ABC7 Chicago reports that five customers became sick after eating at the Cheesecake Factory at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg Thursday night. Officials said E. coli is not to blame. The business travelers, who were in town from Okalahoma, ordered spinach and cheese dip. They were taken to the hospital and treated and released. The Cook
Bad spinach sign of wider problem?
The Chicago Tribune reports that sunny Salinas Valley holds a dark mystery: Why, in the past decade, have nine E. coli outbreaks been linked to produce grown here?
It’s still unknown why this fertile land has been hit by what an FDA official calls "significant" crop contamination. On Sunday, officials announced that the number of people sickened by an E. coli outbreak linked to Salinas Valley spinach has risen to 109 in 19 states.
A Wisconsin woman has died. Natural Selection Foods, which grows spinach in the Salinas Valley, has recalled the leafy green under 34 brands. On Sunday, federal authorities identified a second producer linked to the contamination, River Ranch of California, because it had bought spinach from the first grower. River Ranch on Sunday recalled spring mixes containing spinach with the labels Hy Vee, Fresh and Easy, and Farmers Market.Continue Reading Bad spinach sign of wider problem?
Food-safety concerns extend beyond California
The Wall Street Journal reports that federal regulators were investigating produce farming and packaging conditions in California’s Salinas Valley long before a company there was linked last week to a spinach-related E. coli outbreak. But their food-safety concerns extend beyond California to include farm areas in other states such as Arizona.
"We are bothered by what’s happening," said Robert E. Brackett, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "All it takes is contamination at one time and it’s distributed to many people, and it becomes amplified."
As of yesterday, 109 cases, including one fatality, had been reported from 19 states, said David Acheson, the center’s chief medical officer. Salinas Valley, dubbed "the world’s salad bowl," has received the most attention only because of its size, Dr. Brackett said. Since 1995, the area was linked to at least eight of 19 E. coli outbreaks related to fresh-cut lettuce or spinach. But none of those outbreaks has been traced back to a specific grower, he said.Continue Reading Food-safety concerns extend beyond California
Second company is implicated in outbreak linked to spinach
The New York Times reports that a second company in California has been implicated in the E. coli outbreak linked to spinach, the Food and Drug Administration said late Sunday, and the number of identified victims is still rising.
The newly identified company, River Ranch Fresh Foods, obtained salad that included spinach from the first
Number of E. coli spinach cases hits 109
Justin Norton of the Associated Press reports that the number of people sickened by an E. coli outbreak traced to tainted spinach rose to 109 on Sunday, as federal officials announced more brands recalling their products.
Meanwhile, the company linked to the outbreak, Natural Selection Foods LLC, announced that its work with federal and state
FDA warns of E. coli contamination on bagged spinach
The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to stay away from all bagged spinach. This, after at least one death and several reports of E. coli illness are spanning multiple states. The warning pertains to bagged spinach — so popular now for making healthy food convenient.
An outbreak of E. coli poisoning from in
Bagged salads a gamble not worth taking, expert says
Per a Michigan State University Press Release, bagged salads might be a gamble not worth taking. Think of bagged salads as a game of chance – one in which the odds are stacked against you.
Prewashed packaged vegetables, like the spinach that is the focus of the recent outbreak of E. coli, always have been viewed with suspicion from experts in foodborne illness because it’s a packaging system that inherently increases the risk of spreading germs.
Thomas Whittam, Michigan State University Hannah Distinguished Professor of microbial evolution, said the combination of E. coli’s durability and power – as few as 10 cells can cause illness – with a mixture of produce creates the potential for a veritable stew of food poisoning. Continue Reading Bagged salads a gamble not worth taking, expert says
FDA consumer advisory on refrigeration of carrot juice
Per an FDA Media Release, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers of the vital importance of keeping carrot juice – including pasteurized carrot juice – refrigerated.
There are three cases of botulism in the state of Georgia associated with pasteurized carrot juice that may have been due to the product not being properly refrigerated. FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and health authorities in Georgia have been closely monitoring and continue to investigate these three cases of foodborne botulism.Continue Reading FDA consumer advisory on refrigeration of carrot juice
Vanderbilt treating Kentucky teen sickened by E.coli
The Associated Press reports that a teenage girl from Kentucky is being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville after she ate spinach and was sickened by E.coli bacteria.
The girl is 17 and is from Paducah, said Gwenda Bond, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The girl could not
E. coli Outbreak Reaches Kentucky
Health officials say a Kentucky teen is among dozens sickened by an E. coli outbreak in several states.
Spokeswoman Gwenda Bond for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services says a 17-year-old girl from Paducah is being treated.
A spokesman for Vanderbilt University Medical Center confirms the Nashville, Tenn., facility is treating the 17-year-old