As of August 10, 2021, a total of 28 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis have been reported from 8 states; Arizona (1), Connecticut (1), Illinois (9), Indiana(4), Michigan (1), Minnesota (4), Nevada (1) and New York (7). Illnesses started on dates ranging from February 21, 2021 to June 28, 2021, and have been linked to Kirkwood brand frozen food products.
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are collecting different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to Kirkwood brand raw frozen breaded stuffed chicken products.
USDA-FSIS and Indiana officials collected unopened packages of Kirkwood Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese from a sick person’s house for testing and identified the outbreak strain in the product. USDA-FSIS investigated and found that these products were produced at facility P-2375.
On August 9, 2021, Serenade Foods recalled approximately 59,251 pounds of frozen raw breaded stuffed chicken that bear establishment number “P-2375” inside the USDA mark of inspection. Do not eat, sell, or serve recalled products. Investigators are working to determine if there are additional products that may be linked to illness.
Recalled Food:
Frozen, raw chicken products that are breaded, pre-browned, and stuffed
- Dutch Farms Chicken with Broccoli & Cheese (lot code BR 1055; best if used by Feb 24 2023)
- Milford Valley Chicken with Broccoli & Cheese (lot code BR 1055; best if used by Feb 24 2023)
- Milford Valley Chicken Cordon Bleu (lot code BR 1055; best if used by Feb 24 2023)
- Kirkwood Raw Stuffed Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese (lot code BR 1055; best if used by Feb 24 2023)
- Kirkwood Raw Stuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu (lot code BR 1056; best if used by Feb 25 2023)
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 21 people interviewed, 13 (62%) reported preparing and eating frozen breaded stuffed chicken products. People reported buying many different brands of raw frozen breaded stuffed chicken products from multiple stores.
Sick people range in age from 3 to 83 years, with a median age of 39 years, and 52% are female. Of 24 people with information available, 11 have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported.
The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 2 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS). This investigation is on-going.
Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $700 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our Salmonella lawyers have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants. The law firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against such companies as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.
Marler Clark has represented countless Salmonella victims and is the only firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on plaintiff foodborne illness litigation.
If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection, including Reactive Arthritis or Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation. You can fill out the contact form or call toll-free at 800-884-9840.