Chicken made by Empire Kosher Poultry may be the source of a Salmonella outbreak on the East Coast. Health officials, and lawyers, are investigating the potential link between chicken preoduced by the company, based in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, and the illnesses.
“Any time you have a public health alert for nine months worth of chicken, there is a reason for concern,” said Salmonella lawyer Fred Pritzker, founding partner of the national food safety law firm Pritzker Hageman.
On August 24, Empire together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) issued a public health alert for raw chicken items produced and sold to consumers from September 2017 to June 2018. The alert, which applies to chicken that was sold whole and in part, was issued “due to concerns about Salmonella illnesses reported in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States.”
According to the announcement, FSIS was notified of multiple Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- illnesses on June 18, 2018. Many of those sickened reported eating Empire chicken before they developed symptoms of a Salmonella infection which include diarrhea and abdominal cramps. About half of those sickened required hospitalization. Typically, only about 20 percent of people sickened in Salmonella outbreaks require hospitalization.
FSIS is concerned that some consumers may have the products in question in their freezers. Consumers are advised to check their freezers for any Empire chicken they may have purchased that is part of this health alert.
If you are part of this outbreak and would like a free consultation with Fred Pritzker and the Salmonella team at Pritzker Hageman call 1 (888) 377-8900. Our lawyers have represented clients in every major outbreak over the last 20 years. There is no obligation.