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Robert Ormsby Jr Fights E. coli as 10.5 Million Pounds of Frozen Snacks Recalled

According to press reports, Eighteen year old Robert Ormsby Jr. has been in ICU at the Buffalo Veterans Administration for nearly one week. The Tonawanda resident is being treated for severe complications from E. coli O121 contamination.

Of the 24 people known to have been sickened in the multistate E. coli O121 outbreak linked to frozen snacks, 7 were hospitalized and one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening complication of E. coli infection marked by kidney failure, health authorities announced today.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service released more information about its outbreak investigation Thursday evening, a few hours after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published its own outbreak update in the form of an expanded recall of foods from Rich Products Corporation – the company whose frozen snacks have been linked to the E. coli outbreak.

The company is now recalling all products made at its Waycross, Georgia facility with an expiration date of January 1, 2013 through September 29, 2014.

With this new expansion, the total amount of food recalled in connection with this outbreak reaches over 10.5 million pounds, reported FSIS.

According to the agency, samples taken from two Rich Corporation foods have tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli. These include the company’s frozen mini quesadilla and leftover Farm Rich mini pepperoni slices collected from the home of one of the outbreak victims.

Ten patients in Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia recall eating Farm Rich products in the weeks leading up to their illnesses, according to FSIS.

For a full list of retailers that sell Rich Corp. products subject to the recall, go here.

E. coli O121 is one of the six newly emerging pathogenic strains of E. coli, or the “big six,” that were declared adulterants in meat and poultry by FSIS in June of 2012. Before that time, only E. coli O157:H7 was considered illegal in these products.

E. coli: Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of E. coli outbreaks and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The E. coli lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of E. coli and other foodborne illness infections and have recovered over $600 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our E. coli lawyers have litigated E. coli and HUS cases stemming from outbreaks traced to ground beef, raw milk, lettuce, spinach, sprouts, and other food products. The law firm has brought E. coli lawsuits against such companies as Jack in the Box, Dole, ConAgra, Cargill, and Jimmy John’s. We have proudly represented such victims as Brianne Kiner, Stephanie Smith and Linda Rivera.

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