Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

According to officials from the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota State’s Health and Agriculture, there is a Chipotle Food Poisoning outbreak of Salmonella linked to a number of Chipotle restaurants in the state. The restaurants identified in this outbreak include two central Minneapolis locations (7 Corners and US Bank Plaza locations), as well as restaurants in Bloomington, Calhoun, Crystal, Hopkins, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Minnetonka, Richfield, Ridgedale, Rochester, Shoreview, St. Cloud, St. Louis Park, St. Paul Lawson, and Uptown. So far, and state officials warn the number is very likely much higher, 45 victims have been identified by MDH since…

Today the food poisoning law firm of Ron Simon & Associates filed the first California cucumber lawsuit on behalf of Doris Zieman, a 73 year old victim of the Salmonella Poona outbreak linked to Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce cucumbers, imported from Baja California. This was the first California cucumber lawsuit filed against Andrew & Williamson for illnesses caused by the tainted Limited Edition cucumbers that are at the center of a nation-wide Salmonella outbreak. The victim is Doris Zieman. Doris was celebrating her 49th wedding anniversary at Red Lobster with her husband when she consumed the tainted cucumbers. Doris…

According to Texas State health officials, there is a second victim in the Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce cucumber outbreak. This victim was a resident of Texas and believed to have an underlying medical condition. The death is the second death in the dangerous Salmonella Poona outbreak sweeping the nation, which according to the CDC and the FDA, has been caused by cucumbers that originated in Baja California and were imported for bulk distribution under the label Limited Edition. So far the official count is 341 victims in 30 states. This death is the second, following the death of an…

Health officials from the State of New Mexico have confirmed that the state is the home of 15 of the nearly 300 victims of Salmonella Poona who ate imported cucumbers from Baja, Mexico. The cucumbers were grown and harvested at Rancho Don Juanito farms and then imported to the U.S. by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce (A&W), a produce company headquartered in San Diego that imports and sells a variety of fruits and vegetables, including “American” or “slicer” cucumbers. The cucumbers are a dark green and about 7 to 10 inches in length, often sold in bulk. A&W sold them…

Montana currently has 11 confirmed Salmonella Poona victims which epidemiological testing has determined are indistinguishable by PFGE analysis from the nearly 300 other Salmonella Poona victims in 27 states. The Montana victims are residents of Cascade, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Lewis & Clark, Park, Musselshell and Yellowstone counties. And while Montana authorities have yet to name the source, the FDA and CDC were less recalcitrant — and identified that cucumbers had been coming up with amazing regularity in their interviews, in which nearly 75% of the interviewed victims report they ate cucumbers in the week prior to becoming ill. The results…

The massive outbreak of Salmonella Poona, with victims in at least 27 states, has been linked to “American Cucumbers” harvested in Baja, Mexico and imported/distributed through the Californian company Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce (A&W), a produce company headquartered in San Diego that imports and sells a variety of fruits and vegetables. The American Cucumbers, also known as “slicer cucumbers,” are sold under the brand name Limited Edition® though it would be difficult for customers buying the product to identify the source since they are usually sold in bulk. A&W cucumbers are widely distributed, and sold in Wal-Mart, Costco, Olive…

The Texas Department of State Health Services warns of Salmonella contaminated cucumbers in an announcement release yesterday, following national guidelines in the aftermath of a nation-wide outbreak of Salmonella Poona liked to at least 300 victims as of late August. More victims are likely to be identified in the ensuing weeks as health officials become aware of the outbreak and victims come forward reporting their illnesses. The cucumbers at issue come from Mexico, and were imported by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce, a California company. They were widely distributed throughout the United States, with victims identified in at least 27…

Authorities have identified the source of a massive outbreak of Salmonella Poona, linking it to imported Mexican cucumbers that have sickened 300, including one death. The outbreak of Salmonella Poona has been linked to over 300 victims in 27 states, with a hospitalization rate of about 33% of the victims. One victim, a resident of California, has died. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the victims began to present with the symptoms of salmonellosis on July 3, 2015, with the most recent reporting their onset as recently as August 26, 2015. The CDC reports that the…

On August 21, 2015, the Ventura County Environmental Health Division (VCEHD) was notified about a growing number of patrons of the Simi Valley Chipotle restaurant who were reporting food borne illnesses. The majority of these individuals had eaten at the Simi Valley Chipotle on August 18th and 19th. Investigators from VCEHD immediately called the Ventura County Public Health Division (VCPHD) and together they worked to confirm that the Simi Valley Chipotle food establishment was, in fact, the source of the food borne illness outbreak. As the number of complaints continued to rise, it became more and more certain that the…

At least six of the patrons of the Issaquah Farmers Market, who visited the market in August, have been identified as victims in an E. coli outbreak linked to Los Chilangos food truck catering, a company that distributed steak tacos to customers. Los Chilangos is just one of 12 food vendors who prepared their food at the Eastside Commercial Kitchen, which has been shuttered out of an abundance of caution. It remains closed pending the conclusion of the initial investigation into the outbreak. While it is still uncertain what was contaminated with E. coli, local reports indicate that health officials…