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Sprouts Suspected in Salmonella Outbreak

By PritzkerLaw

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether an Omaha grower of alfalfa sprouts is the cause of a Salmonella outbreak associated with a growing number of  illnesses in eastern Nebraska and part of Iowa.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services issued a press release Tuesday saying that the grower, CW Sprouts, has voluntarily recalled its Sunsprouts product from grocery stores and restaurants pending the investigation. So far, health investigators have found a correlation between confirmed cases of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul and the sprouts.

The press release said there have been 14 lab-confirmed cases of Salmonella Saintpaul in Nebraska, including two cases in which patients were hospitalized. Another four cases are probably related to the outbreak and another 8-10 cases are suspected to be part of the outbreak, the press release said.

Nebraska officials have sent samples of the bacteria to the Minnesota Public Health Laboratory to confirm whether the cases share the same genetic fingerprint, as suspected.

Iowa also could be part of the outbreak. Dr. Ann Garvey of the Iowa Department of Public Health said in the Omaha World-Herald that Iowa has five confirmed cases and four pending. One of those sickened by Salmonella in Iowa has been hospitalized, she said.

The sprout-related outbreak overlaps the 45-state peanut butter Salmonella outbreak that has been going on since September 2008. In that outbreak, national food safety lawyer PritzkerOlsen Attorneys has filed one Salmonella wrongful death lawsuit and is close to filing a second such suit.

Of nine people who have died in the Peanut Corporation of America Salmonella outbreak, PritzkerOlsen represents the families of three of those who are deceased. The firm is involved in nearly every major food poisoning outbreak in the U.S. and its founder, Fred Pritzker, is regularly quoted as a foodborne illness expert by CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Associated Press.

To contact an alfalfa sprouts Salmonella attorney at PritzkerOlsen, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or complete a free case consultation form.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on March 03, 2009 (boomark / email).