Lettuce E. coli Outbreaks Continue to Haunt
In U.S. outbreaks of foodborne illness involving lettuce, E. coli O157:H7 is the major hazard in 22 percent of the events. This frequent combination of lettuce and E. coli has been studied by many public health interests in hopes of finding appropriate solutions, but the trend continues.
According to a recent study of produce outbreaks by Center for Science in the Public Interest, lettuce E. coli was the ninth most common combination involved in making people sick with an enteric disease . For the period 1990 to 2005, researchers counted 14 lettuce E. coli outbreaks that sickened 382 people. A closely associated combination of salad greens and E. coli caused 15 outbreaks in the same period that sickened 791 people.
Since 1993, at least 20 Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreaks have been traced to California-grown leafy greens – primarily lettuce and spinach. Most of these outbreaks involved packaged lettuce or other produce that, despite several chlorinated washes, contained sufficient numbers of E. coli O157:H7 to cause infection at the time of consumption. Although the exact E. coli contamination routes for these products remain unknown, contamination from the processing environment has been suggested in many instances.
Healthy cattle, which harbor the organism as part of the bowel flora, are the main animal reservoir of E. coli O157:H7 and other shiga-toxin producing types of E. coli. It has been shown in some instances that E. coli from the manure of cattle and other animals has contaminated lettuce in the field or processing environment via flooding or irrigation. Additional studies have shown that mechanical shredding of lettuce and other leafy greens serve as multi-directional transfer points for E. coli O157:H7. Still other studies have concluded that E. coli O157:H7 can penetrate into cut surfaces of lettuce and other leafy greens during processing.
Earlier this year our law firm investigated an E. coli outbreak associated with contaminated lettuce recalled by Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio. Pritzker Olsen attorneys were retained to represent a victim of this outbreak who became severely ill. The client, a student at Daemen College in Amherst, New York, contracted an E. coli O145 infection in April that developed into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening illness that can cause kidney failure, central nervous system damage, heart problems, pancreatitis, and other serious medical conditions. The student’s illness resulted in three separate hospitalizations and will seriously set back the course of study she was pursing.
According to the state Public Health Division in Oregon, E. coli infections can be very mild (even asymptomatic) or very severe, even fatal. E. coli O157:H7 typically causes diarrhea, often bloody, and often with vomiting or severe stomach cramps. Fever is usually very mild or nonexistent. Illness typically lasts two to ten days. HUS develops in 5 to 15 percent of cases, most often in children under 5 years old.
If you or a loved one has been sickened with E. coli 0157:H7 from lettuce, contact an E. coli lawyer at Pritzker Olsen, a national food safety law firm and one of the few groups in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. Free case consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. Our firm has collected millions for victims of E. coli throughout the country.
Backgrounder on Lettuce E. coli Outbreaks
Lettuce and leafy greens are on the top of the list of the 10 riskiest foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
No lettuce E. coli outbreaks have occurred this summer, but earlier this month Fresh Express recalled Romaine-based salad products with Use-by Dates of July 8 – 12 and an “S” in the Product Code.
The reason for the recall was a positive test result for E. coli O157:H7 found by FDA in a random sample of a single Hearts of Romaine salad. Although no longer being sold, consumers may still have the expired product in their homes and are warned not to eat it. No illness have been associated with the recall.
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nutrition watchdog group for consumers, has said the food group of lettuce and leafy greens has been linked to the most food poisoning outbreaks — 363 outbreaks from 1990 to 2006 — of any of the foods regulated by FDA that it surveyed. (The FDA does not regulate meat).
The outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Campylobacter and other pathogens have caused more than 13,500 illnesses. Manure, contaminated irrigation water, or poor handling practices are all possible culprits in those outbreaks.
The average size of lettuce E. coli outbreaks is larger than outbreaks from other foods, thus affecting more people, according to CSPI.
Leafy greens are among the healthiest of foods when not contaminated with harmful bacteria. But there are reasons why contamination reoccurs:
- They grow close to the ground, where they come in contact with manure, water runoff and wild animal feces — all of which can harbor pathogens.
- Cutting and bagging the greens allows microbes to enter the plants and flourish before the bags are opened.
- They are often eaten raw, without being processed with the normal kill step of applied heat.
- Machinery used in processing can cross-contaminate production lots and expand problems.
“Outbreaks give the best evidence of where and when the food safety system is failing to protect the public,” said Sarah Klein, lead author of the report by CSPI.
One of the worst outbreaks came in 2006. The Dole bagged baby spinach E. coli outbreak sickened 205 people in 26 states and caused three deaths. Two victims were elderly and one was a child, 2 years old.
Later the same year, E. coli O157:H7 appeared in produce once more when two separate incidents of contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce sickened a total of 152 individuals at chain restaurants Taco Bell and Taco John. Pritzker Olsen law firm was involved in representing victims of the Taco Bell lettuce E. coli outbreak and the Dole baby spinach outbreak.
We know that E. coli O157:H7 microbes stick especially well to leaf lettuce — especially when the crop is cut and bagged. They become embedded in the plant and are thus protected from surface washing in some cases. The organisms thrive in the environment of a plastic bag, especially when temperatures rise and refrigeration is more crucial. Many people also are in the unsafe practice of eating bagged lettuce without washing it.
If you or a loved one have been sickened by lettuce E. coli O157:H7 or other human pathogen on leafy green vegetables, contact an attorney at Pritzker Olsen for a free case consultation. By phone, your free inquiry can be taken at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.
Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of food borne illness litigation and we have recovered tens of millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning. Pritzker Olsen is dedicated to education and prevention of E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter and other harmful bacteria found in our food. Founder and president Fred Pritzker is a sought-after food safety expert who has long advocated strong food safety laws and more inspections of our food.
Keeping Lettuce Cold to Slow E. coli O157:H7
Maintaining fresh-cut iceberg and romaine lettuce at 41 degrees or lower is critical for reducing the food safety risks of E. coli O157:H7, USDA researchers have found.
A recent study by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service showed that E coli O157:H7 grows at a rapid, temperature-dependent rate before the lettuce deteriorates. That means the visual quality of bagged, fresh-cut lettuce is a poor indicator of the products’ food safety status.
Given the lack of visual cues, proper refrigeration is important to limit the growth of disease-causing microorganisms.
Results indicate that storage at 41 degrees, or 5 degrees Celsius, allowed the survival of E. coli O157:H7 on the packaged lettuce, but limited its growth.
All of the bagged products in the experiment were intentionally misted with E. coli bacteria in the lab and the bags were resealed. When they were stored at 54 degrees, or 12 degrees Celsius, the relative warmth led to a large increase in E. coli O157:H7 population on lettuce salads held for three days.
From 1990 to 2005, there were more than 700 foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States caused by contaminated produce. Many of those were lettuce E. coli outbreaks. The most recent major outbreak of E. coli in lettuce occurred earlier this year, sickening more than 20 people in six states.
Food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen has been retained by an E. coli HUS victim in connection with that particular E. coli O145 outbreak. The illnesses are associated with contaminated lettuce recalled by Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio.
The client, a student at Daemen College in Amherst, New York, contracted an E. coli infection in April that developed into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening illness that can cause kidney failure, central nervous system damage, heart problems, pancreatitis, and other serious medical conditions. The student’s illness resulted in three separate hospitalizations
If you or a loved one have been sickened by E. coli or other human pathogen in leafy green vegetables, contact an attorney at Pritzker Olsen for a free case consultation. By phone, your free inquiry can be taken at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or you may contact us online with the form on side of this web page.
Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of food borne illness litigation and we have recovered tens of millions of dollars for victims of food poisoning. Pritzker Olsen is dedicated to education and prevention of E. coli and other harmful bacteria found in our food. Our founder and president, Fred Pritzker, is a sought-after food safety expert who has long advocated strong food safety laws and more inspections of our food.
Freshway Lettuce E. coli Outbreak Update
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued its final update in the Freshway Foods lettuce E. coli outbreak that infected at least 33 people in New York, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
Unchanged in the report is the fact that three individuals from New York developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) from their E. coli O145 infections. This includes two teen-age students from Wappingers Falls, New York. Illnesses were reported in Wappingers Falls and nearby Hopewell Junction in Dutchess County, New York, not far from Poughkeepsie.
The third lettuce HUS victim is a freshman at Daemen College in Amherst, New York. She has retained law firm Pritzker Olsen to represent her in litigation against responsible parties, including Ohio-based Freshway Foods, the distributor of shredded romaine lettuce implicated as the cause of this outbreak.
CDC’s final update increases the number of confirmed cases from 23 to 26, including a new case in Pennsylvania. Seven other probable cases are included as outbreak cases. The CDC said the newly reported case in Pennsylvania does not reflect expansion of the outbreak but retrospective identification using computerized DNA fingerprinting.
The health agency continues to state that all the contaminated lettuce associated with the Freshway Foods E. coli outbreak came from a single farm, unnamed. Other reports have placed the farm in Yuma, Arizona, the largest producing region of winter lettuce in the United States.
The Food and Drug Administration is still working with state partners to determine where in the distribution chain the point of contamination likely occurred.
Here is the CDC list of where the outbreak was known to hit: Michigan (11 confirmed and 2 probable); New York (5 confirmed and 2 probable); Ohio (8 confirmed and 3 probable); Pennsylvania (1 confirmed), and Tennessee (1 confirmed).
Tennessee Joins Lettuce E. coli O145 Outbreak
Health officials in Tennessee have confirmed one case of E. coli O145 as part of the Freshway Foods lettuce E. coli outbreak previously limited to Michigan, Ohio and New York.
According to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the total number of confirmed cases in the romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak has grown from 19 to 23. Another seven illnesses are considered probable.
Health officials say multiple lines of evidence support the finding that contaminated romaine harvested in Yuma, Arizona, and distributed by Ohio-based Freshway Foods caused the outbreak. Young people dominate the group of known victims, including students from Columbus, Ohio; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Amherst, New York, home of Daemen College.
The best evidence so far is a bag of previously unopened romaine that was distributed by Freshway to an “institution” in one of the outbreak states. The lettuce tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli O145, which emits the same potentially deadly Shiga toxin as E. coli O157:H7, the most common STEC.
Recently, the investigation into the Freshway Foods lettuce E. coli outbreak was bolstered by a case-control study done in Michigan that found a significant association between outbreak victims and consumption of romaine lettuce.
Among the confirmed and probable cases with reported dates available, illnesses began between April 10, 2010, and April 26. Infected individuals range in age from 13 years old to 31 years old and the median age is 19 years. Sixty-six percent of patients are male.
Among the 30 patients with available information, 12, (40 percent) were hospitalized. Three patients have developed a type of kidney failure known as hemolytic-uremic syndrome, or HUS. No deaths have been reported.
Food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen has been in close contact with victims of this outbreak and is currently accepting cases. Contact an E. coli lawyer at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our online contact form.
Pritzker Olsen is one of the few firms in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. Over the years we have collected millions for victims of food poisoning and we are involved on behalf of victims in practically every major outbreak of food poisoning.
