The number of patients in an outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup infections has increased from 59 to 63 in the past week FDA investigators continue to search for the source of the pathogen.
A traceback investigation has begun in the investigation but the Food and Drug Administration has not revealed what food or foods are being traced. The agency has also not released the ages of the patients or where they live.
In an outbreak of Listeria infections, which has seen one person in 23 patients die, the FDA reports that Big Olaf Creamery has initiated a recall of all of its products. However, the agency reports that some stores may still be selling the products.
The FDA is encouraging all stores and consumers who have the ice cream on hand to throw it away, but Seattle food safety Bill Marler, who is representing the family of the dead person, suggests saving the ice cream — especially unopened containers — for testing.
An outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections has been closed with 10 patients having been identified. The FDA reports that it started a traceback investigation but has not said what food or foods were being traced. The cause of the outbreak remains unknown.
An investigation of “adverse events” from Daily Harvest frozen French Lentil & Leek Crumbles continues with the FDA having received 133 complaints. The company has reported that it has received 470 complaints from customers who got sick. Some people have been so sick that they had to have their gallbladders removed and others are under consideration for liver transplants. A specific cause of the illnesses has not been determined, except all of the sick people consumed the food in question.
Again, food safety attorney Marler is suggesting that people keep opened and especially unopened packages of the Daily Harvest frozen French Lentil & Leek Crumbles for testing. He is representing more than 200 people in relation to illnesses in the outbreak.
In another outbreak, the FDA is tracking Salmonella infections linked to Jif brand peanut butter. So far there have been 16 confirmed patients across 12 states with two hospitalizations. A recall has been initiated. Many other products with Jif as an ingredient have been recalled.
Additional outbreak information
The table below shows information about outbreak investigations being managed by FDA’s CORE Response Teams. The investigations are in a variety of stages. Some outbreaks have limited information with active investigations ongoing, others may be near completion. The table below has been abbreviated to show only active investigations.
A public health advisory will be issued for investigations that have resulted in specific, actionable steps for consumers to take to protect themselves, according to the FDA. Please direct your attention to those pages for the most up-to-date information on the investigation and for consumer protection information.
Outbreak and adverse event investigations that do not result in specific, actionable steps for consumers may or may not conclusively identify a source or reveal any contributing factors. Adverse event investigations rely on self-reported data. Although these reports may name a particular product, FDA will only indicate a product category in the table and will not publicly name a specific product until there is sufficient evidence to implicate that product as a cause of illnesses or adverse events. If a cause and/or contributing factors are identified that could inform future prevention, FDA commits to providing a summary of those findings.
Click here to go to the page with links to specific outbreak information.
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