Salmonella outbreak strikes 26 states: How to stay safe

A map of the recent salmonella outbreak that's hit 26 states, infecting 77 people

/ CDC

(CBS/AP) Government investigators are still looking for the source of a salmonella outbreak that sickened 76 people and killed a Calif. resident.

PICTURES: 10 dangerous but common food safety mistakes

The USDA and CDC believe the outbreak that spread across 26 states is linked to tainted ground turkey. Cargill, a Minnesota-based meat company, said Tuesday that it has been contacted by the USDA as part of the investigation, but has not been named as the culprit.

The illnesses date back to March, and the CDC said Monday that cultures of ground turkey from four retail locations between March 7 and June 27 showed contamination with the same strain of salmonella, but couldn't specifically link them to the illnesses. The preliminary investigation showed that three of those samples were linked to the same factory, but the agency has yet to name the retailers or the manufacturers.

Why is there such a lack of government information on this outbreak? It may be because USDA rules make it hard to investigate and recall salmonella-tainted poultry. Salmonella is common in poultry, so it's not illegal for meat to be tainted with the pathogen. So officials must directly link the salmonella illnesses with a certain producer or establishment. That's difficult to do because people don't always remember what they ate or where they got it from.

Officials in this case haven't been able to prove the link between the salmonella samples they found - despite them being the same strain and the 77 infections. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) sent out an alert about the illnesses late last week telling consumers to properly cook their turkey, which can decrease risks for salmonella poisoning, but hasn't issued warnings about the source of the infection.

"There is little epidemiological information available at this time that conclusively links these illnesses to any specific product or establishment," said FSIS spokesman Neil Gaffney. "Without specific enough data, it would not be appropriate to issue a recall notice."

But the outbreak keeps spreading. Michigan and Ohio reported the highest number of illnesses with 10 each, while Texas reported nine. Illinois had seven, California six and Pennsylvania five.

Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin are states with at least one illness. Some cases may not have been reported yet.

The CDC says it can take three to four weeks to confirm a single case and identifying an outbreak can take considerably longer than that.

What can you do to protect your family? Make sure their meat is cooked properly - ground turkey is safe to eat when its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees during cooking. The USDA also recommends washing hands for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat or poultry, and refrigerating it promptly after use.

About 50 million Americans get sick from food poisoning each year resulting in 3,000 deaths, and salmonella is the culprit behind most of these cases. Common symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a salmonella- tainted product. The infection can be deadly for those with weakened immune systems like the children and elderly.

The CDC has more on salmonella. 

11 Photos

10 dangerous but common food safety mistakes

[Jesse_engAmer]

The FDA allows all sorts of contaminants. INCLUDING salmonella on your food with the assumption that cooking it is enough to kill the bacteria. Check out this article from Robert Hadad the Director of Farming Systems of the Farm Animals and Sustainable Agriculture Section from the Humane Society of the United States on the FDA's website. http://eng.am/r2hiDT

[Nate650]

This is clearly a result of poor food production methods. Namely, the crowding of animals, overuse of antibiotics, and unnatural feed. Yet instead of fixing the root of the problem, we are told to cook the meat thoroughly. Yet another band-aid fix in a severely flawed food system completely dictated by greed.

[Jesse_engAmer]

You have no idea how true this is. The FDA actually has allowances for food contaminants like cigarette butts, insects and more. They don't even hide it. Its all there in the FDA's Defect Handbook. http://eng.am/qbfYkY
If you really want to be shocked take a look at this article from CBS: http://eng.am/rlzhEd
It's no wonder outbreaks like this occur.

[bajajohn1]

Feed the infected turkey to Republicans and their families, as they are the ones who are trying to defund food inspections.

[windmichael21]

just go to local restaurant,and look in the kitchen you will never eat out,if you only knew how they grow your food in other countries you will never purchase food from another country,develope local farms so you can see whays happening then you can enjoy the food,support local farmers,and do not elect rich people into any political office.

[Nate650]

Perhaps I'm interpreting your usage of the word "local" incorrectly, but local restaurants generally use better quality ingredients than chain restaurants, so you're actually better off eating at a local restaurant. :) I'm sure by "local" you meant "nearest chain" though. I'm sure it depends on your location.

[dejahthoris2]

The article DOES tell you what to do to prevent Salmonella poisoning, and the info is on FDA.gov too- wash hands before and after handling food and make sure meat is cooked thoroughly. Duh. Basic sanitation and common sense.

[imnotimportant]

If the Salmonella is on fresh vegetables or fruit, just rinsing may solve problem.

[imnotimportant]

If the Salmonella is on fresh vegetables or fruit, just rinsing may NOT solve problems.

[nasadawg]

You want safe food? DO NOT eat imported food. Look at the label of what you are eating. I only go to farmers markets if I can.

[imnotimportant]

You want safe food? Don't vote for Tea Party people. The want to do away with government oversight.

[bradfregger]

The main problem is what people eat. It's time the government outlawed all beef, chicken, and turkey product; plus, all vegetables. It is obvious that it is these foods that are causing the problem. We need to pray to Mother Earth that there will not be a problem with fish and fruits, or I don't know what we will do. I guess we could manufacture all of our food ... no ... something would still get into the food. There is no doubt, THE SKY IS FALLING!!!

[SactoBrett]

If only we would implement more wide spread use of food irradiation techniques, many of these issues would go away. The US Ag industry is behind in the times.

[bradfregger]

The mail problem is what people eat. It's time the government outlawed all beef, chicken, and turkey product; plus, all vegetables. It is obvious that it is these foods that are causing the problem. We need to pray to Mother Earth that there will not be a problem with fish and fruits, or I don't know what we will do. I guess we could manufacture all of our food ... no ... something would still get into the food. There is no doubt, THE SKY IS FALLING!!!

[bradfregger]

I meant of course, "The main problem ..."

[onemikebrown]

The article fails to mention the best way to stay safe. Buy Local Eat Local!!