Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D
Tony Coveny, Ph.D
Tony Coveny, has been practicing infectious disease litigation exclusively for more than a decade, settling cases against major agro-industrial companies, international suppliers, and domestic distributors and manufacturers. Tony Coveny, alongside Ron Simon, has tried cases against restaurants, distributors, national manufacturers, and foreign corporations to recover damages against their clients. From the main office in Houston, which he manages, he speaks to potential and current clients on a daily basis.
Rough Summer for Frozen Vegetables as Recalls Abound It’s been a rough summer for vegetables. In May, CRF Frozen Foods recalled 358 frozen vegetable products sold under 42 brand names. In addition, the FDA helped recall at least 98 other products. While the recalls went on, the FDA inspected the plant, reporting unsanitary conditions. In addition to the 456 products recalled in connection with the CRF incident, firms announced additional recalls. National Frozen Foods Corporation recalled a large number of frozen green peas. The recalled products included peas sold under WalMart’s Great Value brand, Target’s Market Pantry brand, and the store brands for Sprouts…
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an outbreak announcement late Friday afternoon confirming that the agency has linked 30 cases of Salmonella in nine states to the same source: alfalfa sprouts from Denver, Colorado company Sprouts Extraordinaire. 30 Infected, 5 Hospitalized with Salmonella from Alfalfa Sprouts Officials stated that the 30 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella are spread across nine states. Colorado accounts for almost half of the confirmed cases (13), with Kansas coming in a distant second at 8 confirmed cases. Nebraska and Wyoming both confirmed two cases of the alfalfa sprout outbreak strains, while the…
An E. coli outbreak that sickened at least eight children has been linked to a Marshall, Minnesota in-home daycare establishment. In addition, a Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) spokesman said the Department’s investigation is ongoing. MDH spokesman Doug Schultz answered questions Thursday to clarify the situation. MDH received a report of E. coli at the daycare facility earlier, on July 27th. While the report came in late last month, MDH believes the infections happened in mid-July. Eight Children from Daycare Ill: Two Hospitalized, One with Serious Complications Schultz said eight children tested positive for E. coli infections. Moreover, two children required hospitalization due to the severe nature…
Acting “out of an abundance of caution,” Grassfields Cheese LLC voluntarily recalled 20,000 pounds of organic cheese afternoon. The company initiated the recall after testing by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development revealed the presence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in a sample of the company’s cheese. Although the Grassfields Cheese press release opts not to specify the strain of STEC detected, serotypes of STEC generally exhibit more virulent characteristics than their non-Shiga toxin-producing counterparts. Recall Affects All Organic Cheeses Produced by Company During Six Month Stretch The far-reaching recall involves all types of organic cheese produced by the company from December…
On Tuesday Night, public health officials confirmed that at least 36 people contracted E. coli O157 infections at an all-class reunion last month in Richey, Montana. Tests confirmed outbreak cases in nine states and seven Montana counties. The widespread nature of the cases makes sense in this case. Victims of outbreaks such as this one often come from a small geographic area. However, the nature of a reunion explains why tests have confirmed E. coli cases in so many states. Class reunions involve people leaving their home town to gather in a single place and then return home. Since symptoms of E. coli typically begin 3-4 days after exposure, attendees…
Four more people contracted E. coli from General Mills flour after the last Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) release on July 1st. 4 New General Mills E. coli Cases Confirmed; More Flour Recalled The four additional infections bring the total case count to 46 people. The 46 occurred in 21 different states. Although officials report no fatalities, 13 people have developed HUS. Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) causes kidney failure and in some cases leads to death. While the first 42 victims fell ill with E. coli O121, a second type of E.…
Before you throw some hot dogs on the grill this weekend, make sure they don’t appear on the list of recalled franks released this week. The recall of over 372,000 pounds of hot dogs and corn dogs by Bar-S came as a result of Listeria concerns. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also issued a Class I Recall for the same products. The Class I rating means a “reasonable probability” exists that the recalled product “will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.” Bar-S Recalls 372,884 Pounds of Hot Dogs, Corn Dogs After Recurring Listeria Issues Earlier this week, Bar-S Foods Company recalled 372,684 pounds…
A slaughterhouse shut down by federal public health officials last year after producing pork linked to an outbreak that caused almost 200 cases of Salmonella is the prime suspect in an ongoing outbreak of the infection, Public Health – Seattle King County reported Tuesday. Officials Confirm 11 Cases in Ongoing Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Seattle Good Vibe Tribe Luau Victims of the current outbreak all attended a luau held on July 3rd at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle. The Good Vibe Tribe Luau offered a number of different foods, and officials have not confirmed the source of the outbreak. However, strong circumstantial evidence points to pork supplied by Kapowsin…
An outbreak of Hepatitis A on Oahu has sickened at least 52 people as of Sunday, including two foodservice workers. The state of events prompted calls from state health officials “to be vigilant about the symptoms of the disease.” Source Remains Unidentified Despite Ill Foodservice Workers State health department officials stress that attempts to identify the source continue. In addition, officials state that multiple sources could be causing the illnesses. As a result, the officials consider everything from wholesale products to eateries as potential sources. Officials state the fact that no common food or establishment links the patients leads to…
From March to July of 2009, an outbreak of E. coli linked to Nestlé Toll House prepackaged cookie dough sickened 77 people in 30 states. Ultimately, 55 of the 77 sickened individuals landed in the hospital as a result of their E. coli O157:H7 infections. In addition, and at least 10 developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which leads to kidney failure. Due to the outbreak, Nestlé initiated a recall of 3.6 million packages of its cookie dough batter. Expert Study: Flour Most Likely Suspect in Cookie Dough Outbreak Investigators launched traceback efforts during the outbreak, including laboratory and environmental analysis. Although they isolated cookie dough as…