Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

McDonalds has a new CEO – and a new policy toward the chicken it purchases, and ultimately sales, to the American public at its 14,000 U.S. locations. Ironically, the “burger” restaurant sells more chicken than it does beef, and as one of the largest purchasers of chicken in the U.S., it can set the tone for chicken producers. Now, it is demanding that chicken to be free of human-use antibiotics, or antibiotics traditionally used to treat human illness. The change in policy reflects growing concern for the growing number of antibiotic resistant bacteria presenting each year in the U.S. According…

At least six children who attend Erma B. Reese Elementary School in Lodi, California have contracted E. coli poisoning. Staff at the school, located in San Joaquin County, noticed that four students were out sick, with one of them requiring hospitalization. Then, when a few others also became symptomatic with gastrointestinal illness, school officials notified the in San Joaquin County Health Department which immediately began an investigation. According to at least one local report, as yet unconfirmed, Reese Elementary School is not being cited by the San Joaquin County Health Department as the source, and an inspection of the cafeteria…

Ron Simon, a national food poisoning lawyer headquartered in Texas, has experience working with Shigella victims, having spent years representing thousands of food poisoning victims. According to Simon, schools, hospitals and prisons are among the most common locations for outbreaks of these potentially deadly pathogens. And now, Hoffman Elementary School is at the center of a Shigella outbreak – the Principle of Hoffman Elementary School sent a letter home to parents warning them that several confirmed cases of Shigella had been identified amongst the 2 to 4 year olds registered in a special program at the school in recent weeks.…

Between October 15th and 20th, a group of three individuals were identified as positive for Listeria monocytogenes. By November 10th, 16 more individuals had been identified. In the next few weeks, another 11 confirmed cases of Listeria were on record. Rushing to find the source, local and federal health official interviewed all the victims who could conduct an interview and noted a pattern – caramel apples. The caramel apples came from Happy Apple, Merb’s Candies, and California Snack Foods, three separate companies who all sold packaged caramel apples. By the end of 2014, all three companies had issued recalls. On…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just announced its findings that a massive outbreak of Salmonella Newport in 2014, beginning in May and running through the end of September, has been linked to cucumbers – with at least one Maryland manufacturer in the Delmarva region responsible for many of the illnesses. The cluster of Salmonella Newport, with XbaI PFGE pattern JJPX01.0061, was detected in August of 2014, following the huge July spike in illness onset (nearly two-thirds of all victims became ill in July and August). This Salmonella Newport Cucumber Outbreak, linked to the Maryland cucumbers, hospitalized approximately…

When Bidart Bros. shipped Granny Smith and Gala Apples to its customers, including Merb’s Candies, California Snack Foods, and Happy Apples, and then Happy Apples, California Snack Foods, and Merb’s Candies shipped them to grocery stores across the nation, they set in motion a Listeria outbreak that would affect at least 35 families in 12 U.S. states. The outbreak has been linked to as many as 7 deaths, 11 pregnancies Listeria is especially dangerous to pregnant women), and the hospitalization of at least 34 of the 35 victims. “Listeria,” says Caramel Apple Listeria Lawyer Ron Simon “is a very serious…

As predicted by X10 Salmonella lawyer Ron Simon, there has been a rise in the number of reported (and the number of confirmed) cases of salmonella food poisoning linked to the X10 Steakhouse in Dalhart Texas, with the number of victims climbing to about five dozen. The outbreak is a stark reminder, says Simon, that “a failure to commit to safe and proper food handling and storage practices can lead to devastating outcomes.” These victims all suffer from salmonellosis, with symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, head and body aches, and nausea. And though most victims seem to recover in a…

The X-10 Woodfire Steakhouse Salmonella outbreak in Dalhart, Texas, has now grown to 42 confirmed cases with many more victims likely to have been sickened. The majority of the victims presented to Coon Memorial Hospital with symptoms consistent with salmonellosis, including vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, headaches and body aches, and nausea. And while authorities have yet to determine how the salmonella was introduced intoX-10 restaurant, the restaurant is undoubtedly the source of the illnesses given the number of victims that presented to that establishment in the days leading up to the onset of salmonellosis. Salmonella Lawyer Ron Simon, who has represented…

Carrie Williams, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), told local reporters that the X-10 Woodfire Steakhouse was closed after 30 cases of salmonellosis were linked to the establishment in Dalhart, Texas. The closure, which was voluntary, coincided with an investigation into the cause of the large Salmonella outbreak, which included swabs and sampling of the food on hand at the X-10 restaurant. The swabbing and testing were all negative, but this is often the case according to Salmonella Lawyer Ron Simon. Simon explains “the food that is served during an outbreak of salmonella is often…

Local health officials were surprised when a large number of Salmonella victims began to appear in North-West Texas, but an investigation soon uncovered a common establishment that coincided with the incubation period an onset of Salmonellosis. Health officials at the county and state level, including the Texas Department of State Health Services, linked the Salmonella victims to the X-10 Woodfire Steakhouse, in Dalhart, Texas, located at 109 Cypress Lane in Dalhart. State investigators conducted a thorough investigation, including testing all of the employees. The restaurant, which is set to reopen today, has thoroughly cleaned and sanitized its premises and all…