Buffalo E. coli Lawsuit Highlights Testing Issue
Rocky Mountain Natural Meats buffalo E. coli recall and outbreak is a wakeup call for consumers who assume bison meat is safer than conventional beef and other meats.
A 53-year-old woman from Lakewood, Colorado, has filed a buffalo E. coli lawsuit against the Rocky Mountain Natural Meats after eating contaminated bison and developing an E. coli O157:H7 infection that caused her to be hospitalized. She is represented by law firm Pritzker Olsen. The same firm represents a man from Baltimore, Maryland, who is one of seven people identified by health officials as being infected by the same strain of E. coli. Five are in Colorado and one is in New York.
Attorney Fred Pritzker, founder and president of the law firm, said that in the past and currently, bison meat has not been subject to the same E. coli O157:H7 testing requirements as ground beef. Many people assume that bison meat is safer than beef, but that reputation needs to be re-examined. Interestingly, the bison industry recognized this concern over two years ago.
The National Bison Association has noted:
Under our current status… bison are not required to undergo testing for E. coli O157:H7. Most of the commercial-scale USDA bison processors do conduct their own testing on a voluntary basis, and many of those systems exceed the standards required by USDA. However, the designation as a non-amenable species also allows producers to sell meat to the general public without undergoing some of the standard antimicrobial testing required by other commodities.
The statement from the bison trade group went on to say that any product recall based upon test results identifying the presence of E. coli O157:H7 would have a negative impact for the overall bison industry. However, the impact of an incident in which a consumer became ill from consuming meat that did not have to undergo testing for E. coli O157H7 could be even more devastating.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is not the basis for instilling consumer confidence in the integrity of our industry,” the statement said.
In response to the outbreak linked to Rocky Mountain Natural Meats, the bison association is telling its members to emphasize that the only products subject to recall were produced by the Colorado company. All recalled packages are marked with USDA establishment number “EST. 20247”.
- 16-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL GROUND BISON.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 21, June 22 or June 24, 2010.
- 16-ounce packages of “NATURE’S RANCHER GROUND BUFFALO.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 22, 2010.
- 16-ounce packages of “THE BUFFALO GUYS ALL NATURAL GROUND BUFFALO 90% LEAN.” These products have a lot number of 0147.
- 12-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL BISON STEAK MEDALLIONS.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 23 and 24, 2010
- 12-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL BISON SIRLOIN STEAKS.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 20, June 23 and 24, 2010
- 15-pound boxes of “ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATURAL MEATS, INC. BISON 10 OZ SIRLOIN STEAK.” These products went to restaurants and bear a Julian Code of 0141.
Ground Buffalo E. coli Sickens Maryland Man
Food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is representing a man from Baltimore, Maryland, who became sick with E. coli O157:H7 after eating Great Range Ground Bison in mid-June. The product is made by Rocky Mountain Natural Meats of Henderson, Colo., which has been tied by federal health officials to a buffalo E. coli outbreak.
Pritzker Olsen already represents a woman from Lakewood, Colorado, in a Rocky Mountain Natural Meats E. coli lawsuit filed this week in Golden, Colorado. In that case, a woman was hospitalized for several days after eating E. coli-tainted buffalo purchased at a King Soopers grocery store in Lakewood.
In the Baltimore case, the 28-year-old man was called several days ago by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene with information that he was infected with the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 that sickened the Lakewood victim, a cluster of others in Colorado and one person in New York.
Our Maryland client ate ground buffalo and fell ill on June 14. When his illness progressed to bloody diarrhea, he saw a physician in Lutherville, Maryland, where a stool culture was ordered.
Great Range Ground Bison and Nature’s Rancher Ground Buffalo are two of the brands USDA has associated with this outbreak. They are included in the Rocky Mountain Natural Meats recall, issued July 2 for 66,000 pounds of ground buffalo and other bison products.
Pritzker Olsen is in the midst of its own investigation of the Colorado buffalo E. coli outbreak and continues to accept cases from this outbreak. To contact an E. coli attorney at the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the online contact form on the side of this Web page.
Our consultations with you are free and you will owe us nothing until we win your case for you.
Colorado Buffalo E. coli Lawsuit Filed in Golden
A woman from Lakewood, Colorado, who was hospitalized for an infection of E. coli O157:H7 after eating bison meat has filed a lawsuit against Rocky Mountain Meats of Henderson, Colorado, the processor of the
meat.
The E. coli victim is represented by Pritzker Olsen law firm. Local counsel in Denver filed the suit July 8, 2010, in Jefferson County District Court. According to the complaint, the woman purchased the bison product in June at the King Soopers grocery store in Lakewood.
She fell ill with classic E. coli symptoms of diarrhea and stomach pain and was hospitalized for several days at Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. Using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE), state health officials concluded that she was part of a Colorado E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to the defendant’s bison meat.
The association with the outbreak prompted the Rocky Mountain Natural Meats recall of more than 66,000 pounds of ground buffalo, steaks and medallions on July 2.
Pritzker Olsen is currently in contact with other victims of this outbreak and is accepting additional cases. The firm is a leading practitioner of foodborne illness litigation and is actively involved in efforts to prevent outbreaks of E. coli and other dangerous pathogens.
If you or a loved one has become infected with E. coli O157:H7 after eating buffalo, contact a physician immediately and request a stool culture. For answers to legal questions, call our firm at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the online contact form on the side of this Web page. Over the years we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning.
Bison Trim Added to Rocky Mountain Meats Recall
The Rocky Mountain Natural Meats E. coli recall has grown to include another 776 pounds of potentially contaminated buffalo cuts that were distributed to a firm in Nevada for further processing.
The recall revision adds various weight boxes of Rocky Mountain Natural Meats “BISON B TRIM” to the pre-existing recall notice for 66,000 pounds of ground buffalo and buffalo steaks and medallions. The B Trim boxes bear a production date of May 21, 2010 and a Julian Code of 14110. The boxes also state “KEEP REFRIGERATED.”
The new notice from USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) doesn’t contain new information about the ground buffalo E. coli outbreak previously announced last Friday. So far there have been five people in Colorado and one in New York sickened by the same strain of E. coli O157:H7, a potentially deadly bacterium that is banned in ground beef.
FSIS associated the Colorado outbreak with ground buffalo recalled by Rocky Mountain Natural Meats of Henderson, Colo. The individual brands are Great Range Ground Bison, Nature’s Rancher Ground Buffalo and The Buffalo Guys Ground Buffalo 90 Percent Lean. They are sold nationwide at grocery stores and in some restaurants via distributors in Arizona and Utah.
Because consumers often freeze retail meat purchases, officials fear there is a potential for the outbreak to grow indefinitely. Freezing temps don’t kill the pathogen. If you have eaten buffalo meat and fallen ill with painful diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea, contact your physician immediately and request a stool culture.
Law firm Pritzker Olsen represents a Lakewood, Colorado, woman, who is a victim of this outbreak and the firm is accepting additional cases. Attorney Fred Pritzker has begun his own independent investigation and is available to discuss legal aspects with individuals and families affected by this Colorado bison E. coli outbreak.
To contact Fred, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the online contact form on the side of this Web page.
