Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

Additional stores identified in Cargill meat recall The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued an expanded distribution list for the 132,606 pounds of ground beef products that have been recalled by Cargill Meat Solutions. The ground beef products distributed to these stores were potentially contaminated with e. coli. FSIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state public health and agriculture partners determined that raw ground beef was the probable source of 17 illnesses and one death with illness onset dates ranging from July 5 to July 25, 2018. All of the…

Costco deli illnesses reported Several cases of salmonella have been reported by customers of the Costco Wholesale Warehouse deli in Issaquah, Washington. King County Public Health is investigating the illnesses of seven people who tested positive for salmonella bacteria after eating food they purchased at the Costco service deli. All seven people who got sick shopped at the Costco Wholesale Warehouse in Issaquah; five bought ready-to-eat food from the service deli, one was an employee at the Costco service deli, and one for whom the specific food purchase could not be verified. The service deli prepares and sells ready-to-eat foods,…

Macadamia nuts recalled for possible e. coli Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut products have been voluntarily recalled after e. coli was found in the well water and distribution system that supplies the company’s Kea’au, Hawaii, facility. Health officials were notified on September 21, 2018, that a water distribution system sample at the production center tested positive for e. coli. The plant was then shut down by the Hawaii State Department of Health. All nut products produced at the Kea’au plant between September 6 and September 21 are being recalled. Retail stores have been ordered not to sell the products and consumers…

Pasha Mediterranean Grill food poisoning count now close to 400 Labor Day diners quickly became ill with symptoms of food poisoning after eating at Pasha Mediterranean Grill in San Antonio, Texas. The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District began receiving phone calls from sick Pasha customers on September 2. Most of those diners were suffering from symptoms of salmonella contamination. By September 4, health officials had closed the restaurant to investigate the increasing numbers of illnesses being reported. To date, 389 cases of foodborne illnesses have been connected with diners at Pasha Mediterranean Grill. Of those, 14 have been hospitalized because…

15 people sick, 1 dead from ground beef sold in Florida Publix stores Over 130,000 pounds of potentially contaminated ground beef products were recalled on September 19, 2018. Some of the meat, produced by Cargill Meat Solutions, was found by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to be contaminated with e. coli. A total of 18 people became sick after eating the meat, including 6 who were hospitalized and 1 who died because of the severity of their food poisoning. Most of the illnesses occurred in Florida, with 15 people becoming ill there after purchasing…

Cargill recalls over 130,000 pounds of meat Cargill Meat Solutions has recalled 132,606 pounds of ground beef products after discovering they may be contaminated with e. coli. The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that the company, based in Fort Morgan, Colorado, recalled the ground beef products that were made from the chuck portion and packed on June 21, 2018. Cargill Meat Solutions previously announced a recall of over 25,000 pounds of ground beef products potentially contaminated with e. coli. Those products were produced on August 16, 2018, and shipped to warehouses in California and…

La Luz Mexican Grill closes permanently after salmonella contamination A Mexican restaurant located in Old Town Fort Collins, Colorado, has closed its doors permanently after a salmonella outbreak that led to illnesses in a number of its customers. La Luz Mexican Grill was cleared to reopen on September 11. Larimer County Health Department officials had closed the restaurant for 20 days after 30 customers became sick from food poisoning. The restaurant staff was required to complete a food handler program on food safety procedures before reopening. Some La Luz employees had also tested positive for salmonella; they were required to…

Pasha’s Mediterranean Grill sickness count up to 255 The number of restaurant patrons who became ill after eating at Pasha’s Mediterranean Grill in San Antonio, Texas, has increased to 255 with 12 people hospitalized. Fourteen people were confirmed to be ill with salmonella contamination so far, but that number is expected to rise. Ron Simon and Associates attorney Anthony Coveny spoke with the San Antonio CBS news station about the severity of the problem at Pasha’s Mediterranean Grill. Coveny told the reporter, “There have been no deaths in this, and this is very, very fortunate, because salmonella can be fatal.…

Cage free eggs recalled – 14 people ill Cage free eggs distributed to three states in the southeastern US have caused illnesses in fourteen people and have been recalled. Gravel Ridge Farms, based in Cullman, Alabama, recalled the cage free large eggs after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicated they may be contaminated with salmonella. The recalled eggs date to June 25, 2018. The FDA notified Gravel Ridge Farms of the salmonella potential on September 6, 2018. Cage free large eggs were distributed to restaurants and retail stores in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee between June 25 and September 6.…

Ready-to-eat Philly Beef Steak products recalled for listeria contamination Almost 7,000 pounds of ready-to-eat Philly Beef Steak products have been recalled because the meat may be contaminated with listeria. CTI Foods LLC, based in Owingsville, Kentucky, has recalled 6,720 pounds of the beef products that were produced on August 9, 2018. CTI Foods discovered the problem on September 7, 2018, when they received results from their lab that four product samples that had been produced on August 9 tested as potentially positive for listeria monocytogenes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall on…