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The first Salmonella lawsuit has been filed in the pair of Salmonella outbreaks that has sickened 155 people in 21 states. The lawsuit was filed against Yum! Brands (the parent company of Taco Bell) in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Franklin County Circuit Court. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Scott county resident by food safety law firm Marler Clark.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released information in early August that they had been tracking two Salmonella outbreaks linked to an unnamed Mexican Fast Food chain, which was later identified as Taco Bell. As of August 1, the outbreak of Salmonella Hartford had sickened 75 people in 15 states since April 1, and the outbreak of Salmonella Baildon had sickened 80 people in 15 states since May 1.

“We’ve been involved with two prior food poisoning outbreaks at Taco Bell,” said attorney and food safety advocate Bill Marler. “In 2000, there was a hepatitis outbreak in green onions at the chain, and in 2006 an E. coli outbreak sickened many patrons. My hope is that these two experiences will lead Yum! Brands to step up quickly to address the needs of their customers who have been infected with Salmonella.” - MarlerClark

Labels: CDC, food poisoning, food safety, Lawsuit, salmonella, Vegetables

Federal agencies that supply food for 31 million schoolchildren fail to ensure that tainted products are pulled quickly from cafeterias, a federal audit obtained by USA TODAY finds.

The delays raise the risk of children being sickened by contaminated food, according to the audit by Congress' Government Accountability Office.

In recent recalls, including one this year in which salmonella-infected peanut butter sickened almost 700 people, the government failed to disseminate "timely and complete notification about suspect food products provided to schools through the federal commodities program," the audit says. - USAToday

Labels: audit, FDA, Food, food safety, GAO, salmonella

A Fresno-based beef company is recalling hundreds of thousands of ground beef products that may be linked to a salmonella outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The 825,769 pounds of ground beef products, produced by Beef Packers Inc. from June 5 through June 23, bear the code “EST 31913” and were distributed to Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah, USDA officials said in their recall statement. - Latte Times

It's up to the consumer to find out whether they have that beef or not.

Labels: Beef, food safety, Recalls, salmonella

Labels: Food, food safety, Recalls, salmonella

Labels: FDA, Jalapenos, Peppers, salmonella, Tomatoes