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US officials investigating numerous foodborne disease outbreaks
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The CDC warned consumers this week not to eat romaine lettuce in any form amid another multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli linked to the leafy greens — the second this year. As Thanksgiving approaches, it is one of several foodborne disease outbreaks being investigated by health officials in the United States, including two separate multistate outbreaks of Salmonella linked to raw turkey products and cake mix.
As of Nov. 16, the CDC said 164 cases, 63 hospitalization and one death have been linked to an outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Reading in raw turkey products that has affected 35 states. The outbreak led to a recall of approximately 91,388 pounds of raw ground turkey products by Jennie-O Turkey Store Sales in Barron, Wisconsin, on Nov. 15, although the CDC said no single, common supplier of raw turkey products or live turkeys has been identified as a source of the whole outbreak.
Specifically, the recalled Jennie-O products were sold as 1-pound packages of raw turkey with a “P-190” establishment number label, which can be found inside the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mark of inspection, the CDC said. The recalled products included Jennie-O Ground Turkey 93% lean/7% fat with “Use by” dates of 10/01/2018 and 10/02/2018, Jennie-O Taco Seasoned Ground Turkey with a “Use by” date of 10/02/2018, Jennie-O Ground Turkey 85% lean/15% fat with a “Use by” date of 10/02/2018 and Jennie-O Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey with a “Use by” date of 10/02/2018.
The CDC is working with state health departments and the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to investigate the outbreak.
“In the meantime, it’s important that consumers know they can purchase and safely consume these products. The United States has the safest food supply in the world, and USDA works every day to ensure it,” an FSIS spokesperson told Infectious Disease News.
“As families start their holiday plans, they may be wondering what this means for them,” the spokesperson said. “The answer is simple. Salmonella is prevalent and can be present in raw meat and poultry and in live poultry — no raw meat or poultry is sterile. Consumers can protect themselves by cooking their turkey, other poultry products, and meat thoroughly. The cooking process kills the Salmonella. No one should be eating partially cooked or raw turkey.
“Additionally, it is essential that people wash their hands after handling raw poultry, meat and pet food to avoid cross-contamination of other foods, spice containers, or kitchen surfaces.”
As for the outbreak linked to cake mix, as of Nov. 7, the CDC reported five cases in three states, with no hospitalizations or deaths.
The identification of Salmonella Agbeni in a box of Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix by officials in Oregon prompted the recall of four varieties of the company’s cake mixes on Nov. 5, including 15.25-ounce boxes of Classic White, Classic Yellow Cake, Classic Butter Golden Cake and Confetti Cake flavors. The CDC, FDA and state public health and regulatory officials are investigating the outbreak. – by Marley Ghizzone
References:
CDC. Outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella infections linked to raw turkey products. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/reading-07-18/index.html. Accessed November 19, 2018.
CDC. Outbreak of Salmonella infections. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/agbeni-11-18/index.html. Accessed November 19, 2018.