The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is helping to investigate an active steak E. coli outbreak apparently spread in at least six states through restaurants that purchased steak from Oklahoma-based National Steak and Poultry.
Our national food safety law firm was the first to warn the public of this possibility with announcements made more than a week ago on this web site about an E. coli outbreak caused by blade-tenderized steaks.
The outbreak was confirmed December 24th when the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of 124 tons of NSP steak products that were packed in October and “shipped to restaurants nationwide.”
But the recall notice issued by FSIS on Christmas Eve is essentially useless since it fails to identify the restaurants at which the adulterated steak was served. Without that crucial information, the millions of consumers who eat steak at U.S. restaurants are left with no practical information about whether they were exposed to a potentially deadly bacteria.
To any person of reasonable intelligence, this decision smacks of favoritism. Our government appears to be protecting the “good name” of national restaurant chains at the expense of vulnerable people who patronize these for-profit institutions. Therefore, our law firm calls upon FSIS and the CDC to immediately release the names of all the restaurants at which these recalled steaks were served.
Restaurants are liable for E. coli infections caused by the food they serve. In this case, the restaurants associated with the illnesses are liable along with the steak processor for the harm suffered by those sickened. We are aware of at least one nationally advertised restaurant chain involved in this outbreak, but it is not known which locations received the recalled steaks.
Studies have shown that mechanical tenderization of steak with blades or needles drives surface E. coli into the center of the meat, where it can survive the grilling process — especially if the steak is served rare or medium rare. This danger prompted the USDA years ago to ban the sale of so-called non-intact steaks if tests show they are contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. But testing is never 100 percent reliable and restaurants don’t warn customers that the medium-rare steak they just ordered was blade-tenderized or injected with brine or other flavoring to improve texture and taste.
If you have information about this outbreak or a loved one has been sickened after eating steak at a restaurant, contact Pritzker Olsen Attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 or by completing the contact form on the side of this web page. An E. coli attorney will provide you with a free case consultation and answer any questions you might have about your legal rights.
This outbreak was preventable and Pritzker Olsen actively supports prevention efforts related to all types of foodborne illness. Our frustration with the non-release of restaurant names associated with this outbreak is shared by the larger food safety community.
