|
Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Linked to
Valley Meats in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois Spurs Ground Beef Recall Source of
Article: http://www.marlerblog.com/ E. coli O157:H7 illnesses
in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois have led health investigators to ground
beef produced by Valley Meats, LLC of Coal Valley, IL. The company has
initiated a recall of 95,898 pounds of ground beef product that is possibly
contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. “E.
coli in ground beef has been so prevalent in the last two years that it’s
estimated that the consumer has a one in 400 chance of buying a product that
might make them very sick,” said food safety advocate and attorney William
Marler. “In 2006, it seemed that the meat industry had gotten a handle on
recalls, but with 41 million pounds recalled since then, that is clearly not
the case.” Many benign strains of E.
coli (Escherichia coli) live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other
mammals. Infection with one of the toxic strains, most notably E. coli
O157:H7, can cause serious illness, organ failure, and even death. E. coli is
often contracted by consuming food or beverage that has been contaminated by
animal (especially cattle) manure. The majority of foodborne E. coli
outbreaks has been traced to ground beef; however leafy vegetables, sprouts,
unpasteurized dairy or juice products or even water can become tainted with
the pathogen. The first symptom of E.
coli infection is the onset of abdominal pain and severe cramps, followed
within 24 hours by diarrhea, often bloody. This is hemorrhagic colitis, and
it typically occurs within 2 to 5 days of ingestion of E. coli; however the
incubation period—the time between the ingestion of E. coli bacteria and the
onset of illness—may be as broad as 1 to 10 days. “If
you’re experiencing these symptoms, it is critical to visit your healthcare
provider, because an E. coli infection can make you very, very sick,” Marler
continued. “In some instances E. coli infection can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a cause of acute kidney failure, so
make sure you know what you’re dealing with.” Marler Clark has
represented victims of every major food borne illness outbreak since 1993.
The firm’s attorneys have litigated high-profile food poisoning cases against
such companies as ConAgra, Wendy’s, Chili’s, Chi-Chi’s, and Jack in the Box,
securing over $500,000,000 for their clients. Marler Clark currently
represents thousands of victims of outbreaks traced to ground beef, tomatoes,
peppers, lettuce, peanut butter, and spinach, as well as other foods. |
Copyright (C) All rights reserved under FoodHACCP.com
If you have any comments, please send your email to
info@foodhaccp.com
