The recalled ground beef and hamburger patties were sold to restaurants in the Cincinnati area, but the company did not say which restaurants. Each clear plastic bag and label bear the establishment number “EST. 1188” within the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s mark of inspection.

J.B. Meats said it was notified on Aug. 12 of an investigation of two E. coli O157:H7 illnesses. The Cincinnati Health Department reported there were two patients who became ill on July 20 and 21 that may have resulted from ground beef consumed on July 16 and 17, the company said.

Epidemiological and microbiological evidence points to a possible link between the ground beef products produced by J.B. Meats on July 15 and the illnesses in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company said the recall is precautionary, as there has been no conclusive link between the illnesses and the ground beef produced at the facility.

E. coli O157 can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), both severe illnesses that can cause kidney failure, central nervous system damage (seizures, stroke, paralysis, etc.), heart failure, pancreatitis and death.

Some restaurants purchased the ground beef and some of the nine victims of this outbreak are believed to have been sickened while dining out. The McNees recall also applies to certain packages of ground beef sold from its retail location in North Branch, Michigan.

Michigan officials have stated so far that five people are confirmed case patients in the outbreak while four others are probable case patients. Of special concern in this outbreak is that two-thirds of all people associated with it have had to be hospitalized for the seriousness of their illnesses. So far, no deaths have been reported.

The outbreak started in mid-July and patients have ranged in age from 15 to 88. Those affected live in the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Genesee, Isabella, and Sanilac.

Pritzker Olsen law firm is accepting cases from this outbreak for a possible ground beef E. coli lawsuit against McNees. Free case consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or you may provide your contact information and an E. coli lawyer will call you.

Holding companies accountable for contamination in our food supply is an integral function of food safety in the United States. Harms caused by food poisoning — especially infections of E. coli O157 — can plague a person with long-lasting health concerns that should be monitored annually by a physician. Hospitalization, lost time at work, travel expense, pain, suffering, medical checkups and additional expenses are costs that victims should not shoulder when the cause of injury was a dangerous micro-organism spread by fecal contamination. E. coli outbreaks are preventable.

The products being recalled are 36 – 10 lb. Bags of McNees Ground Beef Bulk. Establishment number: EST. 33971. They were produced July 15 and July 21, 2011. They were sold in Armada, Lapeer and North Branch, Michigan and also at a retail establishment owned by McNees Meats and Wholesale, LLC. Those sickened reported consuming ground beef either at local restaurants supplied by McNees or purchased directly from the company.

E. coli Outbreak Investigation and Lawsuit Information

According to the FSIS:

FSIS was notified of an investigation of E. coli O157  illnesses on August 4, 2011.Working in conjunction with the Michigan Departments of Community Health (MDCH) and Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), 3 case-patients in Michigan have been identified with illness onset dates between July 18 and July 28, 2011.

The E. coli lawyers at Pritzker Olsen have recovered millions of dollars for people sickened by E. coli and other dangerous foodborne pathogens. People who think they may be sick with E. coli should visit a healthcare provider and get tested for E. coli. People who test positive for an outbreak strain of E. coli may be able to file an E. coli lawsuit and recover expenses for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages.

Contact the E. coli lawyers at Pritzker Olsen for a free case evaluation >>>

The legislation would add confirmed strains of E. coli to the list of adulterants  (026, 045, 0103, 011, 0121, 0145, 0104: H4), requiring meat companies to test for any batches containing any of these toxic strains of E. coli, and give the USDA the authority to find and regulate more toxic strains in the future. E. coli O157:H7 — the dominant Shiga toxin-producing strain of E. coli in the U.S. –  already holds status as an adulterant in ground beef.

Specifically, the much-needed legislation addresses E. coli in meat by:

• Requiring plants that produce the cuts and trimmings that make ground beef to test their products regularly before it is ground and again before all the components are ground together. For those facilities where source trim and grinding occurs at the same facility, the legislation requires one test of the source trim and another test of the final ground product.
• If ground beef is found to be contaminated, the bill requires the company to properly dispose of the contaminated batch, or cook the meat to a temperature that destroys the E. coli.
• Requiring foreign facilities to certify their product has been tested for E. coli to be eligible for importation into the country.  The domestic facility receiving the product would be required to verify the results with secondary testing.
• Requiring slaughterhouses, producers and grinding facilities receiving trimmings to use independent testing facilities operating under annual contracts. The requirement of an annual contract would prevent companies from firing a testing facility as retribution for too many positive E. coli test results found by the lab.
• Sets a threshold of 25,000 lbs of trim per day for compliance implementation to reduce the burden on small producers. Those producers under the threshold have 3 years before they must comply with the new regulation. Approximately 90 percent of producers are above the threshold and 86 plants produce roughly 75 percent of all ground beef.
• Calls for habitual violators to be listed on a public website. Any slaughterhouse or processing establishment that produces or distributes trim with positive E. coli test results for 3 consecutive days, or more than 10 times per year, will be deemed a habitual violator. The bill also establishes regulatory action for plants that fail to test or fail to notify the USDA Secretary of positive E. coli results.

Additionally, Senator Gillibrand is urging the FDA’s new under secretary for food safety, Elisabeth Hagan, to begin listing all pathogenic forms of E. coli, not just 0157:H7, as an adulterant in our meat supply.

According to news reports, the fatal victim is a 2-year-old girl from Dryden, Virginia, who died Sunday at Tennessee’s Johnson City Medical Center after being transferred from Southwest Virginia. The girl has a brother who is among those who are hospitalized.  Both illnesses have been attributed to E. coli O157:H7.

Dr. David Kirschke, medical director of the Northeast Regional Health Office in Johnson City, told the Knoxville News Sentinel newspaper that officials are treating the situation as an E. coli outbreak. Those families stricken by the pathogen are being interviewed about their food histories and other possible exposures.

Kirshcke told the newspaper that seven of the eight case patients are infected by the same strain of E. coli. He also said several of the patients ate meat that was not thoroughly cooked.

E. coli lawyers at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys have launched their own investigation into the outbreak and are accepting cases from families whose loved ones have fallen ill. If the outbreak is linked to contaminated ground beef or other meat, consumers can hold manufacturers responsible and seek compensation for medical expenses, lost hours at work, future work restrictions, pain and suffering and other harms.

Our firm is one of the very few in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have collected tens of millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning all over the U.S. Free legal consultations are available for calling Pritzker Olsen directly at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by sending in our contact form.

In 5 to 15 percent of  Shiga toxin E. coli infections, including E. coli O157:H7, case patients develop a life-threatening complication known as HUS E. coli, or hemolytic uremic syndrome. The disease attacks a person’s red blood cells, causing kidney failure, coma, strokes, anemia,  heart problems and central nervous system disorders. Even people who suffer mild HUS cases can expect a lifetime of medical expenses for treatments that will be continuing for the rest of their lives.

E. coli

The following ground beef products subject to recall were sold as tray packs of varying weights bearing a “Sell By” date of “05/20/11.”  The products subject to recall include 1 to 4-pound tray packs of  ground beef products produced on May 19 and sold to customers at the Food Depot #24 store at 560 Macon St., McDonough, Georgia.

FSIS said contamination was found in samples tested during routine surveillance and that the company was not aware of any illnesses associated with the tainted beef. The recall is classified as a Class I recall, with high health risk

The current Japanese beef E. coli outbreak involves E. coli O111, one of six prevalent non-O157:H7 strains of E. coli not screened for in the United States even though they produce the same potentially deadly toxin as E. coli O157:H7, which the U.S. government banned from ground beef  more than a decade ago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that these six non-O157:H7 strains cause approximately 113,000 illnesses and 300 hospitalizations annually in the United States, yet to date they have not been outlawed as E. coli O157:H7 has been in ground beef.

Pritzker Olsen founder and President Fred Pritzker said Japan’s tragedy with E. coli O111 could speed positive change in the U.S., which has been inching too slowly toward adopting regulations that eventually should classify the six non-O157:H7 shiga toxin producing types of E. coli as adulterants.

“Japan’s nightmare with E. coli O111 should trigger changes in our own country,” Pritzker said. “We shouldn’t have to wait for a similarly sized disaster to strike here. It’s another impetus for USDA to get moving.”

The Japan beef E. coli outbreak has killed two six year old boys, a 70-year-old woman and another member of that woman’s family. The number of outbreak cases has topped 70, involving at least three Japanese prefectures. Food safety investigators have linked the infectious disease outbreak to Japanese-style steak tartar (raw beef) at a restaurant chain.

Strains of the pathogen O111 and O157 E.coli – both capable of causing life threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) — were detected among many hospitalized patients. The outbreak is dominating headlines and authorities have called for emergency checks on restaurants serving raw meats to investigate whether eateries are up to code.

Since that time, there have been no announcements of any charges against the company and we must assume that the investigation is either still going on or that the company has been cleared. The announcement of a criminal probe is rare in FSIS press releases and authorities never expounded on reasons why the investigation was taking place — except to say records of food safety practices were not reliable.

The beef and veal recall also was unusual because there was no pathogen announced as the reason for the recall. Most beef recalls are due to positive test results for E. coli O157:H7 or other Shiga toxin-producing types of E. coli. Rather, FSIS inspectors found that the products were recalled because they were not made according to the company’s food safety plan. “The products are adulterated because the company made the products under insanitary conditions failing to take the steps it had determined were necessary to produce safe products,” FSIS said in last February’s news release.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was at the forefront of the investigation, with assistance from FSIS. “The investigation has uncovered evidence to show that the food safety records of the establishment cannot be relied upon to document compliance with the requirements,” the press release said.

Law firm Pritzker Olsen has launched its own investigation into this outbreak and is reaching out to victims about a possible Lebanon bologna E. coli lawsuit. For answers to questions about E. coli litigation, including a free case consultation, contact an attorney at the firm at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or we will respond to your contact information. Our firm is one of the very few law groups in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we have recovered tens of millions of dollars for victims of E. coli and other types of food poisoning. We currently represent food poisoning victims in Pennsylvania and Ohio and practice in every corner of the United States.
E. coli Bologna Outbreak Information
According to the CDC, reported dates of illness onset range from January 10, 2011 to February 15, 2011. Ill persons range in age from 1 to 70 years. Among 13 ill persons for whom information is known, 23 percent reported being hospitalized, and none have reported hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening complication that results in kidney failure and can carry dangerous toxins to other organs.
According to the CDC, Lebanon bologna is a fermented, semi-dry sausage that is similar in appearance to salami. Nearly all victims were questioned by health investigators, who found a strong correlation to eating Lebanon bologna. Four ill persons have been identified who purchased Seltzer Brand Lebanon bologna at four different grocery store locations in three states before becoming ill. No one in a control group reported eating the bologna.
Investigation is continuing and samples are being checked for the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7.

For consumers, here is the list of Lebanon bologna products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7:

6-ounce packages of “SELTZER’S BEEF LEBANON BOLOGNA” with lot code “01351″ and best-by date of “Apr. 20 2011″ printed on the package.
12-ounce packages of “SELTZER’S BEEF LEBANON BOLOGNA” with lot code “01351″ and best-by dates of “Apr. 20 2011″ or “Apr. 21 2011″ printed on the package.
16-ounce packages of “SELTZER’S BEEF LEBANON BOLOGNA” with lot code “01351″ and best-by date of “Apr. 22 2011″ printed on the package.