Chicken salad salmonella count at 65; blames shifts
At least 65 people have now reported illnesses related to chicken salad they purchased from Fairway grocery stores from early January to early February. Twenty-eight of those have been hospitalized. No deaths have yet been reported. The illnesses stemming from salmonella contamination span five states at last count: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
At this point, neither the grocery store nor the supplier, Triple T Specialty Meats, is accepting blame for the chicken salad that has caused food poisoning among its customers. Officials from Fareway Stores Inc. have stated they removed the chicken salad from their deli before it was recalled. However, they did sell the contaminated product from January 4, 2018, to February 9, 2018. The recall was issued by Triple T Specialty Meats, Inc., on February 21.
The chicken salad was produced at Triple T Specialty Meats’ Ackley, Iowa, facility, and that company is stating that no contamination was found there. They are shifting the blame to the shipping process, saying the chicken salad must have been contaminated when it was transported to the stores.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising all consumers who may have purchased chicken salad from Fairway grocery stores to dispose of it properly, following appropriate food safety guidelines. If the consumer cannot remember the date of purchase, it is best to throw out the contaminated product.
The chicken salad should be placed in a sealed bag and then disposed of in the trash. Any surfaces the chicken salad may have touched, including the consumers’ hands, should then be cleaned thoroughly.
Salmonella contamination can cause symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort and, in some cases, severe symptoms that can lead to hospitalization. For more information about the case involving contaminated chicken sold at Fareway stores or about salmonella contamination, please contact the food poisoning lawyers at 1-888-335-4901.
