Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

The New Normal for Restaurants: COVID’s Impact on The Way We Eat Like almost every other public service sector, the restaurant business has been greatly affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic. During the initial stages of the Pandemic, in March and April, countless restaurants faced closure in compliance with state and local health mandates, in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Governor Abbot’s plan for the phased reopening of the Texas economy included the implementation of strict regulations and practices for restaurants throughout Texas, including Dallas, Austin, Houston, Galveston, San Antonio, and San Marcos. According to Melissa Steward,…

Nation’s First Red Onion Salmonella Lawsuit Filed by Ron Simon & Associates Against Thomson International  – Now Over 60 Utah Residents Infected with Salmonella from Red Onion Outbreak While Oregon has had the most cases of Salmonella from Thomson International’s contaminated red onions with 71 cases, Utah follows closely behind with 61 reported cases. The FDA recently released the brand names the onions were sold under, including “Utah Onions”. The other brand names include Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Hartley’s Best, Onions 52, Majestic, Imperial Fresh, Kroger, and Food Lion. All onions were sold…

California Salmonella lawsuit

Oregon is now at the center of an outbreak of salmonella linked to red onions. The first Red Onion salmonella lawsuit, naming Thomson International, Inc., is expected to be filed this week. Oregon is currently suffering from a Salmonella outbreak produced by red onions from Thomson International Inc., a food producer from Bakersfield, California. At least 76 Oregon citizens have confirmed cases of Salmonella from Thomson International’s onions, though officials speculate there are more cases yet to be reported. These 76 cases have occurred in 13 Oregon counties, with 18 of the cases requiring hospitalizations, and zero deaths. Thomson…

The July Salmonella Newport Outbreak has finally been identified by the FDA and CDC, on the heels of Canadian officials calling out red onions: Red Onions from Bakersfield, California-based Thomson International Inc. Since the previous update on July 24, 2020, concerning a Salmonella outbreak in Newport with an unknown source, the FDA, in partnership with the CDC, has found a likely source for the outbreak. Red onions have been deemed the source of the outbreak, produced by Thomson International Inc. of Bakersfield, California. The company has initiated a voluntary recall of all of their onion products in order to…

Thomson Onions Salmonella Lawsuit – Number of Cases Skyrocket:  396 Victims in 34 Cases with 59 Hospitalizations According to National Salmonella Lawsuit Lawyer Ron Simon, “the recent outbreak of nearly 400 salmonella victims has finally led investigators from the CDC and FDA to Thompson onions.  The announcement, on July 31st, comes one day after Canadian health officials named red onions as the source of 114 confirmed cases in that country, with 43 victims in British Columbia, 55 in Alberta, 13 in Manitoba, 2 in Ontario, and one on Prince Edward Island.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) noted the ongoing outbreak…

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Backyard Poultry An outbreak of Salmonella infections has caused a total of 938 reported cases, causing 151 hospitalizations, and one death in Oklahoma. The outbreak spans 48 states, sparing Hawaii and Rhode Island. The CDC believes the outbreak began in January of 2020, with the last case reported on July 15, 2020. During an interview with 409 people that reported a Salmonella infection caused by the outbreak, 303 people (74%) said they had previously had contact with either chickens or ducklings. An increase has been noted in the amount of Americans that keep chickens and…

Fresh Express now faces more than a Dozen Lawsuits as the number of confirmed Cyclospora cases nears 700 – 641 in the U.S. as of July 23rd, and 37 in Canada as of July 8th. The latest update by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), regarding the 11-state (with a potential of 22 additional states) outbreak of the parasite Cyclospora.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and FDA, working in tandem, announced on July 23, 2020 that the “confirmed case count”  had increased to 641 – with an additional 37 “confirmed cases” in Canada  (though officials there have…

 Victory for Kids (and Their Moms!): Raw Cookie Dough Products From Pillsbury are Now Safe to Eat             Rejoice, cookie dough lovers! Pillsbury has announced that some of their refrigerated cookie dough products are now safe to eat. Typically, raw cookie dough is unsafe to eat due to the raw flour and raw eggs, which can cause food poisoning. However, Pillsbury has modified their recipe for some cookie dough and brownie products so that they are safe to eat raw. They are now using pasteurized eggs and heat-treated flour to eliminate the risk of food poisoning. Raw cookie dough that…

Unknown Source Causes Salmonella Outbreak in Fifteen States             In 15 states, at least 125 people have reported Salmonella infections due to an unknown source. The illnesses began on June 19, 2020, and reportedly ended on July 7, 2020, requiring 24 hospitalizations. As of now, Oregon has the highest number of cases with 42 reported illnesses, followed by Utah (28), Michigan (12), Montana (11), Wyoming (9), Ohio (5), California (3), Iowa (3), Minnesota (3), North Carolina (3), Missouri (2), Illinois (1), Tennessee (1), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (1). The CDC is currently investigating the outbreak, having found no restaurants, grocery…