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MI Sprouts Salmonella Outbreak Hits in 7 Counties

By PritzkerLaw

 Two Michigan residents have been hospitalized and 10 others sickened in a MI Salmonella Sprouts outbreak that has prompted a public health warning.

State and local health and agriculture officials are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine the precise source of the sprouts Salmonellosis outbreak.

The Michigan Department of Community Health said the illness onset dates have ranged from August 17 to September 18, 2009. The confirmed sprouts Salmonella cases have been spread over seven counties: Bay, Genesee, Kent, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.

Dr. Gregory Holzman, chief medical executive for the state health department, issued a recommendation that people, especially young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, avoid consumption of raw alfalfa sprouts until more is known about the source.

If you or someone you love has been sickened in this Michigan sprouts outbreak, see a physician immediately. To protect your legal rights, contact national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). For years our firm has been a national leader in representing victims of food poisoning and our top lawyers are frequently sought out for expert commentary by the media and by large groups, including food industry convention gatherings.

To contact a Salmonella lawyer online, complete our contact form and receive a free case consultation. If we agree to take your case, we don' t get paid unless you win. Over the years, our firm has recovered tens of millions for victims of food poisoning.

Sprouts are always an iffy proposition from a food safety perspective because there are multiple risk factors. If pathogenic bacteria are present in or on the seed when sprouts are planted, the organisms can stick with the plants. In addition, the warm and humid conditions required to grow sprouts are ideal for the rapid growth of the microbes. Thirdly, poor hygiene in production plants can give rise to Salmonella, or E. coli O157:H7 in sprouts.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on October 10, 2009 (boomark / email).