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After testing more than 100 environmental and milk samples from the Whittier Farms plant, the MDPH reported the following:
- A total of twelve milk samples and four environmental samples tested positive for Listeria contamination. This included both outbreak and non-outbreak Listeria strains. (Outbreak strain indicates the same strain of Listeria linked to food poisoning cases involving Whittier Farms’ products.)
- The Listeria outbreak strain was found in eight unopened milk containers. This included one sample of skim milk and seven flavored milk samples (coffee, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla).
- The Listeria outbreak strain was detected in an environmental sample taken from the floor near a production plant homogenizer.
- Two strains of Listeria not related to the outbreak were also detected in four samples of milk.
- Three strains of Listeria not related to the outbreak were detected in three environmental samples which included: fill room drain, empty unwashed bottle, and bottle washer washband.
These findings suggest that Listeria was able to survive in an environmental area(s) of the processing plant, and that the milk products became contaminated with Listeria at some point during the production process.
To date, a total of five cases of listeriosis (Listeria food poisoning) have been linked to Whittier Farms outbreak, including three elderly men and two pregnant women. The three elderly men have died.
To learn more about this Listeria food poisoning outbreak and listeriosis, please see Listeria Contaminated Milk Causes Two Deaths and Source of Listeria Contamination Found in Milk Product.
The Law Firm of Eric Weinberg represents victims of food poisoning outbreaks throughout the country. If you believe that you are the victim of listeriosis, please contact us at our toll free number 1-877-934-6274, or click on Free Case Evaluation. To learn more about our law firm please see Food Poisoning Lawyer and Listeria Lawyer.
For more information about Listeria and listeriosis, you may also wish to visit our new blog Listeria.com.
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On August 28, Cargill Meat Solutions, a Wyalusing, PA company, recalled 8,500 pounds of ground beef products due to possible E. coli contamination. The recall comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture linked the ground beef to three instances of illness in New York and Maine. None of those who were sickened required hospitalization.
On August 20, an additional Iowa company, Hillandale Farms, announced it was recalling 170 million eggs, bringing the total number of eggs recalled due to potential Salmonella contamination to 550 million. The recalled eggs have been implicated in an outbreak of Salmonella enteritis associated with 1,300 illnesses nation-wide.
At least 380 million eggs have been recalled due to possible Salmonella contamination. On August 13, Wright County Egg recalled 228 million eggs sold since mid-May. The recall has recently been expanded to include an additional 152 million eggs. The potentially contaminated eggs have reportedly been distributed to 17 states.
Reusable grocery bags have become increasingly popular as an environmentally friendly alternative to disposable plastic grocery bags. However, a recent study suggests that these reusable bags may pose a serious threat to public health.
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