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.
Raw Meal Organic Shake and Meal Investigation Over; FDA Role Unclear The FDA circulated an email early Monday morning indicating that the multistate investigation of the outbreak of Salmonella Virchow linked to Raw Meal Organic Shake and Meal Replacement Products has ended. The announcement, now also posted on the Agency website, summarizes the entire episode in one sentence: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local officials investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Virchow. The April 22 update issued by the FDA is ambiguous as to the nature of the FDA’s ongoing…
Dramatic Increase in South Central Idaho Shigella Cases The number of Shigella cases reported in South Central Idaho this year has already surpassed the total number of cases reported in 2015, the South Central Public Health District of Idaho said Thursday. Since January 1, 2016, 14 cases of shigellosis, also known as Shigella, have been reported in just four counties: Twin Falls, Minidoka, Blaine, and Jerome. Contrast that with the 17 total cases reported during the full year of 2015. “We’ve had sporadic cases over the years, a few every year,” said Tanis Maxwell, an epidemiologist with the health district. She continued, saying “we’ve…
CRF Frozen Foods Initiates Massive Recall of Frozen Vegetables; Cites Listeria Contamination Concerns CRF Frozen Foods, a Pasco, Washington company, has announced a voluntary recall of fifteen different frozen vegetable items due to fears of Listeria contamination. Routine testing by Ohio state health officials uncovered the Listeria contamination. Testing of one lot of Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) organic white sweet cut corn and IQF organic petite green peas both indicated the presence of the bacteria. The recalled frozen vegetables were widely distributed, both to retailers and distribution centers. The distribution of effected items occurred between September 13, 2015 and March 16, 2016.…
While norovirus outbreak at Oregon State University declared “over,” University of Rochester Outbreak Costs College $30,000 Daily OSU Officials Declare Outbreak “Over” “A norovirus outbreak that sickened dozens of residents in a dorm at Oregon State University has been declared over,” the AP reports. 80 to 100 student fell ill with the virus, and that’s one of the more conservative estimates. The outbreak began in late March, as students were returning from spring break. OSU official report that students reporting new symptoms has slowed to a trickle, “cautiously indicating the end of the outbreak.” Jenny Haubenreiser, OSU Student Health Services Director,…
CVS Recalls Herbal Tea Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination CVS Pharmacy has issued a recall announcement for select cases of Gold Emblem Abound Organic Spiced Herbal Tea. The tea manufacturer notified the company that the product is potentially contaminated with Salmonella, triggering the recall. The manufacturer’s raw material supplier reported that one of its ingredients had tested positive for Salmonella in another company’s product. The recalled tea also contains this ingredient. The recall affects products with the following details: “Gold Emblem Abound Organic Spiced Herbal Tea 1.41 oz” Packaged in 1.4 oz cartons Single best by date of 18 Mar 2018 UPC code 0 50428…
Lorigo’s Meating Place Recalls Ground Beef Patties After Tests Reveal Presence of E. coli O157:H7 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a Class I recall of ground beef product by Lorigo’s Meating Place on Thursday evening. According to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Buffalo-area establishment is recalling the meat product due to potential contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The ground beef patties being recalled were produced on April 15, 2016 and meet the following specifications: Sold as a 5 lb. box of ground beef patties; Box label reads “LORIGO BRAND BEEF PATTIES KEEP FROZEN THE MEATING PLACE…
CDC Concludes Investigation of Garden of Life Raw Meal Products; States More Outbreak Cases Possible The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the conclusion of its investigation into a 23-state outbreak of Salmonella Virchow associated with Raw Meal Organic Shake & Meal Replacement products. The Raw Meal products were manufactured, produced and distributed by Garden of Life LLC, a company based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Despite the conclusion of its investigation, the CDC expressed concern that additional outbreak cases may still occur. According to the CDC, the recalled products “have a long shelf life and may still be in people’s homes.” Because…
Salmonella Detected by FDA in Multiple Pet Food Products The US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) issued a warning letter to Lystn, LLC, which is operating under the name Answers Pet Food, after positive tests for Salmonella. The FDA product testing commenced following a 27-day inspection of multiple company facilities, including the facilities of the entity’s contract manufacturer. Investigators focused primarily on the Fleetwood, Pennsylvania facility. The warning letter informed the company of the results of the testing, which took place shortly after the conclusion of the inspections. According to the letter, the FDA tests revealed the presence of Salmonella in multiple…
Wisconsin Public Health Officials Investigating Potential Norovirus Outbreak Linked to Hotel Marshfield Wisconsin public health officials confirmed the existence of a potential norovirus outbreak in Marshfield associated with a company party held last weekend at Hotel Marshfield in Wisconsin. State of the (Potential) Outbreak At least 16 people who attended the weekend party contracted the norovirus-like illness, and the Wood County Health Department is in the process of confirming whether or not norovirus is the pathogen to blame. As of Wednesday evening, officials had confirmed the 16 reported cases in party attendees, according to local publication WSAW. Considering that the number of confirmed cases…
Home Canning Company Recalls Vegetable Soup Mary’s Home Canning is recalling Mary’s Home Made Vegetable Soup due to concerns it may have become contaminated with a life-threatening bacteria. A Lancaster, Pennsylvania company is recalling 1,644 jars of canned goods due to potential contamination with Clostridium botulinum, which is the bacteria that causes the illness known as botulism. Mary’s Home Canning has initiated recalls of the following products: Mary’s Homemade Vegetable Soup (Net Wt. 16 OZ) and Mary’s Homemade Vegetable Soup (Net Wt. 32 OZ). The company is recalling a total of 516 16-ounces cans, and an additional 1,128 32-ounce cans.…