Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

Sonic and Olive Garden customers may have been exposed to Hepatitis A The Utah Department of Health has announced that an employee infected with hepatitis A was working at the Sonic Drive-In and at the Olive Garden in Spanish Fork in December 2017. An outbreak of hepatitis A in that area of Utah has been linked to these two restaurants and to the infected employee. The restaurants involved are Sonic on North Main Street and Olive Garden on North Canyon Creek Parkway. Visitors to Sonic on December 23 and 24 and to Olive Garden anytime from December 21 to December…

Thirteen state recall of frozen coconuts linked to salmonella case in Boston The Boston Public Health Commission, working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, has identified a rare strain of salmonella in frozen coconuts. The coconuts have been distributed to thirteen states since January 2017. Evershing International Trading Company issued a voluntary recall of the frozen shredded coconut that was distributed in 16-ounce packages under the Coconut Tree brand name. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health shared the information about the rare strain of salmonella found in the coconut with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the…

Romaine E. Coli Outbreak Plagues U.S. and Canada Romaine lettuce is likely the source of an outbreak of E. Coli in the U.S. and Canada, this according to a number of health advocates who are calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to do more to bring an end to this outbreak.  For their part, the FDA and CDC are warning consumers to be cautious, but unlike their counterparts in Canada who have publicly announced “the Public Health Agency of Canada has identified romaine lettuce as the source of the…

Romaine Lettuce E. Coli Outbreak in Canada May Have Reached The United States As 17 Victims Fall Ill: The Public Health Agency of Canada (“PHAC”) has been investigating a multi-province outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (“E. coli”) since mid-autumn. As of December 28th, it reports at least 41 confirmed cases of E. coli linked to the consumption of Romaine lettuce.  The victims reside in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, and PHAC is warning consumers not to eat Romaine lettuce, but to opt for other types of lettuce at this time.   Now, the United States Centers…

Chipotle in the News Again:  Los Angeles Pico Boulevard Chipotle Food Poisoning Under Investigation New reports of food poisoning now coming in from patrons of Chipotle  – this time it’s they come from patrons of the Chipotle Mexican Grill located at  4550 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles.  According to the Health Department’s Communicable Disease Control and Prevention Unit, there are a number One local source has published at least  three online  reports of food poisoning by patrons who frequented the establishment from December 14th through the 16th of this year.  This most recent investigation follows a number of high-profile…

Mama Stortini’s Restaurant & Bar Linked to Norovirus Outbreak in Seattle Area:  Restaurant Closed on December 12th Subject to Investigation A popular restaurant in King County, Washington State, has been closed pending an investigation into a norovirus outbreak.  The Mama Stortini’s Restaurant & Bar, which is located South of Seattle, just North of Fedral Way, at 401 NE Northgate Way, #1103, was closed by a Public Health food inspector on December 12, 2017.  The closure was ordered just before lunch, at 11:00 am, to out of concern for public safety and to enable an to investigation into the foodborne transmission of…

Lactalis baby formula salmonella outbreak sickens 26 internationally, leading to an international recall. The French maker of a number of well – received baby products, including Lactalis’ brands Milumel, Celia and Picot, is recalling the formula internationally after at least 26 of the infants have become very ill.  The recall includes China, where in 2008 six Chinese babies were killed by melamine-tainted baby milk while an additional hundred thousand or more babies were made ill.  The recall includes many other nations, such as Greece, Pakistan and Peru. The formula was immediately withdrawn for the market when is was found to…

Toyo Tire Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Turkey Provided by Angelo’s New York Style Pizza and Bistro of Cartersville The 1800 employees of Toyo Tire who were exposed to salmonella now know the source of the contamination.  The salmonella originated in the  turkey by caterer Angelo’s New York Style Pizza and Bistro of Cartersville, Georgia.  According to Logan Boss, who is a “risk communicator” for the Georgia Department of Health (GDH): Preliminary findings implicate catered turkeys as the cause of a recent Salmonella outbreak among employees attending an event at Toyo Tire Angelo’s New York Style Pizza and Bistro of Cartersville…

The Public Health Agency in Canada has announced that a recent E. Coli O157:H7 outbreak has been traced to romaine lettuce.  The outbreak has sickened at least 21 victims in the states of Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, and Labrador.  No recalls have yet been issued as the source of the tainted romaine lettuce has not yet been identified.  Instead, the Public Health Agency is recommending discarding outer leaves, and washing the vegetable thoroughly before consuming it.  Some food safety experts have gone further to suggest that the most susceptible to serious illness, including the elderly , the very young,…

Cantaloupe and Watermelon Salmonella Newport Outbreak Now Linked to 18 Illnesses – Melon Salmonella Lawyer There are currently 18 victims in the Salmonella Newport outbreak linked to sliced watermelon and cantaloupe sold at regional retailers like Fed Meyer.  Officials fro the Washington and Oregon departments of health, in cooperation with  the Food and Drug Administration, are investigating the source/origin of the potentially deadly bacteria.  Sixteen of the victims are confirmed to be residents of Washington, while the remaining two are Oregon residents.  The Cantaloupe and Watermelon Salmonella Newport Outbreak is believed to be linked to pre-cut fruit, raising the possibility that…