Tag: CDC

FDA, CDC investigating Salmonella outbreak linked to sprouts

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their state and local partners are investigating a three-state outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections.

To date, the outbreak has sickened fifteen people in Nebraska (8), South Dakota (6), and Oklahoma (1), according to information provided by the CDC. Two people have been hospitalized.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has reported sixteen illnesses among individuals who consumed SunSprouts alfalfa sprouts between December 4–13. Eight of these have been confirmed genetically to be part of this outbreak. Results are pending on seven other cases.

Tracing the source

Epidemiological evidence collected by the CDC and its state partners identified alfalfa sprouts as a likely source of this outbreak.

Two outbreak victims specifically reported having purchased SunSprouts alfalfa sprouts at their local grocery stores. Others reported having consumed alfalfa sprouts at local restaurants.

A traceback investigation carried out by the FDA identified SunSprouts brand alfalfa sprouts grown by CW Sprouts Inc., doing business as (DBA) SunSprout Enterprises of Fremont, NE as the probable source of the outbreak.

The company has recalled four batches of alfalfa sprouts, identified as Lots ##4211, 5211, 3212, and 4212.

The recalled SunSprouts brand alfalfa sprouts were packaged in 4-ounce clamshells and 2.5 lb packages with best sold by dates between 12/10/2022 and 1/7/2023. The sprouts were supplied directly to restaurants and grocery stores in Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa.

Inspection history

According to the FDA’s Inspection Database, CW Sprouts, Inc. has been inspected on at least seven occasions since 2009. Although some of its earlier inspections were classified “Voluntary Action Indicated,” there are no posted citations listed for the past ten years.

The most recent FDA inspection was completed in August 2021.

What you need to know

Consumers, restaurants, and retailers

  • Do not eat, sell, or serve recalled SunSprouts brand alfalfa sprouts.
  • Check your refrigerators for recalled SunSprouts brand alfalfa sprouts with best by dates between 12/10/2022 and 1/7/2023, and discard these items.
  • If you purchased or used recalled alfalfa sprouts, use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces that may have come in contact with these products, to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
  • If you or someone in your household ate SunSprouts alfalfa sprouts and have symptoms of salmonellosis, contact your healthcare provider.

Suppliers and Distributors

  • Do not use, ship or sell recalled alfalfa sprouts grown by SunSprout Enterprises.
  • Do not use any comingled and potentially cross-contaminated product if there has been potential cross-contamination or mixing of recalled alfalfa sprouts with products from other sources, and use extra vigilance in cleaning any surfaces and storage areas that may have come into contact with recalled alfalfa sprouts.
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Organic strawberries behind hepatitis A outbreak

The FDA, the CDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in cooperation with their partner agencies, are investigating a cross-border outbreak of hepatitis A illnesses linked to organic strawberries.

A total of 27 outbreak cases have been confirmed in all, including ten in Canada and seventeen in the United States.

Canadian cases are reported in Alberta (4) and Saskatchewan (6), in individuals between 10 and 75 years of age. Four of the ten victims have been hospitalized.

Cases in the United States have occurred in California (15), Minnesota (1) and North Dakota (1), with 12 hospitalizations reported.

Illness onset dates range from March 28 to April 30, 2022 in the US, and between early and mid-April in Canada.

Patient interviews conducted in both countries linked the outbreak to consumption of fresh organic strawberries sold in the United States between March 5th and April 25th, and in Canada between March 5th and March 9th.

The strawberries, which have passed their shelf life, were sold in Co-op stores in Alberta and Saskatchewan and at the following retailers in the United States under FreshKampo and HEB brand names:

  • Aldi
  • HEB
  • Kroger
  • Safeway
  • Sprouts Farmers Market
  • Trader Joe’s
  • Walmart
  • Weis Markets
  • WinCo Foods

The strawberries were distributed across the United States, but only sold in the two Canadian provinces where hepatitis cases were reported.

Neither the FDA nor the PHAC have indicated in what country the strawberries were grown.

Consumers who may have frozen the strawberries for later use should check their freezer and throw away any suspect product.

What consumers should do

  • Check your freezer for these fresh organic strawberries purchased between March 5 and 9, 2022 at Co-op stores in Alberta and Saskatchewan or between March 5 and April 25th at one of the US retailers listed above. If you froze them to eat later, do not eat them. Throw away any remaining organic strawberries. If you don’t know where the strawberries came from, throw them out.
  • Wash and sanitize any drawers, shelves, or containers where the products were stored using a kitchen sanitizer (follow the directions on the container) or prepare a bleach solution in a labelled spray bottle (you can use a ratio of 5 ml of household bleach to 750 ml of water) and rinse with water.
  • If you have eaten these organic strawberries, purchased fresh and later frozen, or have symptoms consistent with hepatitis A, see your health care provider immediately. Vaccination can prevent a hepatitis A infection if given within 14 days of exposure.
  • Wash your hands before and after preparing or eating food, and after using the washroom or changing diapers.
  • If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis A, do not prepare or serve food and drinks to others.

Jif’s Salmonella outbreak. What we know so far

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg infections believed to be linked to consumption of Jif peanut butter products.

Jif peanut butters are manufactured by The JM Smucker Co.

outbreak-salmonella-peanut-butter-cdc-case-count-mapThe fourteen confirmed cases are scattered across twelve US states, including Arkansas (1), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1), Missouri (1), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Ohio (1), South Carolina (1), Texas (2), Virginia (1), and Washington (1). Two of the victims have been hospitalized.

The first reported victim became ill on February 17, 2022.

Outbreak victims range in age from less than one year old to 85 years old. The median age is 56, and 71% of the victims are female.

Interviews conducted with five of the outbreak victims revealed that all five had consumed peanut butter prior to falling ill. Two of the five had eaten Jif Creamy Reduced Fat peanut butter, one person reported Jif Natural Creamy Low Sodium peanut butter, and one person reported Jif Natural Creamy peanut butter.

The CDC cautions that the true number of sick people in an outbreak such as this is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. 

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the outbreak strain is closely related to a strain of Salmonella recovered in 2010 from an environmental sample in the Lexington, Kentucky, manufacturing plant where the implicated Jif peanut butter products are made.

A review of the FDA’s inspection database reveals that the Lexington facility was inspected on five separate occasions since 2009, including inspections in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2018.

The 2010 and 2015 inspections were classified as Voluntary Action Indicated (VAI), meaning the inspector found deficiencies that needed to be corrected by the company. There is no list of the reported deficiencies in the database for either of the VAI inspections.

Recall status

jif-front-backThe JM Smucker Co. has recalled a long list of Jif products, covering all lot codes from 1274425 to 2140425, but only with the first seven digits ending in 425 (the identifier code for the Lexington production plant).

Recalled products were distributed across the United States and exported to Canada.

The company has issued a separate recall notice listing the products distributed in Canada.

In addition to being sold through retail stores and other outlets, peanut butter is often used as an ingredient in other products. Recalls of products containing Jif peanut butter have already begun.

For an up-to-date linked list of announced recall notices, please select the Jif/Smucker Recalls menu item at the top of the page.

CDC’s advice to consumers

  • Do not eat any recalled Jif brand peanut butter. Throw it away.
  • This product has a very long shelf life, so be sure to check any Jif peanut butter you have at home to make sure it has not been recalled.
  • Wash surfaces and containers that may have touched the recalled peanut butter using hot, soapy water.
  • Call your healthcare provider if you have one or more of these symptoms after eating recalled peanut butter:
    • Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
    • Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving
    • Bloody diarrhea
    • So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
    • Signs of dehydration, such as:
      • Not peeing much
      • Dry mouth and throat
      • Feeling dizzy when standing up

CDC’s advice to businesses

  • Do not sell or serve recalled Jif brand peanut butter.
  • Wash and sanitize containers and surfaces that may have come in contact with recalled peanut butter.

Read more about previous outbreaks of Salmonella involving peanut butter in TAINTED. From Farm Gate to Dinner Plate, Fifty Years of Food Safety Failures, now available in digital, print and audiobook editions.

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