The USDA suspects chicken is the source of a Salmonella outbreak that marks the agency’s first investigation of 2022. Contaminated poultry accounts for about 23 percent of the 1.35 million Salmonella cases reported in the U.S. each year. And those numbers have been increasing for the last 25 years.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it was time to try a new plan to try and tackle the poultry industry’s Salmonella problem. But with some Salmonella strains posing industrywide problems for chicken and turkey, it may be a while before policy changes have a net effect on products.
The USDA has not yet provided information on the number of people sickened or the products involved. Recent outbreaks show a variety of chicken products have been linked to outbreaks.
Recent Chicken Salmonella Outbreaks
Ongoing Chicken Salmonella Infantis Outbreak
When the CDC announced the end of its investigation of a deadly Salmonella Infantis outbreak linked to raw chicken products in February 2019, it added an unusual note at the top of its final report. It read in part, “This investigation is over. Illnesses could continue because this Salmonella strain appears to be widespread in the chicken industry.”
Two and a half years later, an investigative report from ProPublica revealed that the outbreak, linked to a multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella Infantis, has never ended.
It’s unclear how many people are now included in the outbreak. When the CDC investigation ended, 129 cases had been confirmed and one person had died. The illnesses were reported from January 8, 2018, to January 27, 2019.
During interviews with health officials, outbreak patients named multiple brands of chicken they had eaten before becoming sick and multiple stores where they purchased them. None of these were ever disclosed by health officials.
But according to ProPublica, patients named Perdue Farms more than any other brand. And, the report revealed, health officials in Pennsylvania and Minnesota found the outbreak strain in packages of Perdue wings, thighs, and drumsticks purchased from three different grocery stores
2021 Serenade Breaded Chicken Salmonella Outbreak
In 2021, a Salmonella outbreak linked to breaded, stuffed chicken sold under the brand names Milford Valley, Dutch Farms, and Kirkwood sickened 36 people in 11 states. Twelve people were hospitalized.
These frozen, chicken Cordon Bleu and chicken broccoli and cheese products were sold at ALDI, Al’s, County Market, Martin’s Meijer, Save A Lot, Strack & Van Til, and Walmart stores.
The people sickened, who ranged in age from 1 to 83 years old, reported the onset of symptoms on dates ranging from February 21, 2021, to August 16, 2021.
Illnesses were reported from the following states: Arizona (4), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (1), Illinois (10), Indiana (4), Michigan (1), Minnesota (4), Nevada (1), New York (7), Ohio (1), and Oklahoma (2).
2018 Empire Kosher Chicken Salmonella Outbreak
In 2018, a Salmonella outbreak linked to Empire kosher chicken sickened 25 people in six states – Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. One person died. The implicated chicken was sold whole and in parts.
Pritzker Hageman Wins Landmark Chicken Salmonella Lawsuit
Salmonella Attorneys Eric Hageman and David Coyle were part of the Pritzker Hageman trial team that won a $6.5 million verdict in a landmark Salmonella lawsuit against a chicken processing company, Foster Poultry Farms (Foster Farms). Our client was a toddler who contracted a Salmonella Heidelberg infection and suffered brain damage.
IIf you have been sickened by chicken that was contaminated with Salmonella and would like a free consultation with a Salmonella lawyer, please contact the Pritzker Hageman Salmonella Legal Team. Our attorneys 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 completing the form below. There is no obligation and we don’t get paid unless we win.