“Over the last few months, we have seen a stunning number of outbreaks, and I have been doing this work since the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box E. coli outbreak,” said William “Bill” Marler. “From Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli in foods as varied as cucumbers, deli meat, chicken, carrots, hamburger, onions, lettuce, and eggs, it seems that our food safety net is fraying at best and broken at worst, and we are not even talking about the countless recalls."
Here are the latest outbreaks:
SunFed cucumber Salmonella outbreak
As of November 26, 2024, a total of 68 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 19 states, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Of the 50 people for whom information is available, 18 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported so far. On Thanksgiving Day, whole, fresh American cucumbers were sold by SunFed and other importers and shipped to customers located in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. On November 27, 2024, SunFed Produce, LLC initiated a recall of all sizes of American/slicer cucumbers that were grown by Agrotato, S.A. de C.V. in Sonora, Mexico.
Yu Shang Food Listeria outbreak
As of November 22, 2024, 11 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from four states, including California (7), Illinois (2), New York (1), and New Jersey (1). Sick people’s samples were collected from October 24, 2021, to July 31, 2024. Of 11 people with information available, nine have been hospitalized. In California, one pregnant person and their twins were sick and both infants died. Listeria was found in a sample from the mother and from one of the twin infants, but it could not be found in a sample from the other infant. One other Listeria illness was reported in an infant who was sick and recovered. On November 9, 2024, Yu Shang Food, Inc. recalled ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. On November 21, 2024, Yu Shang Food, Inc. expanded their recall. The CDC is advising people not to eat, sell, or serve recalled products.
Grimmway Carrots E. coli outbreak
As of November 17, 2024, 39 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli have been reported from 18 states according to the CDC, including Wyoming (1), Washington (8), Virginia (1), Texas (1), South Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (1), Oregon (3), Ohio (1), North Carolina (1), New York (5), New Jersey (2), Missouri (1), Minnesota (5), Michigan (1), Massachusetts (1), Colorado (1), California (3) and Arkansas (1). Illnesses started between September 6 and October 28, 2024. Of 38 people with information available, 15 have been hospitalized and none developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. One death has been reported from California. The CDC and public health officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O121 infections linked to multiple brands of recalled organic whole bagged carrots and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms. Carrots on store shelves right now are likely not affected, but carrots impacted by the outbreak may already be in people's homes.
Wolverine Packing E. coli outbreak
At least 19 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli O157 tied to a national recall of more than 167,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was notified of illnesses on November 13, 2024, and working in conjunction with Minnesota Departments of Agriculture and Health, they found a link between the ground beef products from Wolverine Packing Co. and this illness cluster. On November 20, 2024, a ground beef sample collected by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as part of an outbreak investigation tested positive for E. coli O157. To date, case patients have been identified in Minnesota with illness onset dates ranging from November 2 to 10, 2024. The infections occurred in people who had eaten hamburgers at Red Cow restaurants in the Minneapolis and Rochester areas, as well as the Hen House Eatery in Minneapolis.
Andre’s Catering E. coli outbreak
Missouri Health officials have reported that 106 people, including students from Rockwood Summit High School and adults from the community, have been confirmed as outbreak patients. The patients attended five separate events catered by Andre’s Banquet Center. Patients attended two school band events, two funerals, and a veteran's event catered by the business. As of November 21, 2024, county hospitals reported that two of the outbreak patients had developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a rare but serious disease that can occur as a complication of an E. coli infection.
McDonald’s E. coli outbreak
As of November 13, 2024, 104 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 14 states, including Colorado (30), Montana (19), Wyoming (6), Kansas (3), North Carolina (1), Iowa (1), Missouri (8), Michigan (1), Nebraska (12), New Mexico (10), Oregon (1), Utah (8), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (1). Of 98 people with information available, 34 have been hospitalized and four people developed HUS, a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. One death unrelated to HUS has been reported from an older adult in Colorado. Of the 81 people interviewed, 80 (99%) report eating at McDonald’s. Seventy-five people were able to remember specific menu items they ate at McDonald’s, and 63 of 75 people (84%) reported a menu item containing Taylor Farms' fresh slivered onions.
Milo's Poultry Farms Egg Salmonella Outbreak
As of October 17, 2024, a total of 93 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from 12 states, including Arizona, California, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Colorado. Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 23 to September 13, 2024. Of 87 people with information available, 34 have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection traced the source of eggs supplied to restaurants where ill people ate before they got sick. Records show that Milo's Poultry Farms supplied eggs to those restaurants. The FDA conducted an inspection at Milo's Poultry Farms and collected samples. The outbreak strain of Salmonella was found in the packing facility, the hen egg laying house, and in recalled eggs.
Boar’s Head Listeria outbreak
As of November 19, 2024, a total of 61 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria were reported from 19 states, including Arizona (1), Florida (3), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (8), Minnesota (1), Missouri (3), North Carolina (1), New Jersey (6), New Mexico (1), New York (19), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (1), Virginia (4), and Wisconsin (1). Sick people’s samples were collected from May 29 to September 13, 2024. Of 61 people with information available, 60 were hospitalized. One person got sick during their pregnancy and remained pregnant after recovering. Ten deaths were reported, including one in Illinois, one in New Jersey, two in New York, one in Virginia, one in Florida, one in Tennessee, one in New Mexico, and two in South Carolina. Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback data showed that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with Listeria and made people sick.
William “Bill” Marler has been a food safety lawyer and advocate since the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak which was chronicled in the book “Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. Coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat” and in the recent Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary, "Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food." Bill’s work has been profiled in The New Yorker, “A Bug in the System;” The Seattle Times, “30 years after the deadly E. coli outbreak, a Seattle attorney still fights for food safety;” The Washington Post, “He helped make burgers safer. Now he is fighting food poisoning again;” and several others.
Bill regularly speaks about the importance of preventing foodborne illness to industry and government throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, China, and Australia. He is a frequent commentator on food litigation and food safety to Marler Blog. Bill is also the publisher of Food Safety News.
For all media inquiries, please contact Julie Dueck at (206) 930-4220 or jdueck@marlerclark.com.