“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.”

The Fairbank Farms ground beef outbreak has sickened people in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire. And the impact could be wider. The company’s Halloween recall of 545,699 pounds of potentially adulterated hamburger meat listed eight states where the beef was distributed: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Maryland and Connecticut.

Retailers that carried the ground beef — all sold under various store labels marked with USDA establishment number EST 492 — were Trader Joe’s, Shaws Supermarkets, ACME, Price Chopper, Giant Food Stores, BJ’s Wholesale Club/Burris and Ford Brothers. Click here and scroll down for the company’s most recent recall list.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is involved in the investigation of the outbreak, but so far the agency hasn’t commented on how many illnesses or deaths may have been caused by it. The E. coli ground beef was produced between September 14 and 16 and most sell-by dates were in the range of September 19-28. Given the late date of the recall, any unused product would be in residential freezers, where the bacteria does not die.

Anyone with symptoms of food poisoning, including bloody diarrhea, should see a physician immediately. To receive legal information about this outbreak, call national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). An E. coli attorney at our firm will listen to your information and provide you with a free case consultation regarding a Fairbank Farms lawsuit. If you prefer online communication, please complete our contact and information form.

Pritzker Olsen is involved on behalf of victims  in practically every major E. Coli O157:H7 outbreak in the United States. As such, we have collected tens of milions of dollars for victims of food poisoning. Rhode Island E. coli attorney David Szerlag is a member of our staff and lawyers Fred Pritzker and Elliot Olsen are known nationally for their expertise in food poisoning. This year, both Pritzker and Olsen taught E. coli prevention seminars  at national food industry conventions. Helping to prevent foodborne illness is an important part of our the mission.

¹Boston Globe, Nov. 1, 2009