is not the sole or even the most common source of salmonella, but it is common enough that it is the source of major outbreaks on numerous occasions every year.  One such outbreak, currently, is the Fareway Chicken Salad salmonella outbreak that has sickened well over one hundred in Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Illinois. In 2016, the a multi-year outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg, linked to Foster Farm’s raw chicken, was identified in about 1000 illnesses.

Still, salmonella lawsuits and salmonella claims often come from other sources, such as alfalfa sprouts (a recent Jimmy John’s outbreak has been linked to e. coli, but previously Jimmy John’s was linked to salmonella illnesses as well). At other times, it can be restaurant based (as opposed to product based) such as the Chipotle outbreaks of 2015, 2016 and 2017.

For more information about Salmonella lawsuits, salmonella claims, or other food borne illness, or to speak to a food poisoning lawyer, call or click here.

Global Warming Meets Food Poisoning?  In the first ever link between food poisoning and global warming, federal officials have now warned that the warmer seas are providing the perfect environment for the growth and spread of bacteria already found in the oceans.  One recent study has shown that surfers are 7 to 8 times more likely to have e. coli in their gastrointestinal tract, and new outbreaks of vibrio, a horrific flesh eating bacteria, are on the rise.   Global warming is pretty much taken as a given, but we are just beginning to note the possible ramifications beyond the danger to low-lying cities.  Consumers will need to be careful eating scallops, oysters, and other seafood that is taken from the ocean and prepared without heat treatment.  Freezing does not prevent the spread of these bacteria.  For more information about food borne e. coli, Vibrio outbreaks, or to speak to a food poisoning lawyer, call or text 281-851-9343.

Globalization has led to year-round access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and a ready supply of low-cost meat.  With globalization, however, has come an American reliance on the health and safety agencies in other countries.  This has proven a challenge as these agencies are not anywhere near as proficient as the FSIS and FDA at enforcing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) ans making sure companies have and follow proper Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). Food poisoning outbreaks in recent years have been linked to shoddy practices in Indonesia - tuna ans salmonella - the failure to follow GMPs and HACCP in Turkey - Hepatitis A - and the lack of personal hygiene in Mexico - parasites on cilantro and salmonella on cucumbers.  The problem is exacerbated by changes in the access to the courts.  The changes are making it more (instead of less) difficult to bring and hold these companies to account.  So, week regulation and less accountability may culminate in a higher number of food borne illness outbreaks in the US, even while the access to fruits, vegetables, and meat continue to rise.  To discuss these changes or any of teh outbreaks, call or text Dr. Coveny at 281-851-9343.

So its not meat, after all.  So many times I hear people say that they must have eaten bad meat to bet a bacterial infection like Salmonella or E, coli.  But the source of these types of bacterial infections is often the vegetables we eat.  Take, for example, the large E. coli outbreak linked to Romaine Lettuce.  So far nearly five dozen victims have been identified in Canada and the U.S. from consumption of Romaine Lettuce - at least that is what the Canadian officials are saying - the U.S. officials are still not convinced enough to warn people against eating Romaine Lettuce.  But this is only the tip of the Iceberg (should I say Iceberg Lettuce?).  Vegetables that are not thoroughly washed, especially the leafy greens and those grown close tot he ground, are the most susceptible to bacterial infection from feces, the traditional route in which bacteria gets into our mouths. 

For more information about the risk of vegetable and fruits in everyday eating, or to speak to a food poisoning lawyer, call me at 713-306-3880.

A major Salmonella outbreak hit the Thanksgiving celebrations at Toyo Tires - the catered meal, prepared by Angelo's New York Style Pizza and Bistro, a restaurant in Cartersville.  At least 40 of the 1800 employees and/or family members, were sickened.  Authorities have yet to determine what food caused the illnesses, but are now certain the food contained salmonella bacteria.  This salmonella outbreak remains under investigation as the company launches its Christmas meal - a tradition that feeds many of the county residents a full-fledged, free, meal.