Still no source found in Salmonella outbreak; other investigations ongoing at FDA
The number of patients confirmed in an outbreak of infections from Salmonella Braenderup has increased from 63 to 70 in the past week, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
The agency first posted the outbreak on June 22. As of July 21 the FDA has begun traceback efforts, but has not released what food or foods are being traced. Also, the FDA has not released any specific information about the patients such as their ages or where they live.
The FDA has not identified a source of the Salmonella.
In other outbreak news, an investigation of “adverse events” from Daily Harvest frozen French Lentil & Leek Crumbles continues with the FDA having received 277 complaints. The company has reported that it has received 470 complaints from customers who got sick. Some people have been so sick that they had to have their gallbladders removed and others are under consideration for liver transplants. The company says the illnesses have likely been causes by tara flour used in the product.
Food safety attorney Bill Marler is representing more than 200 people in relation to the Daily Harvest outbreak and is suggesting that people keep opened, and especially unopened, packages of the Daily Harvest frozen French Lentil & Leek Crumbles for testing.
In another outbreak, the FDA is tracking Salmonella infections linked to Jif brand peanut butter. So far there have been 16 confirmed patients across 12 states with two hospitalizations. A recall has been initiated. Many other products with Jif as an ingredient have been recalled.
Additional outbreak information
The table below shows information about outbreak investigations being managed by FDA’s CORE Response Teams. The investigations are in a variety of stages. Some outbreaks have limited information with active investigations ongoing, others may be near completion. The table below has been abbreviated to show only active investigations.
A public health advisory will be issued for investigations that have resulted in specific, actionable steps for consumers to take to protect themselves, according to the FDA. Please direct your attention to those pages for the most up-to-date information on the investigation and for consumer protection information.
Outbreak and adverse event investigations that do not result in specific, actionable steps for consumers may or may not conclusively identify a source or reveal any contributing factors. Adverse event investigations rely on self-reported data. Although these reports may name a particular product, FDA will only indicate a product category in the table and will not publicly name a specific product until there is sufficient evidence to implicate that product as a cause of illnesses or adverse events. If a cause and/or contributing factors are identified that could inform future prevention, FDA commits to providing a summary of those findings.
Click here to go to the page with links to specific outbreak information.
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