Over the years, Marler Clark has been involved in litigating food poisoning illness cases all over the United States. The great state of Colorado has, unfortunately, had its fair share of Salmonella-related outbreaks in the recent past. In light of the recent Del Monte Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak that has thus far been linked to illnesses in Colorado and six other states, including Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, it seems appropriate to revisit some of Colorado’s past experiences with Salmonella. Some of the more notable outbreaks include:
Tiny Greens Organic Farm/Jimmy John’s Alfalfa Sprouts Salmonella outbreak in 2010: On December 17, the Illinois Department of Health announced that an investigation was underway into an outbreak of Salmonella, serotype I4,[5],12:i:-. Many of the Illinois cases had eaten alfalfa sprouts at various Jimmy John’s restaurants in the Illinois counties of: Adams, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Kankakee, Macon, McHenry, McLean, Peoria, and Will counties. The sprouts were suspected to be the cause of the illnesses. On December 21, Jimmy John Liautaud, the owner of the franchised restaurant chain, requested that all franchisees remove sprouts from the menu as a “precautionary” measure. On December 23, the Centers for Disease Control revealed that outbreak cases had been detected in other states, including Colorado, and that the outbreak was linked with eating alfalfa sprouts while at a nationwide sandwich chain. On December 26, preliminary results of the investigation indicated a link to eating Tiny Greens’ Alfalfa Sprouts at Jimmy John’s restaurant outlets. The FDA subsequently advised consumers and restaurants to avoid Tiny Greens Brand Alfalfa Sprouts and Spicy Sprouts produced by Tiny Greens Organic Farm of Urbana, Illinois. The Spicy Sprouts contained alfalfa, radish and clover sprouts. On January 14, 2011, it was revealed that the FDA had isolated Salmonella serotype I4,[5],12:i:- from a water runoff sample collected from Tiny Greens Organic Farm; the Salmonella isolated was indistinguishable from the outbreak strain.
The Fort Restaurant Salmonella outbreak in 2010: At least 29 people became ill from Salmonella enteriditis after eating at The Fort Restaurant between July 10 and July 16. This restaurant looks like a fort from the 1800’s and is located in Morrison, Colorado. The outbreak was suspected to have been caused by eggs. Many diners became ill after eating rattlesnake cakes, an exotic dish that contained eggs.
The Daniele Italian Sausages/Salame & Wholesome Spice and Mincing Overseas Spice Companies Black and Crushed Red Pepper Salmonella outbreak in 2009: Salame products produced by Daniele International, Inc., were implicated in a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo, including residents of Colorado. Daniele International issued a recall for its products on January 23, 2010, and then expanded their product recalls on January 31, February 4, and February 16. On January 27, 2010, The investigation showed that the salame products were properly cured, but became contaminated when they were rolled in spice mixtures containing Salmonella-contaminated pepper. The spice companies used a steam bath technique to kill bacteria that was insufficient. The spices are now irradiated as a consequence of this outbreak.
The Cargill Ground Beef Salmonella outbreak in June, 2009: A Beef Packers, Inc. plant in California owned by Cargill, distributed approximately 830,000 pounds of ground beef that was likely contaminated with Salmonella Newport. The beef was shipped to distribution centers in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Utah where it was repackaged into consumer-sized packages and sold under different retail brand names. The contaminated beef contained a strain of Salmonella resistant to several commonly used antibiotics (called MDR-AmpC resistance). At least 40 people in nine states fell ill; at least 21 of the people lived in Colorado and five lived in California. Most of the ill in Colorado had purchased the ground beef at Safeway grocery stores.Continue Reading Past Colorado Salmonella Outbreaks