Lettuce E. coli Lawsuits Certain to Result From Freshway Foods Shredded Romaine Outbreak
Lettuce E. coli lawsuits are certain to result from an outbreak of E. coli O145 tied by public health investigation to Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio.
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is conducting its own research on the outbreak and has been in contact with potential victims.
The outbreak has taken a toll on students in schools and on college campuses in Ohio, Michigan and New York. These institutions are Ohio State University in Columbus, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Daemen College in Amherst, New York; and public schools in Wappingers Falls, New York.
Shredded Romaine lettuce from Freshway is the implicated source of infection in this outbreak according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Multiple lines of evidence” support the finding, including a positive test for E. coli in a previously unopened package of shredded romaine obtained from a “facility” associated with the outbreak.
The CDC said DNA testing to confirm the link to ill persons is pending at this time. Meanwhile, Freshway Foods has issued a lettuce recall as a result of the evidence obtained to date. The products were sold in 23 states and Washington, D.C., to foodservice accounts including cafeterias, delis, restaurants, grocery store salad bars and institutions.
The latest CDC update on the lettuce E. coli outbreak counts 19 confirmed victims and 10 probable since March 1. Three victims developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly disease that commonly shuts down a person’s kidneys but also can invade further to cause brain injury, paralysis, heart problems, coma, stroke and nervous system disorders.
In Wappingers Falls, School District Superintendent James Parla told the Poughkeepsie Journal that there were two confirmed cases of E. coli, three probable cases and one suspected case. The students go to Roy C. Ketcham High School, John Jay High School, Wappingers Junior High School and Van Wyck Middle School.
The investigation into the Freshway Foods E. coli outbreak is continuing and it includes a focus on a farm in Yuma, Arizona, where investigators believe the tainted romaine may have originated. The Associated Press quoted Laura Oxley, a spokeswoman for the Arizona agriculture and health departments, who said there were no additional shipments to stop because it is the end of the winter lettuce season in the state.
To contact an E. coli attorney at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our online contact form. We will provide a free case consultation and answer legal questions you may have about this outbreak.
Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning. We are involved in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning as an advocate for victims.
Tags: E coli Lettuce, E coli O145, Freshway Foods Class Action Lawsuit, Freshway Foods Lawsuit
