Bravo Farms Gouda Cheese – Costco: E. coli Outbreak Update
Pritzker Olsen attorneys are investigating a Costco and Bravo Farms gouda cheese lawsuit for E. coli and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) personal injury. To date, the E. coli outbreak has sickened 33 people in Arizona (15), Colorado (10), California (3), New Mexico (3) and Nevada (2). There have been 15 reported hospitalizations, 1 case of HUS, and no deaths.
“The physical, financial and emotional burdens of an E. coli infection can be devastating for victims and their families, and I’ve seen this happen too often in my practice as an E. coli lawyer,” said food poisoning attorney Fred Pritzker. “Our law firm is investigating this outbreak and what led to the contamination of the cheese. We are also concerned about cross contamination.”
CDC is collaborating with the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and public health officials in the five states to investigate this multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Through pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subtyping, the pathogen has been identified as a rare strain of E. coli O157:H7 that has never been seen before in the PulseNet database. PulseNet is the national subtyping network that performs molecular surveillance of foodborne infections.
Laboratory testing had confirmed the presence of E. coli 0157:H7, matching the outbreak strain, in two opened packages of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese purchased at Costco and taken from two different case patient’s homes. Additionally, preliminary laboratory testing conducted on an unopened package of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese obtained from a Costco retail location has identified E. coli O157:H7. Further laboratory testing is being conducted to confirm these results.
The FDA has collected Bravo Farms product samples for testing to identify potential sources of contamination. The additional investigative activities include:
- Conducting surveillance to identify additional illnesses that could be related to the outbreak.
- Gathering and testing food products that may be contaminated with bacteria.
- Following epidemiologic leads gathered from interviews with patients, food purchase information, or from patterns of processing, production and/or distribution of suspected products.
- Investigating the distribution chain to ascertain the point of contamination.
For more information call an experienced E. coli lawyer with PritzkerOlsen, P.A. at 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or submit our free consultation form.
Costco Cheese E. coli Outbreak From Bravo Farms Gouda
Costco cheese E. coli outbreak news updates from food poisoning attorneys at Pritzker Olsen will be posted throughout the day. Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda cheese, (Costco item40654) has been associated with an E. coli O157:H7, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
According to the CDC:
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention join Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco), in warning consumers not to consume Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda cheese (Costco item 40654), as this cheese may be associated with an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. The cheese was available for sale, and free samples were offered for in-store tasting at Costco stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.”
The number of E. coli food poisoning cases reported across the country so far are as follows: AZ (11), CA (1), CO (8), NM (3) and NV (2). E. coli O157:H7 can lead to a life-threatening complication called E. coli HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome that can lead to kidney failure, other serious personal injury and wrongful death.
Food poisoning lawyers at Pritzker Olsen attorneys hire the best epidemiologists, microbiologists and other experts to win millions of dollars for E. coli food poisoning victims. Contact a Costco E. coli attorney about a Bravo Farms lawsuit from E. coli contaminated Gouda cheese.
Colorado E. coli Outbreak at Little Sailors Daycare
Little Sailors Child Development in Northglenn, Colorado is the center of an E. coli outbreak in which 14 people are sick, local news sources report.
Children exhibiting E. coli symptoms are being kept apart from others. “The reason we’re not sending them home is because we don’t want the parents to take them to a different child-care setting and spread the disease around,” the day care owner says.
Thirteen children and one adult are sick in this outbreak so far. “It appears less severe,” said Richard Vogt, M.D., with the Tri-County Health Department. “We have to see how this plays out.” The source of the outbreak has not yet been determined.
Rocky Mountain Natural Meats Bison E. coli Recall Expanded
The Colorado firm that recalled more than 60,000 pounds of ground bison and tenderized bison steaks expanded the recall to include more than 700 pounds of bison meat distributed to a firm in Nevada for further processing, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The recall is an expansion of an earlier July 2 recall of bison meat potentially contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The meat products are associated with an E. coli outbreak that has sickened five people in Colorado and one person in New York.
The following products are involved in the recall:
- 16-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL GROUND BISON.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 21, June 22 or June 24, 2010.
- 16-ounce packages of “NATURE’S RANCHER GROUND BUFFALO.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 22, 2010.
- 16-ounce packages of “THE BUFFALO GUYS ALL NATURAL GROUND BUFFALO 90% LEAN.” These products have a lot number of 0147.
- 12-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL BISON STEAK MEDALLIONS.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 23 and June 24, 2010.
- 12-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL BISON SIRLOIN STEAKS.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 20, June 23 and June 24, 2010.
- 15-pound boxes of “ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATURAL MEATS, INC. BISON 10 OZ SIRLOIN STEAK.” These products went to restaurants and bear a Julian Code of 0141.
- Various weight boxes of “BISON B TRIM.” These products bear a production date of May 21, 2010 and a Julian Code of 14110. The boxes also state “KEEP REFRIGERATED.”
The retail distribution list for the potentially contaminated, recalled bison meat has also been updated and now includes:
- Albertsons
- Giant Food
- Hannaford’s
- King Soopers
- Kroger’s
- Market Basket
- Price Chopper’s
- Stop & Shop Supermarket
- Super Valu
- Whole Foods
The FSIS will update the retail distribution list as information becomes available.
Rocky Mountain Natural Meats Recall of Bison Products Due to E coli Outbreak in Colorado and New York
Rocky Mountain Natural Meats, a Henderson, Colorado establishment, is recalling approximately 66,000 pounds of ground and tenderized steak bison products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
FSIS became aware of the problem during the course of an on-going investigation into a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in Colorado with illness onset dates between June 4, 2010 and June 9, 2010. Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the New York Department of Health, 5 case-patients have been identified in Colorado as well as 1 case-patient in New York with an indistinguishable PFGE pattern. FSIS determined that there is an association between the ground bison products and the cluster of illnesses in the state of Colorado. FSIS is continuing to work with the CDC, affected state public health partners, and the company on the investigation. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should contact a health care provider.
The following products are subject to recall:
- 16-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL GROUND BISON.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 21, June 22 or June 24, 2010.
- 16-ounce packages of “NATURE’S RANCHER GROUND BUFFALO.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 22, 2010.
- 16-ounce packages of “THE BUFFALO GUYS ALL NATURAL GROUND BUFFALO 90% LEAN.” These products have a lot number of 0147.
- 12-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL BISON STEAK MEDALLIONS.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 23 and June 24, 2010
- 12-ounce packages of “GREAT RANGE BRAND ALL NATURAL BISON SIRLOIN STEAKS.” These products have a “sell or freeze by” date of June 20, June 23 and June 24, 2010
- 15-pound boxes of “ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATURAL MEATS, INC. BISON 10 OZ SIRLOIN STEAK.” These products went to restaurants and bear a Julian Code of 0141.
The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST. 20247” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These products were produced between the dates of May 21, 2010 through May 27, 2010, and were distributed to retail establishments nationwide and food service distributors in Utah and Arizona. While the sell-by dates for these products have passed, FSIS and the establishment are aware that consumers may also freeze the product before use and there is concern that some product may still be frozen and in consumers’ freezers.
