Tag Archives: Indiana

Nosestretcher alert: foodborne illness never happens to us: even if employees show up sick

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Two separate cases of food poisoning at Indiana eateries in the past two weeks have sickened more than 100 people, and created one additional entry to the we’ve-always-done-things-this-way-and-no-one-has-ever-gotten-sick file.

The Journal Gazette cited Mindy Waldron, the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health administrator, said customers fell ill with norovirus after eating at El Azteca Mexican restaurant at 535 E. State Blvd. on April 2.

That outbreak followed, but was not directly related to, another norovirus outbreak among those who dined at Cebolla’s Mexican Grill at 5930 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Time Corners on March 25.

The Journal Gazette reported the outbreak at Cebolla’s on March 31 after being alerted by a reader. The health department responded to requests for information, saying there were at least 20 patrons involved in the outbreak at that time.

The outbreak at El Azteca was not reported publicly until Waldron’s report Monday to the Allen County Board of Health, with the report noting the investigations had been concluded. Both outbreaks were traced to sick employees who reported for work in spite of their illness, according to Waldron.

Co-owner of El Azteca, Cristina Ray Durnell, said they took the issue seriously and did everything asked by the Department of Health.

“We’ve been here 38 years and never had anything like this happen,” Ray Durnell said. “Our customers and their safety are our No. 1 priority. That was two weeks ago and we have dealt with it.”

At Cebolla’s, health officials were able to identify 249 patrons who were potentially exposed. The health department received 66 complaints and 109 people had symptoms of the virus, Waldron said. The El Azteca outbreak involved 35 patrons – all of whom had symptoms – and 10 complaints were received.

107 sick; norovirus confirmed in outbreak at Cebolla’s Mexican Grill in Indiana

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The Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health confirmed Friday 107 people were sickened by norovirus at Cebolla’s Mexican Grill, 5930 W. Jefferson Blvd, up for the original 20.

The situation at Cebolla’s was believed to have developed March 25. Symptoms of the virus – nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea – begin 24-48 hours after exposure. Cebolla’s management has continued to cooperate through the investigation.

20 sick; possible norovirus outbreak at Indiana Cebolla’s Mexican Grill

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About 20 people who ate at Cebolla’s Mexican Grill in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Sun. March 25 have reported symptoms of illness consistent with a norovirus outbreak.

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health is investigating and said management of Cebolla’s is fully cooperating with health officials. The restaurant voluntarily closed on Thursday to thoroughly clean and disinfect. Any employees who have been sick recently will be tested for infection and excluded from work.

For more information, visit www.allencountyhealth.comor call 449-7561.

Eat fresh: over 100 sickened with norovirus that ‘bounced in’ to Indiana Subway; ‘hot wash’ report next

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Most of the 100-plus people infected with norovirus last month had eaten at a local Subway franchise.

The Star Press reports an investigation by the Blackford County Health Department (that’s in Indiana) was unable to determine whether a customer or an employee spread the virus, also known as a stomach bug and food poisoning.

"We don’t know how it bounced in there," said Linda Briles, an environmental health specialist at the department. "We may never know. I use the term ‘bounced in there,’ either www.barfblog.com/blog/152553/12/01/14/eat-fresh-90-sick-norovirus-linked-indiana-subwaywith an employee or a customer, I don’t know. But it bounced in and went from there."

She said the virus could have been spread by a customer who failed to properly wash his or her hands after using the restroom. "A customer could have left it on a door knob," Briles said. "It (transmission) is fecal-oral. Or an employee could have caused it by poor hand washing."

An outbreak investigation report from the state department of health won’t be completed for several months, spokeswoman Amanda Turney said. A state epidemiologist will conduct a "hot wash" meeting today with the county health department staff to identify lessons learned from the outbreak.

"I want to do a final hot wash before I release my report (of the investigation to the public)," Briles said. "It should be available after I get down to the state health department and have it checked by the media (relations office)."

Briles said tests showed that more than one Subway employee was infected with the norovirus. "They were sick the same time everyone else was," Briles said. To her knowledge, the infected employees were not sick before the outbreak.

There has been an Indiana administrative code regulating food workers with diagnosed illnesses since 2000, but it wasn’t being enforced in Indiana until 2008.

Under the code, any food employee who is diagnosed with one of the following illnesses must be excluded from the food establishment: salmonella, shiga toxin-producing E. coli, shigella, hepatitis A or norovirus.

From company headquarters in Milford, Conn., Subway public relations manager Kevin Kane said, "Upon learning of the norovirus investigation by the Blackford County Health Department, the franchisee in Hartford City voluntarily closed the restaurant and had an independent company come in to thoroughly clean and sanitize the restaurant. This was in addition to the stringent cleaning and sanitizing procedures practiced here on a daily basis.

Despite hiring an independent contractor to sanitize the restaurant, Subway was cited by Briles for mold, dirty floors and other violations after re-opening.

Eat fresh: 90 sick with norovirus linked to Indiana Subway

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The Blackford County Health Department got Subway to close this week after many people complained of flu-like symptoms that even hospitalized some. More than 90 people were affected, according to Linda Briles, the local environmental health officer.

The Muncie Free Press reports the confirmation of norovirus came after testing of stool samples and interviews with people who dined there. Both the Blackford County Board of Health and the Indiana Board of Health participated in the investigation.

Briles said the contamination was traced to a human, but she could not be more specific until the state offered its report. She re-inspected the restaurant and Subway reopened Friday. That was after a week of investigation.

13 Investigates find feds ignoring hot trucks

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As Indiana State Police find more shocking cases of spoiled and contaminated food heading to Indiana restaurants, 13 Investigates has discovered how food distribution companies get away with it. A six-month Eyewitness News investigation reveals the people who are supposed to be protecting you from this dangerous food have been looking the other way, putting millions of families at risk.

Hundreds of miles from Indiana, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health sits in his Capitol Hill office, shaking his head.

"Enough is enough. I want action now!" says Joseph Pitts (R-Pennsylvania).

Pitts comments came after he watched WTHR video showing truckloads of spoiled and dangerous food heading to Indiana restaurants and grocery stores.

The powerful Congressman says seeing graphic video of contaminated food in transport makes him angry, but he is even more aggravated that more hasn’t been done to stop it.

Last week, Trooper David Eggers stopped a truck that was speeding near the town of Kentland in northwest Indiana. Inside the truck, he found boxes full of contaminated food.

"Fluids from chicken and beef and pork were running onto the floor, and we found fluids from beef on vegetables," Eggers told Eyewitness News.

WTHR was there to see the contaminated load up close. Eyewitness News cameras captured blood on the floor of the delivery truck – so much blood that it was flowing out onto the street below.

"These boxes are soaked through from blood," complained Newton County environmental health officer Jill Johnson as she inspected the load. "There’s raw meat together with vegetables – all moisture damaged – and the potential for cross contamination is very great," she said.

Hot trucks carrying perishable food getting worse

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So much for the cold-chain.

13 Investigates – the voice of Indiana – found beef, pork, chicken, eggs, milk, and produce being transported in hot trucks that do not have proper refrigeration.

"If it’s happening here in Indiana," it’s happening in Texas and North Carolina and California," said Capt. Wayne Andrews, who oversees Indiana State Police’s Motor Carrier Enforcement Division. "This is not just an Indiana problem and we need to do more to address it."

"It’s just not working properly and it had approximately a 94.7 degree reading at the time of the traffic stop," explained ISP Trooper Ashley Hart, standing next to a hot truck she pulled over along Interstate 65 near Lafayette. The truck was carrying raw meat, eggs and produce from a warehouse in Chicago to restaurants in Indianapolis.

"It’s absolutely disgusting," she added.

13 Investigates first exposed the problem in July as state police partnered with local health departments to keep spoiled food from hot trucks off Hoosier dinner plates. Since then, the danger has not gone away.

"The problem is growing," said Andrews, whose motor carrier inspectors have found more hot trucks than they ever expected.

Last week, on a 92-degree day, state police stopped a food truck heading northbound on Interstate 69 near Muncie. The truck’s refrigeration unit was broken and inside, eggs, pork, shrimp, and fish were found to be 66 degrees. Food safety inspectors from the Delaware County Health Department say that is both dangerous and illegal.

Indiana’s effort to crack down on hot trucks is about to get some national exposure. After seeing WTHR’s investigation, NBC’s TODAY Show has decided to highlight this problem as a national issue. TODAY sent a crew to Indiana last week and will feature a special report on hot trucks September 22 — this Thursday morning. You can see the report on Channel 13.

Indiana girl’s E. coli death linked to petting zoo?

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Kalei Welch, a 5-year-old girl in Hendricks County, Indiana, has died and health officials say E. coli is to blame.

About a week ago, she came down with flu-like symptoms.

Her parents took her to the hospital. Kalei died Thursday.

New reports say it’s believed the little girl contracted the E. coli two weeks ago at the Hendricks County Fair.

"The petting zoo part of a fair really can be a dangerous place because they’re touching the animals," said Marc Monte, a family spokesperson. "The animals sometimes have this bacteria on them. If hands are not washed or if they depend on just the sanitizer, that can be not a good thing."

The health department is still working to determine with more certainty where Kalei picked up the bacteria. The fairgrounds are only one possibility.

A table of past petting zoo related outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/petting-zoos-outbreaks.
 

Possible foodborne illness at ethics conference

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One of the cornerstones of ethics and social responsibility, but one that is rarely discussed, is don’t make people barf.

With an Alanis Morissette level of ironical irony, a number of Indiana State University students and employees reported having flu-like symptoms after consuming food they ate at the April 4 Ethics and Social Responsibility Conference at ISU.

ISU food service providers are denying that contaminated food is to blame.

Conference attendees were served box lunches of cold cut sandwiches, a fruit cup, a pickle and a bag of potato chips.

The Indiana Statesman contacted one of the event’s Scott College of Business student organizers who was instructed not to speak on the record about reports of illness linked to the conference.

But College of Business Associate Dean Bruce McLaren said he received reports on April 5 of attendees having become ill following the conference. McLaren said he knew of multiple students and faculty who became ill. After receiving those reports, he notified Sodexo, he said.

According to a statement issued April 12 by Sodexo public relations director Monica Zimmer, "Sodexo was notified about alleged foodborne illness at Indiana State University. We have reviewed our procedures and are confident they are in line with our stringent food safety standards."

"The health department completed three inspections in the Hulman Memorial Student Union this week and found no violations. In addition, Sodexo received a food safety score of 99% during a recent inspection by a third-party auditor."

Vac-paking pizzas also not for amateurs; Indiana Pizza King cited

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Pizza King has been cited by the Delaware County Health Department for nine violations of sanitation requirements related to its vacuum-packed pizzas.

Two of the violations relate to the lack of a hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) food safety plan, which is required to prevent contamination that can lead to the growth of botulism and listeria bacteria in such packaging.

The violations occurred March 15 at 109 E. McGalliard Road, the only Pizza King site that ships vaccum-packed pizzas, which are partially baked and then frozen, to customers around the country and to other Pizza Kings, where they are sold as take-and-bake products.

Pizza King also was cited by the health department during an inspection nearly six months ago for the lack of a HACCP plan.

"They did in fact cite us in October (for the same violation)," said Pizza King official Jerry Riley. "They were going to, from our understanding, get back with us and show us how to do a HACCP plan, and they never did. So when we got this last one (violation), we got lined up with the federal people who inspect our commissary, and they are in the process of helping us put together the HACCP plan. So we will have it in no time at all. Keep in mind, all of the product we receive has a HACCP plan at the commissary."

Terry Troxell, food safety coordinator for the health department, said Pizza King needs a HACCP plan not only at its commissary in Anderson but also at the store in Muncie where the vacuum-packaging, also known as "reduced oxygen packaging," actually occurs.

"I told them I can help answer questions, but we are not in the business of making HACCP plans," Troxell said. "That’s not something we do. They need to do that. We are a regulatory agency. We do inspections. They never approached me with any questions or request for assistance."