Foster Farms Chicken Recall and Lawsuits anticipated
The Merman Law Firm is investigating the recent illnesses linked to the Foster Farms Chicken recall and lawsuits are anticipated as evidence mounts that consumers contracted salmonella from the Foster Farms Chicken. Nearly 300 people in 18 states have been sickened since July by an outbreak of “Salmonella Heidelberg” traced to raw chicken from three sites run by the private California poultry producer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has linked salmonella cases to Foster Farms chicken that has hospitalized hundreds of consumers.
Foster Farms Chicken Recall – Extremely dangerous
The Salmonella Heidelberg linked to the Foster Farms Chicken Recall is a particularly dangerous strain of Salmonella, making the Foster Farms Chicken Recall one of the more dangerous food poisoning issues in the United States in recent memory. The illnesses reported from the Foster Farms Chicken Recall are pervasive and extremely hard to treat.
About 42 percent of patients reporting complete information have been hospitalized, about double the proportion typically expected from a salmonella outbreak, according to the CDC. Of 183 complete cases, 76 patients have been hospitalized. Among those, many infections appear to be resistant to the most common antibiotics used to them.
At least seven different strains of Salmonella Heidelberg have been tied to the outbreak, which led CDC officials on Tuesday to recall 30 staffers, including 10 who work for the agency’s PulseNet team, which monitors the electronic fingerprint of dangerous foodborne bugs. They’d been on furlough because of a government shutdown stretching into its second week.
The CDC move follows a USDA public health alert issued Monday for the raw chicken products. The agency’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has been unable to identify specific products or a specific production period for the potentially tainted chicken, but said that affected meat bears one of three establishment numbers inside a USDA inspection mark or elsewhere on the package.
The numbers are P6137, P6137A and P7632.
The chicken was distributed to retail outlets mainly in California, Oregon and Washington, but illnesses have been reported in 18 states. Those include Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
The cases may share some overlap with an outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg tied to Foster Farms chicken announced in May, Reynolds said. But most of the cases occurred since July.
Foster Farms officials said they’ve been working with CDC and FDA to investigate the source of salmonella at their sites. No recalls have been issued for any specific food products, but the Law Firm anticipates the Foster Farm Chicken recall and lawsuits are imminent.
Salmonella Heidelberg is a common strain that causes illness that can be life-threatening in people with weak immune systems such as children, the elderly and those with cancer or HIV infection. Most common symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to three days after eating the contaminated product. Chills, headache, nausea and vomiting can last up to a week. For more information about Salmonella, please visit our Salmonella page here.
If you or a loved one suspects you are ill as a result of Salmonella Heidelberg from Foster Farms Chicken, go to the doctor immediately. Even if your condition is not life-threatening, blood and stool samples may be necessary to establish the source of your illness. And this is not an illness to be cavalier with – the Salmonella linked to the Foster Farms Chicken is resistant to treatment and extremely pervasive. Contact the Law Firm for competent, compassionate representation.
