Salmonella outbreak traced to deli meal

Saw this outbreak report last week -- oil was habouring the salmonella it seems. It's not something that we see all the time in the news.

This outbreak was probably a result of cross-contamination, where enough bacteria to cause the illnesses was transfered from raw to cooked foods (through the oil in this case).

Handwashing between tasks and not reusing sauces or oil that has touched raw foods can reduce the chances of something like this happening.

There was a lawsuit filed on February 15, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.


--
Salmonella outbreak traced to deli meal
from Cleveland Plain Dealer Reporter (Ohio)
May 8, 2006
Diana Keough
The mystery of what caused the salmonella outbreak that temporarily shut down the popular Corky and Lenny's restaurant ended Sunday.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Health pinpointed the restaurant's famous No. 6, "The Philadelphia" chopped liver sandwich, salad, vegetables and matzo balls as the culprits.
Also testing positive for salmonella was the oil used by prep cooks to roll raw matzo balls and for hand dipping so that the matzo balls would not stick to their fingers during preparation. That same oil also was used to moisten the cooked chopped liver before serving.
The health board identified 48 confirmed cases, 64 probable cases and one suspected case between Jan. 21 and Feb. 18. One of the confirmed victims was a server at the Chagrin Boulevard restaurant.
The report says the server may have contributed to the illness. But John McLeod, the board's director of environmental health, said agency officials are unsure whether the employee was infected before or after the outbreak began.
The eatery was subjected to weekly inspections, which will continue for at least another month, McLeod said.
"We're trying to put the entire incident behind us," co-owner Earl Stein said Sunday.
Unfortunately, litigation is making that difficult. Several lawsuits are pending.

"The Philadelphia" chopped liver sandwich, salad, vegetables and matzo balls as the culprits.
Oil also tested positive for Salmonella, That same oil also was used to moisten the cooked chopped liver before serving.