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Health Law

Food Poison Blog

Surveillance and analysis on food poison news and outbreaks.
By Marler Clark

Post Frequency: 17.6/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 12:57:03

Local Seattle Woman Dies in Thailand from Possible Foodborne Illness

Posted on May 28, 2009
According to a news report on Seattletimes.com, the death of a local West Seattle Woman, Jill St. Onge, may have been caused by a microbial infection contracted through contaminated food consumed while on vacation in Thailand. At this point the precise source of the microbes is unknown, although contaminated seafood is suspected...

Produce E. coli Problems of a Different Variety

Posted on May 28, 2009
Most of the time when we're writing about, reading about, or representing people for illnesses suffered in an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak related to produce, we're looking at things retrospectively. An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 happened, we know it was linked to lettuce, spinach, or some other type of fresh, raw produce, but we are sometimes left digging for answers as to how the E...

FDA Perspective: More collaboration needed to promote food safety

Posted on May 28, 2009
In a "Perspective" piece published online by the New England Journal of Medicine Tuesday, May 26, the new Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., and Principal Deputy Commissioner of FDA, Joshua M. Sharfstein, M...

Senator Klobuchar's Push for New Food Safety Legislation Highlights the Work of Minnesota Health Officials

Posted on May 28, 2009
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar held a press conference today to announce new proposed leglisation to "promote a more rapid and effective national response to outbreaks of foodborne sickness." According to Klobuchar, the new act would, among other things: Enhance the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) foodborne disease surveillance system...

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Ground Beef, Hamburgers, and E. coli: John McDonald's illness

Posted on May 27, 2009
The recent recall of nearly 96,000 pounds of ground beef by Valley Meats LLC got me thinking about hamburgers and E. coli O157:H7. Anytime I hear those words together (which, as an attorney at Marler Clark, is quite often), I think of John McDonald...

Cat food recalled for incorrect levels of zinc and potassium

Posted on May 26, 2009
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced May 21 that Nutro Products was recalling its NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with 'Best If Used By Dates' between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010...

Foodborne Illness is Just a Few Days of Diarrhea Right?

Posted on May 26, 2009
It never ceases to amaze me, particularly after the last few years and all the high-profile outbreaks that have occurred, that people still pass off "foodpoisoning" as a couple of days of diarrhea--i.e. that the victim is no worse for the wear...

Spinach E. coli Outbreak Revisited: The Story of Regan Erickson

Posted on May 25, 2009
The spinach E. coli outbreak in September 2006 was perhaps the most devastating outbreak of foodborne disease since the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak in 1993. Over two hundred people suffered confirmed illnesses in the spinach outbreak, with 102 hospitalizations, and at least four deaths...

Are Our Food Safety Habits Slipping?

Posted on May 25, 2009
The International Food Information Council is reporting that Americans' food safety habits are getting worse, not better, despite a slew of recent high-profile illness outbreaks. The deterioration in food safety habits appears to be across the board. According tot he IFIC study, fewer Americans are washing hands with soap and water; washing cutting boards with soap and water or bleach; cooking foods to the proper temperature; and storing raw meat and poultry separately from ready to eat products...

Four Counties Monitoring Rise in Shigella Infections

Posted on May 25, 2009
As summer approaches health officials in at least four counties are monitoring unusually high levels of reported Shigella infections. In Sedgwick County, Kansas, 52 cases of Shigella this year, an increase of 32 over last years total for the year...

E. coli in Lettuce or Hamburgers: Sadly, the Results are Often the Same

Posted on May 24, 2009
Bill Marler and the other attorneys at Marler Clark have been litigating E. coli O157:H7 cases for sixteen years. I have done it now for six. Collectively, we have seen E. coli illnesses ranging from a few days of diarrhea to some of the most agonizing deaths imaginable ...

E. coli O157:H7 Outbreaks Linked to Produce

Posted on May 24, 2009
E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with lettuce or spinach, specifically 'pre-washed' and 'ready-to-eat' varieties, are by no means a new phenomenon. By way of illustration: ? in October 2003, thirteen residents of a California retirement home were sickened, and two people died, after eating E...

Restaurant Injury Cases of a Different Breed: The Story of Jacob Aggas

Posted on May 23, 2009
I have never become accustomed to the profound nature of many of the injuries and illnesses we see at Marler Clark. I often find myself saying to the mother, husband, or grandson of somebody who has suffered life-altering injuries that "I wish we never had to meet" ...

Was Valley Meats (or at least the plant) Linked to THREE Prior E. coli O157:H7 Outbreaks and Recalls?

Posted on May 22, 2009
Yesterday the FSIS announced that Valley Meats LLC, a Coal Valley, Illinois meat establishment (USDA EST. 5712) recalled approximately 100,000 pounds of ground beef products that are likely contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 after illnesses linked to the hamburger were reported in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois...

Nearly 100,000 pounds of ground beef recalled for E. coli O157:H7 contamination

Posted on May 22, 2009
Approximately 96,000 pounds of ground beef products are being recalled by Valley Meats, a company operating out of Coal Valley, Ill., for E. coli O157:H7 contamination. It appears this recall did not come soon enough for one unfortunate person. The Department of Health in Cleveland, Ohio has announced that a 6 or 7 year old girl has died, apparently from consuming some of the recalled ground beef...

Food Poisoning and Other Surveillance in the Internet Age

Posted on May 22, 2009
The May 21, 2009 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine contained a Perspective piece that focused on how public health professionals can harness the Internet for surveillance purposes. The article's authors, John S. Brownstein, Ph.D., Clark C. Freifeld, B...

FDA Inspectors Found Numerous Violations at Setton Pistachio Plant Linked to Salmonella Recall

Posted on May 22, 2009
In a 483 Inspection Report released today, FDA inspectors identified multiple food-safety shortcomings at the Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella California that was linked to a Salmonella outbreak earlier this year: 1. The company detected the bacteria in roasted pistachios in October but did not change its processing procedures until March 2...

The Darker Side of Foodborne Illnesses

Posted on May 22, 2009
Please don't let the title mislead you. I am certainly not implying there is a lighter side to any individual's foodborne illness--as anyone who has ever experienced an E. coli infection or the like can tell you--but it is much less common for someone's illness to be brought about by a nefarious act...

Prison Anyone?

Posted on May 21, 2009
Where is Dave Thomas when you need him? Jacob Zachariah, owner of a Wendy's franchise restaurant in Ukiah, California, could use a dose of the late Mr. Thomas's intelligence and simple charm. Zachariah's Ukiah Wendy's restaurant was recently shut down, not by the health department, but by the Wendy's corporation for failure to adhere to acceptable standards of conduct in food safety and other things...

New Obama Policy Allows States to Be Tougher on Food Safety

Posted on May 21, 2009
During the Bush administration, and its do-anything-help-big-business approach, agencies were required to insert "preemption" language into all regulations, rules, and policies that the agencies promulgated. This was intended as an attempt to "protect" corporations from state laws and regulations that had the effect of imposing stricter requirements, especially with regard to product safety...

Death by Shopping Bag?

Posted on May 21, 2009
I received this article today from Steve Whybrew, the father of a college-age girl we represent who became infected with E. coli O157:H7 in a lettuce outbreak last year. Steve's daughter, Heather, was hospitalized for 3 weeks. She was also interviewed recently in an article for the New York Times about food safety...

FDA Admits Failure to Conduct Required Audits

Posted on May 20, 2009
A frankly distubring article today by Mary Clare Jalonik at the Associated Press. According to the article, FDA "conducted only about half the state food safety audits it promised in the two years before the recent peanut salmonella outbreak...

A Point Well Taken

Posted on May 20, 2009
Once again, the Perishable Pundit has managed to give, and get, some excellent commentary on sprouts and other food safety issues. I particularly enjoyed the statement by Devon Zagory, Ph.D, an industry leader in produce safety science, discussing the proper role of FDA regulations...

Months Later, Recalled Peanut Butter Products Still on Shelves

Posted on May 20, 2009
The list of recalled foods linked to the PCA Salmonella typhimurium outbreak continues to expand. Months after the recall, a Washington State dairy is adding its ice cream product to the list. According to a story in the Bellingham (WA) Herald, Edaleen Dairy is recalling two ice creams because both contain peanut products possibly contaminated with salmonella...

Cantaloupe recalled for possible Salmonella contamination

Posted on May 19, 2009
We learned over the weekend that L&M Companies was recalling whole cantaloupes sold between May 10 and May 15 in Wal-Mart Supercenter stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and South Hill, Virginia, because a cantaloupe at a farm in Mexico where L&M sources cantaloupe had tested positive for Salmonella...

E. coli Victim Speaks in Washington DC in Support of Food Safety Legislation

Posted on May 19, 2009
Lindsey Jennings (middle), our client, was a "perfectly healthy" twenty-one year old girl. Actually, better than that, Lindsey was an avid athlete, in training for a marathon, running over 40 miles a week, all while completing her pre-med courses during her senior year at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, when she was unfortunate enough to eat contaminated lettuce...

Food Poisoning Is Not a Laughing Matter...

Posted on May 18, 2009
....unless you are the Simpsons. Last night's season finale for the Simpsons was right off the front pages of Marlerblog. The episode set up? "Ogdenville's economy takes a stumble after tainted barley is discovered in Krusty's veggie burgers...

Before Food Was Fast: Some Looks Back to a Time when Food was Local, Slow, and Safe

Posted on May 18, 2009
In addition to being a lawyer, I am a longtime foodie. So my attention was definitely grabbed this morning when I was listening to NPR and there were segments on two food-related books that I defintely will be reading soon. The first is Watching What We Eat, by Kathleen Collins...

FDA Takes Step One: Admits It Has A Problem

Posted on May 18, 2009
In a bit of news that is less surprising than it should be, the AP today reports that the FDA has for the last several years failed to perform a large percentage of required audits for inspections being conducted (under contract) by the States. According to today's report (based on documents recently released to Congress: The Food and Drug Administration conducted only about half the state food safety audits it promised in the two years before the recent peanut salmonella outbreak, according to new documents the agency sent to Congress...

Raw Milk Dairy In Vermont Has Cow With Rabies That Threatens 21 With Painful Shots

Posted on May 17, 2009
Twenty-one people in Vermont who may have consumed raw milk from a cow infected with rabies may be looking at those painful shots in their future. The raw milk drinkers are being advised by the Vermont Health Department to see their doctors about rabies shots...

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