Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers sickens 73

• 

An outbreak of Salmonella linked to cucumbers imported from Mexico has sickened 73 people in 18 states, according to an announcement today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

MORE FROM MY HEALTH NEWS DAILY:

• Top 7 Germs in Food that Make You Sick
• Sure You Want to Eat That? Some Foodborne Illnesses Rising
• 6 Superbugs to Watch Out For

People affected by the outbreak became ill between January and April of this year. So far, 14 patients have been hospitalized, but no one has died, the CDC said.

States with the most reported cases include California (28 cases), Arizona (nine cases) and Minnesota, (eight cases.) Cases also have been reported in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

After an initial investigation, the source of the outbreak appears to be imported cucumbers from two companies in Culiacán, Mexico: Daniel Cardenas Izabal and Miracle Greenhouse, the CDC said.

Two-thirds of the 45 patients interviewed by investigators reported eating cucumbers before they became sick. Currently, there's no evidence that the contaminated cucumbers are still being sold in stores, the CDC said. But the agency is blocking cucumber imports from the two Mexico-based companies until they can show that their cucumbers are not contaminated.

All patients were sick with a strain of bacteria called Salmonella Saintpaul. Symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. People typically become ill from Salmonella about 12 to 72 hours after eating food contaminated with the bacteria, the CDC said.

Consumers should wash all produce — including cucumbers — before eating, cutting or cooking, the CDC said.

 

 

Copyright 2013 MyHealthNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

View the original article here

Chocolate covered marshmallow eggs recalled over salmonella concerns

Zachary Confections, Inc. has announced a voluntary recall of Zachary Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Eggs over concerns of a possible salmonella contamination.

The recall is in response to a routine post-production testing, which found the potential for a salmonella contamination in one of its samples.  

The products being recalled include Zachary Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Eggs in 5-ounce crates.  The products come in white egg crates, with purple, green and yellow lettering.  The recalled marshmallow eggs have the following identifiers:

- Case UPC: 1 00 75186 31797 3

- Unit UPC: 0 75186 15797 8

- Code Dates: D3245D; D3145E; F3145E; D3245E

- Best Buy Date: 02/14/14

According to the FDA, the recalled products were made on Feb. 20 and Feb 21, 2013.  The Zachary Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Eggs are the only Zachary Confections products being recalled at this time.  So far, there have been no consumer illness complaints reported to the company regarding these products.

For more information, customers can call Zachary Confections Customer Service at (765)-654-8356.

Click for more information on this recall from the FDA.

View the original article here

Feds indict 4 over 2009 salmonella outbreak linked to Georgia peanut plant

ATLANTA –  A federal grand jury indicted four employees of a peanut company linked to a 2009 salmonella outbreak that killed nine people and sickened hundreds.

The indictment was unsealed Wednesday in federal court in Georgia and charges four employees with Virginia-based Peanut Corp. of America. The charges include conspiracy, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and others related to contaminated or misbranded food.

Named in the indictment were company owner Stewart Parnell, his brother and company vice president Michael Parnell, Georgia plant manager Samuel Lightsey and Georgia plant quality assurance manager Mary Wilkerson.

The recall of Peanut Corp.'s peanut products was one of the largest in history. FDA inspectors found remarkably bad conditions inside Parnell's processing plant in Blakely, Ga., including mold and roaches.

The indictment accused the Parnells and Lightsey of conspiring to defraud customers and obtain money through false and fraudulent pretenses. Wilkerson was charged with obstruction of justice.

The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment until after a news conference later Thursday.

The indictment alleged the conspiracy lasted from about June 2003 through February 2009. The indictment said peanut products were shipped after it tested positive for salmonella, and the company failed to inform customers.

Stewart Parnell, who invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying before Congress in February 2009, once directed employees to "turn them loose" after samples of peanuts had tested positive for salmonella and then were cleared in a second test, according to e-mails uncovered at the time by congressional investigators.

The indictment cited emails sent between defendants talking about the contamination in the product.

A federal judge in 2010 approved a $12 million insurance settlement for more than 100 salmonella victims.

Even President Barack Obama expressed concern at the height of the product recalls, noting that his daughter Sasha eats peanut butter for lunch as often as three times a week.

View the original article here