If Restaurant Chain A has any sense of values and interest in consumer loyalty, it will immediately go public and say, we had a salmonella outbreak at a bunch of our restaurants, a bunch of people got sick, we’re sorry, and this is what we’re doing to fix the situation.

Instead what the American public gets from the Centers for Disease Control is a report of a new outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections was associated with eating food from a Mexican-style fast food restaurant chain, Restaurant Chain A.

I understand CDC can’t finger a chain until it’s outed by some other group, or Chain A itself. But since this outbreak has been going on since Oct. 2011, customers of Chain A would probably have liked to know, and those customers should vote with their pocketbooks and avoid Chain A. But like so much in food safety, consumers can’t actually choose.

CDC says data indicate that contamination likely occurred before the product reached Restaurant Chain A locations and this outbreak now appears to be over.

As of Jan. 19, 2012, a total of 68 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis have been reported from 10 states. The number of ill persons identified in each state with the outbreak strain was as follows: Texas (43), Oklahoma (16), Kansas (2), Iowa (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (1), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (1), Ohio (1), and Tennessee (1). Ill persons range in age from <1 to 79 years, and the median age was 25 years old. Fifty-four percent of patients were female. Thirty-one percent of patients were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.

Public health officials in multiple states and CDC conducted interviews with ill persons to ask questions about exposures during the days before becoming ill. Among 52 ill persons for whom information is available, 60% reported eating at Restaurant Chain A in the week before illness onset. Ill persons reported eating at 18 different locations of Restaurant Chain A in the week before becoming ill. A total of 3 locations were identified where more than one ill person reported eating in the week before becoming ill. This finding indicates that contamination likely occurred before the product reached Restaurant Chain A locations.

CDC and public health officials in multiple states conducted an epidemiologic study by comparing foods eaten by 48 ill and 103 well persons. Analysis of this study indicates that eating at Mexican-style fast food Restaurant Chain A was associated with illness. Ill persons (62%) were significantly more likely than well persons (17%) to report eating at Restaurant Chain A in the week before illness.

No specific food item or ingredient was found to be associated with illness due to common ingredients being used together in many menu items. However, among ill persons eating at Restaurant Chain A, 90% reported eating lettuce, 94% reported eating ground beef, 77% reported eating cheese, and 35% reported eating tomatoes. The epidemic curve seen in the outbreak is consistent with those observed in past produce-related outbreaks—with a sharp increase and decline of ill persons that spanned one-to-two months. Ground beef was an unlikely source due to the handling and cooking processes used by Restaurant Chain A.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) used information on supply truck delivery routes and schedules to try to identify potential foods associated with reports of illness. FDA collected and analyzed paper and electronic shipping records of suspected foods and various other food products shipped by a food distribution center to Restaurant Chain A locations. After reviewing these records, FDA found locations where more than one ill person reported eating in the week before becoming ill were on two separate trucking routes. Comparison of records from suspected foods received by these locations revealed no commonalities across a variety of suppliers. Despite these additional efforts, no further information was available to assist in identifying a single food item.