Bakery goes from bad to worse; 2 dead, 66 sick from salmonella in zeppoles

A second man has died after a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 66 people and may be linked to a Rhode Island bakery.

The state Health Department says the unidentified man died Thursday after being hospitalized and testing positive for salmonella. He was in his 90s and was from Providence County.

DeFusco’s Bakery in Johnston closed down, and its products were recalled, on March 25 after a Health Department inspection found many food-safety violations. They included storing empty, baked pastry shells in cardboard boxes that formerly held trays of raw eggs. Tests later found evidence of salmonella in the boxes, probably from an infected egg that broke.

In addition to closing down DeFusco’s, the outbreak has affected business at other bakeries, at least two of which have taken ads assuring their customers that their products are safe.

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About Douglas Powell

A former professor of food safety and the publisher of barfblog.com, Powell is passionate about food, has five daughters, and is an OK goaltender in pickup hockey. Download Doug’s CV here. Dr. Douglas Powell editor, barfblog.com retired professor, food safety 3/289 Annerley Rd Annerley, Queensland 4103 dpowell29@gmail.com 61478222221 I am based in Brisbane, Australia, 15 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time