Following a massive recall issued by Taylor Farms Retail Inc., the outbreak has reached a total of 39 states, nearly 80% of the country, including: Wyoming, Wisconsin, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, Nebraska, North Carolina, Montana, Mississippi, Minnesota, Missouri, Maryland, Louisiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Hawaii, Georgia, Florida, Delaware, Colorado, California, Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska, Washington and Oregon. While the CDC only reports 33 cases over five states, 13 of those have resulted in hospitalizations. The affected products include five-ounce packages of Simple Truth Organic  Baby Spinach with UPC 0-11110-91128-5 and “Best By” date of 2/24/2013, as well  as 16-ounce trays of Taylor Farms Organic Baby Spinach with UPC 0-30223-04780-3  and “Best By” date of 2/24/2013.

If you or a loved one have experienced health issues related to ingesting one of these products, the attorneys at Strong, Garner, Bauer P.C. are here to help. Call our office at (417) 887-4300, or email info@stronglaw.com for your free consultation.

For more information, visit:

http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2012/O157H7-11-12/index.html

Tri-Union Seafoods, LLC has issued a voluntary recall on various canned tuna products due to a manufacturing error that prevented the cans from meeting safety standards set by the company.  Cans that do not meet seam standards could result in product contamination by spoilage organisms or by pathogens, which could lead to illness if consumed. The specific product being recalled is Chicken of the Sea Brand 5-ounce chunk white albacore tuna in water sold at retail locations nationwide in single cans between February 4, 2013 and February 27, 2013.

If you or a loved one have come into contact with the products mentioned above and experienced illness as a result, the personal injury attorneys at Strong-Garner-Bauer P.C. can help you. Call our office at (417) 887-4300 or email us at info@stronglaw.com for a free consultation.

For more information on the recall, visit:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm342650.htm?source=govdelivery

This week ABC News reported a voluntary recall by Taylor Farms for select Organic Baby  Spinach products with the potential to be contaminated with E. coli.

The recall was issued as “a precautionary measure” and affects two brands  sold in Arizona.  The affected products include five-ounce packages of Simple Truth Organic  Baby Spinach with UPC 0-11110-91128-5 and “Best By” date of 2/24/2013, as well  as 16-ounce trays of Taylor Farms Organic Baby Spinach with UPC 0-30223-04780-3  and “Best By” date of 2/24/2013.

It turns out that these same UPC codes have been linked to Sam’s Club stores in Missouri and have contaminated at least one woman.  The confirmed case involves an elderly woman who has now been hospitalized for over a month with E coli.

If you or your loved one have fallen ill to e coli contaminated foods, please call the experienced e coli lawyers of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300, or email us at info@stronglaw.com.

Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/national/baby-spinach-recall-taylor-farms-issues-recall-of-organic-baby-spinach-in-arizona#ixzz2KtFRT1I5

In the last month, multiple U.S. food-processing companies have been forced to recall various products due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium responsible for causing Listeriosis. A few of the companies on the list are; Sprouters Northwest, GoldCoast Salads, Whole Foods Market, Knott’s Fine Foods Inc., and Delifish. The affected products range anywhere from cream cheese bagels and packaged chicken salads to cold smoked fish products and assorted sprouts, such as alfalfa, clover, etc.

Complications resulting from exposure to the Listeria bacteria are host-specific and can vary greatly from one case to the next. Most people experience symptoms commonly associated with ‘food poisoning’ such as fever and body aches, usually preceded by nausea or other gastrointestinal issues. That being said, listeriosis is considered an ‘invasive’ infection, meaning it can move beyond the gastrointestinal tract and infect other parts of the body. Those most at risk are older adults, children, and those with immunodeficient conditions. These people are susceptible to the normal symptoms as well as septicemia and meningitis in some cases. Pregnant women experience the same symptoms, but the stakes are higher as infection can also result in miscarriage, still birth, and premature delivery. Even babies that make it to term are at risk for serious infections, such as bacteremia and meningitis.

If you or someone you know have been affected by one of the products on this list, the attorneys at Strong-Garner-Bauer P.C. are here to help. Call our office at (417) 887-4300 or email info@stronglaw.com for a consultation.

For more information on Food Recalls, visit:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm

The total has now risen to 16 individuals that have become infected with Salmonella from at least 11 brands of dry dog food manufactured at a Gaston, S.C., plant operated by Diamond Pet Foods of Meta, Mo. They include the store brand pet food sold by Costco, Kirkland Signature and Kirkland Signature Domain.

Lab tests have confirmed that those sick were infected with a rare strain of salmonella Infantis, which was detected only after a routine test of dry dog food revealed contamination, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Although three individuals are from Missouri, people have been infected in eight other states including North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia.

People can become sick by handling the tainted pet food or through contact with an animal that has eaten the contaminated food.

If you have purchased one of the 11 recalled brands of Diamond Pet Food, you should immediately discard of it. If you believe you may have contracted salmonella from the tainted dog food or any other contaminated product, please contact the experienced Springfield salmonella attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

An article by the Columbian Daily Tribune has reported that two more individuals have become ill with e coli in Central Missouri. The article reads as follows:

Raw dairy products are cited as a “possible risk factor” in two more cases of a strain of E. coli that has now sickened seven people in Central Missouri.

State health officials reported yesterday that the same strain of E. coli bacteria has been confirmed in infections in Boone, Howard, Cooper and Camden counties. Three of the cases, including a 2-year-old girl who is still hospitalized, are in Boone County.

Five of the E. coli victims are adults. The hospitalized 2-year-old, in addition to a 17-month-old in another county, developed symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a severe condition that can lead to permanent kidney damage.

Symptoms of E. coli infection include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. A fever is sometimes present but is not high. State health officials said most patients’ symptoms improve in five to seven days, but some patients go on to develop HUS, usually about a week after the diarrhea starts.

Gena Terlizzi, public information officer for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said consumption of raw dairy products has been identified as a “possible risk factor in some of these cases.” State and county health officials haven’t positively identified the source of the E. coli outbreak.

Terlizzi did not say whether other possible sources of contamination were being investigated.

Current Missouri law provides a limited exception to state milk inspection laws for farmers to sell raw milk or cream directly to consumers. Geni Alexander, public information officer for the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services, said a bill now under consideration in the Missouri Senate, SB 841, would expand the exception to allow a farmer to sell as much as 100 gallons of raw milk or cream per day at a farmers market.

The city/county health department advises consumers to avoid consumption of any raw dairy product. Alexander said raw milk producers are not subject to inspection by the local health department, which does not track or have a list of people who sell raw milk.

The only time local inspectors would encounter raw dairy products would be during an inspection of a retail food establishment, including farmers markets, mobile food markets and restaurants.

“If we find raw milk at a retail food establishment, we order it destroyed,” Alexander said.

Christine Tew, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Agriculture, said in jurisdictions where the sale of raw milk or cream is allowed, producers must first apply to the State Milk Board for a permit. The permit requires compliance with bottling, capping and labeling regulations. Tew said the only permitted facility in Missouri is located in Galena.

Read more: http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/apr/11/two-more-cases-of-e-coli-found-in-central-missouri/

If you or someone you know have become ill with e coli, please contact the experienced Springfield, Missouri e coli attorneys of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.

The first of what is expected to several lawsuits have been filed by an Iowa woman against Jimmy John’s for tainted sprouts. The woman is claiming she become ill after eating the sprouts. Heather Tuttle, 27, is seeking compensation from Jimmy Johns for her medical expenses and paing and suffering.

Heather is one of 12 individuals from Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Wisconsion who became ill after consuming the sprouts between December 25th and January 15. This includes several local Springfield, MO residents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that a preliminary investigation identified a common lot of clover seeds that were used to grow the tainted sprouts. The CDC said the seed supplier had warned Jimmy Johns to stop using them.

This is not the first time Jimmy Johns has been involved with sprout related illnesses. Since 2008, over 400 people have complained of illness due to sprouts.

Federal regulators warn against eating raw sprouts, which are one of the most frequent perpetrators of foodborne illness. Though they are often touted as a health food, sprouts grow in warm and humid conditions, which encourage bacterial growth.

As this food poisoning outbreak has reached the Ozarks, many individuals from the surrounding Springfield, Missouri area have been affected with e. coli. If you or someone you love have become ill as a result of eating Jimmy Johns sprouts, please contact the experienced Springfield food poisoning lawyers of Strong-Garner-Bauer, P.C. at 417-887-4300.