Cargill is an international company that produces and markets meat and other agricultural products. Cargill is recalling large amounts of ground turkey because they have found that it is contaminated with a drug resistant strain of salmonella. Salmonella is an infectious bacterium that people usually contract by eating poultry, pork, cattle and eggs or egg products. It lasts anywhere from 4 to 7 days, and it can be fatal without proper medical treatment.
Because this particular strain does not respond to treatment drugs, it is something to be concerned about. Due to this recall, the US Department of Agriculture has begun cracking down on rules about this particular strain of salmonella. This is a way to try to ensure that people consuming this meat will not get food poisoning.
This is not the first recall that Cargill has been involved with. They recalled over 36 million pounds of contaminated meat. Because of this food contamination, one person died and 107 people were sick from ingestion. The strain found in Cargill’s meat was named salmonella Heidelberg. After the first recall, Cargill made efforts to sanitize the equipment and instill better washing policies to try to eliminate these problems.
Despite their efforts, salmonella was found again. The newest recall of Cargill’s meat affected around 185,000 pounds of turkey. Doctors have had trouble treating this new strain of salmonella, and it concerns them. Salmonella Heidelberg is such a risk to consumers because it is resistant to normal antibiotics. The Center for Science in the Public Interest is trying to classify this type of salmonella in a category with three together strains to make food contaminated with them illegal. They call these strains adulterants.
To monitor this, there would need to be routine checks at manufacturing plants. Larger companies tend not to like increasing testing for bacteria because it also increases costs. The USDA classified six strains of E-coli into the category of adulterants, salmonella strains may soon follow suit. Food poisoning is something to be concerned about.
If you have eaten spoiled meat, it would be best to get medical attention. If you have fallen victim to salmonella due to recalled meat, you may need to consult a lawyer for restoration of damages. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with an experienced Kansas City civil rights attorney.
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