The CDC has announced just three food poisoning outbreaks so far this year, one of the fewest totals in the last 10 years. Since 2012, there have only been three times we reached mid-June with fewer than three outbreaks and one of them was in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.
Last year, five outbreaks (the 10-year average for the second week of June) had been announced by this point in the year. In 2019, there were eight, and in 2018 11 had been announced.
The three outbreaks the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced this year are all ongoing. The first is a Norovirus outbreak linked to raw oysters which has sickened 192 people in 13 states – CA, CO, FL, HI, IL, MA, MN, NJ, NV, NY, OR, TX, and WA. The second is the Salmonella outbreak linked to Jif peanut butter which has sickened 16 people in 12 states: AR (1), GA (2), IL (1), MA (1), MO (2), OH (1), NC (2), NY (1), SC (1), TX (2), VA (1), WA (1). And the third is the hepatitis A outbreak linked to fresh organic strawberries which includes 18 illnesses in three states, CA (16), MN (1), and ND (1).
FDA and USDA Investigations
It’s not clear why the number of outbreaks the CDC has announced so far is so low, but one explanation could be that their regulatory partners are off to a slow start.
USDA Investigations
Efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which regulates meat and poultry, had contributed to solving two outbreaks by this time last year (a Salmonella outbreak linked to ground turkey, and a Salmonella outbreak linked to frozen, stuffed chicken breast entrees. And it was just weeks away from a third successful investigation, the deadly Listeria outbreak linked to Tyson cooked chicken.
The ground turkey Salmonella outbreak was linked to products sold under the brand names Plainville Farms, Wegmans, and Nature’s Promise has ended. Thirty-three people in 14 states were sickened, four of them were hospitalized.
The Salmonella outbreak linked to breaded, stuffed chicken sold under the brand names Milford Valley, Dutch Farms, and Kirkwood ended after sickening 36 people in 11 states. Twelve people were hospitalized.
The frozen chicken Cordon Bleu and chicken broccoli and cheese products were sold at ALDI and other stores including Al’s, County Market, Martin’s Meijer, Save A Lot, Strack & Van Til, and Walmart stores.
So far this year, USDA FSIS has opened three investigations. The first one, a chicken Salmonella outbreak closed without resolution. The other two, an E. coli outbreak and a Salmonella outbreak where beef products are the suspected source of both, are ongoing.
FDA Investigations
Investigative efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates almost all food aside from meat and poultry, had also helped to solve two outbreaks by this time last year and was days away from adding a third to the list.
One of the two solved outbreaks was a queso fresco Listeria outbreak. The other was a Salmonella outbreak linked to cashew brie cheese. The outbreak just on the horizon of being solved was a Salmonella outbreak linked to frozen shrimp.
The Listeria outbreak linked to El Abuelito queso fresco has ended with 13 illnesses and one death. The illnesses were reported from four states: CT (1) MD (5) NY (4), and VA (3) Twelve people were hospitalized. The death was reported in Maryland.
The Salmonella outbreak linked to Jule’s vegan cheese made from cashews ended with 20 illnesses and five hospitalizations in CA (15), FL (2), TN (2), and MD (1).
So far this year, the FDA has opened 12 investigations. Five of them ended without resolution. The sixth one, the Similac Cronobacter investigation, closed without success but it did trigger a massive recall. Of the six remaining active outbreak investigations, two have been solved, the Jif peanut butter Salmonella outbreak and the organic strawberries hepatitis A outbreak. The rest remain a mystery.
Food Poisoning Lawyers with Experience
If you developed a food poisoning infection after eating contaminated food and you would like a free consultation with a food safety lawyer, please contact the Pritzker Hageman Salmonella Legal Team. Our attorneys have represented clients in every major Salmonella outbreak in the U.S. You can reach us by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.