Foster Farms’ Salmonella Cases Rise to 574, But Still No Food Recall

The number of people have contracted food poisoning  by salmonella as a direct result of consuming Foster Farms chicken has risen to 574, but the poultry processor still has not issued a food recall for any of its products.

In the last few months, 50 more people have reported salmonella contamination after ingesting Foster Farms chicken, which raises the total number since March 2013 to 574. That is an average of eight new salmonella cases a week since last spring.

According to statistics, about 37% of the salmonella cases have been hospitalized since the beginning of the outbreak. About 13% of those have blood infections. Fortunately, no deaths have been reported.

Regardless of the number of salmonella infections directly related to the company’s chicken, Foster Farms has still not issued a food recall for any of its products. Foster Farms did release a statement saying that they were attempting a multi-stage process to eliminate the problem of salmonella contamination at every stage of chicken processing. “The company continues to make steady progress that has effectively reduced Salmonella at the parts level to less than 10 percent — well below the 2011/2012 USDA-measured industry benchmark of 25 percent,” the company said.  By letter last October, the USDA said its inspectors documented “fecal material on carcasses” along with “poor sanitary dressing practices, insanitary food contact surfaces, insanitary nonfood contact surfaces and direct product contamination.

The company put a statement up on its website claiming that the chicken was completely safe when cooked properly, and added, “If we believed our chicken represented a greater risk to public health than any other raw poultry product on the market, we would have recalled it. In fact, we believe it is safer. Our corporate values and our care for our consumers would never allow us to offer chicken to the public that was not wholesome.

“Our confidence in our product allows us to stand behind our 100 percent Golden Guarantee. If anyone has a concern about their chicken, for whatever reason, they should feel free to bring it back for replacement or refund.”

However, the CDC tracks the salmonella infection, and released a statement on April 9th: “Epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback investigations conducted by local, state and federal officials indicate that consumption of Foster Farms brand chicken is the likely source of this outbreak of salmonella Heidelberg infections.”

Food Recall and Defective Product Lawyers at the Strom Law Firm

Many manufacturers do their best to produce high-quality food, medical, and recreational equipment. However, some companies do not pay close enough attention to the manufacturing process and release products on the market that cause great personal injury. While the FDA and USDA issue product and food recalls on a regular basis, they cannot prevent in food-borne outbreaks such as listeria, e. Coli, and salmonella. It is important to hold manufacturers to a higher standard, and a defective products lawyer can help when a food recall has not been issued in time. The Columbia, South Carolina-based attorneys at the Strom Law Firm are licensed to practice in South Carolina, Georgia, and New York, to help you with your personal injury or food poisoning claim. We offer free consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so contact us today for help. 803.252.4800.