Marler Clark's Salmonella lawyers represented victims of a Salmonella serotype Chester outbreak linked to Marie Callender's Cheesy Chicken and Rice dinners in 2010. At least 44 people in 18 states became ill with Salmonella infections after eating the ConAgra-made products between April 11 and August 27, 2010.
Collaborative investigative efforts of public health officials linked the outbreak to Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice single-serve frozen entrées. The CDC launched an epidemiologic study and found that ill persons were significantly more likely than well persons to report eating a frozen meal, and all ill persons who ate frozen meals reported eating a Marie Callender’s frozen meal. Additionally, two unopened packages of Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice entrées collected from two patients’ homes yielded Salmonella Chester isolates with a genetic fingerprint indistinguishable from the outbreak pattern.
After the CDC informed ConAgra Foods of a possible association between the Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice entrées and the outbreak of Salmonella Chester infections, ConAgra recalled the product on June 17, 2010. Products subject to the recall bore on their package label, “P-45” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
On June 23, 2010, Marler Clark filed a Salmonella lawsuit against ConAgra on behalf of an Oregon man who was sickened by the frozen meal. A second Salmonella lawsuit was filed on behalf of another outbreak victim on June 25. Marler Clark also represented many victims of the 2007 ConAgra Banquet frozen Pot Pie outbreak, which followed much the same pattern of illnesses. All cases have been resolved.