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.
Price Chopper E. coli Lawsuit and the Fairbank Farms Ground Beef Recall
If your child contracted an E. coli infection from ground beef you purchased at a Price Chopper grocery store,
IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT THAT YOUR CHILD IS SICK.
The Price Chopper ground beef you purchased may have been part of a recall of 545,699 pounds of Fairbank Farms ground beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The recalled Fairbank Farms ground beef was sold to Price Chopper grocery stores in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont.
Raw ground beef products contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 are adulterated under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), which means that you and your child may have the right to sue Fairbank Farms and possibly Price Chopper for medical expenses, lost earnings, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages.
You and your child did not lose the right to sue for damages because you prepared the ground beef before serving it to your child. The Price Chopper ground beef you purchased and prepared should not have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
It is important for you and your child that you replace any guilt with a healthy dose of anger and seek justice.
To contact our law firm for a free consultation about a Fairbank Farms lawsuit and a Price Chopper E. coli lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), email Attorney Fred Pritzker or submit our online consultation form. We want to hear from you, and we have the experience to help.
We are not paid unless you win.
Keywords: Price Chopper lawsuit, E. coli ground beef, Fairbank Farms lawsuit, hamburger E. coli, Price Chopper beef recall, Fairbank Farms ground beef recall, Price Chopper Ecoli, class action lawsuit.
Shaws E. coli Lawsuit Involving Fairbank Farms Ground Beef
If your child contracted an E. coli infection from ground beef you purchased at a Shaw’s grocery store,
IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT THAT YOUR CHILD IS SICK.
The Shaw’s ground beef you purchased may have been part of a recall of over 500,000 pounds of Fairbank Farms ground beef products due to possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The recalled Fairbank Farms ground beef was sold to Shaw’s grocery stores in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Under federal law, ground beef contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 is “adulterated” for civil tort purposes, and you and your child may have the right to sue Fairbank Farms and possibly Shaw’s for medical expenses, lost earnings, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages.
You and your child did not lose the right to sue for damages because you prepared the ground beef before serving it to your child. The Shaw’s ground beef you purchased and prepared should not have been contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
Again, you are not at fault for your child’s illness. It is important for you and your child that you replace any guilt with a healthy dose of anger and seek justice.
The truth is our food supply is not safe, and terrorists are not at fault. All along the food supply chain, companies consistently put profit before safety, and the result is people getting severely ill and dying.
To contact our law firm for a free consultation about a Fairbank Farms lawsuit and a Shaw’s lawsuit, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free), email Attorney Fred Pritzker or submit our online consultation form. We want to hear from you, and we have the experience to help.
We are not paid unless you win.
Keywords: Shaw’s lawsuit, E. coli ground beef, Fairbank Farms lawsuit, hamburger E. coli, Shaw’s beef recall, Fairbank Farms ground beef recall, Shaws Ecoli, class action lawsuit.
Fairbank E coli Outbreak Victims Deserve Aid
Fairbank Farms, the meat company in western New York state associated with the Fairbank ground beef E. coli outbreak that has killed two people and sickened 26 others in 12 states should immediately pay the medical costs, lost wages and other direct and indirect expenses incurred by victims and their families.
The company is in the midst of a ground beef E. coli recall of more than 270 tons of potentially contaminated ground beef that was distributed to grocery stores in eight northeastern and New England states. Besides paying victims’ expenses, the company also should issue an apology.
“Eating a hamburger in the United States should not be a high-risk activity,” said Fred Pritzker, a national food safety lawyer who has represented E. coli victims against the world’s largest ground beef suppliers. “This outbreak was preventable.”
State and federal authorities are in agreement that strong epidemiological evidence and advanced, secondary DNA testing of ground beef from an open package of Fairbank Farms ground beef taken from the home of one of the victims correlates Fairbank Farms to the same strains of E. coli O157:H7 that have been making people sick.
Illnesses have been reported in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, South Dakota and California.
WTEN-TV of Albany, New York, reported that one of those who died was an older resident of Albany County who had underlying health problems. The other death occurred in New Hampshire, health officials in that state have confirmed.
E. coli O157:H7 emits a powerful Shiga toxin that attacks red blood cells in humans. Its effects can range from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to death and people who have weakened or underdeveloped immune systems — especially children under 5 and adults over 60 — are most vulnerable.
At least two of the 16 people hospitalized in this outbreak developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. This is a life-threatening complication of E. coli O157:H7 infection that kills more than 4 percent of its victims. Even when it’s not fatal, patients often suffer life-long health consequences. HUS is the leading cause of kidney failure in children around the world.
The presence of E. coli O157:H7 in Fairbank ground beef most likely means that not enough care was taken to keep cow fecal matter off muscle meat. The bacteria grows in the hind guts of cattle without harming them and gets impacted on their hides from manure. The manure can flake off and splatter and knives can mistakenly nick a cow’s intestines. Once the splattered beef is ground up, the pathogens can end up inside hamburger patties and meatloaf where they aren’t readily killed unless internal temperatures reach 160 degrees.
But victims should not be blamed for failing to kill potentially deadly microbes that aren’t supposed to be in their food in the first place.
Federal law bans E. coli O157:H7 from raw ground beef. In this case, the inspection process did not prevent it from entering the food supply. This gives victims of the Fairbank E. coli outbreak special legal rights and liability doesn’t stop with the meatpacker.
If you or a loved one has E. coli symptoms after eating ground beef (the signs might not show up for 4 to 8 days), contact a physician immediately. For answers to legal questions about this outbreak, call Pritzker Olsen Attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). Our firm is one of the few in the country practicing extensively in the area of food poisoning litigation and we have recovered millions for victims.
We currently represent E. coli HUS victims and are accepting cases from this outbreak. Call to received a free case consultation or complete our online contact and information form.
New Hampshire E. coli Cases and One Death Linked to Fairbank Farms Hamburger
Three E. coli O157:H7 cases and one E. coli death in New Hampshire have been linked to a recall of 545,699 pounds of Fairbank Farms ground beef products. The CDC has a cluster of 26 E. coli cases in 11 states, including New Hampshire, have been associated with the recalled Fairbank Farms hamburger that was sold at Shaws, Price Chopper, Trader Joe’s, Wild Harvest, Lancaster, BJ’s, Giant and Ford Brothers. Some of the Fairbank Farms ground beef products were repackaged or relabeled by the retailers.
“Our law firm is representing a 3-year-old boy that developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) from an E. coli infection. He fought for his life for weeks in the hospital. Most people do not realize how dangerous E. coli poisoning is and that severe cases can result in life-long illness or death,” stated Attorney Fred Pritzker.
“Simply requiring more E. coli testing at slaughterhouses and at processing plants before and after grinding would prevent many E. coli outbreaks linked to ground beef, but federal and state regulators are unwilling to do this. Our law firm continues to advocate for these changes, and we ask the public to write their legislators and demand more testing. Eating a hamburger should not be a high-risk activity.”
State health officials are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the New Hampshire Grocers Association and the CDC on this investigation, according to a press release from the New Hampshire DHHS:
“It’s possible we may see more cases in the coming days.”
“E. coli is a bacteria that produces a toxin that is potentially deadly to people,” said Dr. Jose Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS, “especially young children and seniors. People should prepare all meat products safely and cook to a proper temperature to prevent illness. For this recall people should check their freezers for any affected products and throw them away.”
