How Common Are Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreaks?

An ongoing Salmonella outbreak has been linked to ground beef sold at ShopRite stores. At least 16 people in four states have been sickened and six have been hospitalized. How often do outbreaks like this happen?

How common are ground beef Salmonella outbreaks?

Since 2011, there have been eight Salmonella ground beef outbreaks. And two of them began in 2023. Here’s

2023 ShopRite Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak [Ongoing]

This outbreak likely includes many more illnesses than the 16 reported so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These patients, who said they first became ill on dates ranging from April 27, 2023, to June 16, 2023, are from four states: New Jersey (9), New York (5), Massachusetts (1), and Connecticut (1). They range in age from less than one year old to 97 years old, about 20 percent of them are under five years old.

Health officials used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to identify the genetic “fingerprint” of the Salmonella Saintpaul strain isolated from each patient. Results showed that the isolates closely resemble each other. This means the patients were exposed to the same source of contaminated food.

Health officials interviewed 14 of the patients about the foods they ate before they became ill.  Nine said they ate ground beef they purchased at ShopRite before they became ill. All but two of them specified that they purchased 80% lean ground beef products. ShopRite has not issued a recall. 

2023 Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak in Illinois

A ground beef Salmonella outbreak in Illinoismsickened 26 people. The illnesses, reported from six counties -Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will, occurred between April 25, 2023, and May 18, 2023.

2019 Deadly Stater Bros. Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak

In 2019, ground beef produced by Central Valley Meat Co. in Hanford, CA and sold under the name Stater Bros., was linked to a deadly Salmonella outbreak.

Thirteen people in eight states were sickened between August 8, 2019, and October 22, 2019. One person died.

WGS showed the illnesses were related to one another. The outbreak strain was also found in six samples of the ground beef.

The patients, who ranged in age from 39 to 74 years old, were from California (2), Colorado (4), Iowa (1), Kansas (2), New  Mexico (1), Oklahoma (1), Texas (1) and Washington (1).

2018-2019 JBS Tolleson Ground Beef Salmonella Newport Outbreak

In 2018-2019, a large was linked to ground beef produced by JBS Tolleson. The 30-state outbreak sickened 403 people, hospitalizing 117 of them.

The outbreak triggered a 12-million-pound beef recall. The products were sold under brand names such as Cedar River Farms Natural Beef, Comnor Perfect Choice, Gourmet Burger, Grass Run Farms Natural Beef, JBS Generic, Kroger, Showcase, and Walmart.

2016-2017 Ground Beef Salmonella Newport Outbreak

In 2018,  a ground beef Salmonella Newport outbreak sickened 106 people in 21 states during a 10-month from October 4, 2016, to July 19, 2017.

Health officials interviewed 52 of the patients. Thirty-one of them said they bought ground beef from multiple locations of two national grocery chains. The remaining patients named more than 15 other stores.

The states that reported cases were: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

2012-2013 Salmonella Typhimurium Ground Beef Outbreak

A Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked ground beef processed by Jouni Meats, Inc. and Gab Halal Foods of Michigan sickened 22 people between December 9, 2012, and February 20, 2013. Seven of the patients were hospitalized.

2012 Cargill Ground Beef Salmonella Enteritidis Outbreak 

In 2012, a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked ground beef produced by Cargill Meat Solutions sickened 46 people in nine states. Caaes reported from each state was: Maine (2), Massachusetts (3), New Hampshire (3), New York (20), North Carolina (1), Rhode Island (3), Vermont (11), Virginia (2), and West Virginia (1).

2011 Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Ground Beef Sold at Hannaford Stores

In 2011, 20 people in seven states were included in a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to ground beef sold at Hannaford stores. The patients ranged in age from 1 year to 79 years old. Eight people were hospitalized.

Salmonella Lawyers with Experience

If you or your family member developed a Salmonella infection from contaminated ground beef and would like a free consultation with an experienced Salmonella lawyer, please contact us. The Pritzker Hageman Salmonella Legal Team has 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 by completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.