A Salmonella outbreak linked to frozen, stuffed, breaded chicken items includes four people in Indiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The frozen chicken cordon bleu and chicken broccoli and cheese products were sold under the brand names Kirkwood, Milford Valley, and Dutch Farms. In Indiana, at least 37 retail locations sold these products including Al’s, ALDI, County Market, Meijer, Save A Lot, Strack & Van Til and Walmart stores. To see a full list, click here.
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Indiana Stuffed Breaded Chicken Salmonella Outbreak
The illnesses are part of an eight-state Salmonella outbreak linked to frozen chicken cordon bleu and chicken broccoli and cheese products made by Serenade Foods of Milford, IN. Twenty-eight people have been sickened, 11 have been hospitalized. The number of illnesses reported from each state so far is Arizona (1), Connecticut (1), Illinois (9), Indiana (4), Michigan (1), Minnesota (4), Nevada (1), and New York (7).
The 28 people sickened in this outbreak, who range in age from 3 to 83 years old, told health officials that they developed symptoms of a Salmonella infection on dates ranging from February 21, 2021, to June 28, 2021. And that they had prepared frozen chicken cordon bleu or frozen chicken broccoli and cheese products before they became ill.
In early June, investigators from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture found the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enetriditis in Kirkwood Chicken Cordon Bleu. Kirkwood is an ALDI store brand and product label information indicated that at least some Kirkwood breaded chicken products sold at ALDI are made at Serenade’s Milford facility. But the company did not issue a recall.
At that time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) said Minnesota’s finding was not enough to request a recall from the company. And that it would need more information, such as purchase documentation, shopper records, or other traceable information before it could do so. On June 2, 2021, the agency issued a “Public Health Alert” for all frozen, stuffed, breaded chicken products. The alert did not contain brand names, product descriptions, or store locations but was instead a general reminder for consumers to handle raw chicken safely.
Two months passed and illnesses mounted before Serenade Foods issued a recall on August 9, 2021.The recall came after health officials found the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis in an unopened package of one of the products in the freezer of an outbreak patient.
Severe Salmonella Symptoms
Symptoms of a Salmonella infection usually appear within six to 72 hours of eating contaminated food. They include fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. The hospitalization rate for this outbreak is twice the average, meaning the people sickened in this outbreak are experiencing severe infections. Symptoms of a severe infection include:
- Diarrhea that lasts more than three days that isn’t improving
- Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
- Vomiting and can’t keep liquids down
- Dehydration (decreased urination, dry mouth, feeling dizzy when standing up)
Free Salmonella Lawsuit Consultation
If you contracted a Salmonella Enetriditis infection from stuffed, breaded chicken items and would like a free consultation with an experienced Salmonella lawyer, please contact the Pritzker Hageman Salmonella Legal Team. We 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 by completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.