Perhaps a “trip down criminal lane” might give us a clue? Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. paid $25 million to resolve criminal charges related to the company’s involvement in foodborne illness outbreaks that sickened more than 1,100 people between 2015 and 2018, the Department of Justice announced in April 2020. (Press Release) A month later, in May 2020, Texas-based ice cream manufacturer Blue Bell Creameries L.P. agreed to plead guilty to charges it shipped…

Bill Marler, food safety advocate and foodborne attorney since 1993, whose Seattle law firm, Marler Clark, has been contacted by dozens of victims of the recent Fresh Express Cyclospora outbreak, and you has filed lawsuits, called on Fresh Express  to pay the medical bills and lost wages of all individuals who became ill. “We know that over 500 people became ill with Cyclospora infections in the United States and Canada. Unfortunately, those numbers…

As of July 8, 2020, there are 37 confirmed cases of Cyclospora illness linked to this outbreak in three provinces: Ontario (26), Quebec (10) and Newfoundland and Labrador (1). Individuals became sick between mid-May and mid-June 2020. One individual has been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Individuals who became ill are between 21 and 70 years of age. The majority of cases (76%) are female. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is collaborating with provincial…

206 people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections and who reported eating bagged salad mix before getting sick have been reported from 8 Midwestern states (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin). Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 11, 2020 to June 17, 2020. 23 people have been hospitalized. Products were sold in many states under either the brand name Fresh Express or the store brand labels ALDI Little Salad Bar, Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco Signature…

When Bill Marler was 16 years old, he ran away from home and became a migrant worker for a while, living in squalid cabins, sleeping outdoors, and hitchhiking rides to farms to pick crops. The low point of Marler’s life came when he lost a gig and completely ran out of money. For a week, he lived on just a five-pound sack of pancake flour. “And it has changed my perspective on pancakes I have…

As of September 5, 2018, 250 people were infected with Cyclospora reported from 4 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 14, 2018 to June 20, 2018. Ill people ranged in age from 13–79 years with a median age of 45. Among ill people, 52% were female. Eight people (3%) were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. Epidemiologic evidence indicated that pre-packaged Del Monte Fresh Produce vegetable trays containing broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and dill dip…

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora infections linked to bagged salad mix purchased at ALDI, Hy-Vee, and Jewel-Osco stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, and Nebraska. As of June 19, 2020, a total of 76 people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections associated with this outbreak have been reported from 6 states:  Iowa (28), Illinois (23), Kansas (1),…