August 2006

Lettuce grown in Monterey County has been linked to five cases of E. coli bacteria poisoning at a Wendy’s restaurant in Ogden, Utah, during a three-day period in late June, reports CBS Channel 5 in Salinas.

"The only food item that was shared by all of these cases was iceberg lettuce from this Wendy’s store,”

In an unprecedented effort to monitor the Salinas Valley lettuce industry, federal regulators announced Thursday they will inspect local fields, coolers and packing plants starting Monday, reports the Monterey Herald.

The inspections are part of a multi-year Food and Drug Administration safety initiative created to tackle reoccurring E. coli 0157:H7 outbreaks connected to leafy greens

Cambridge-Guernsey County Health Department is investigating three confirmed reports of E. coli affecting Guernsey County residents, according to The Daily Jeffersonian.

The outbreak includes a case that reportedly claimed the life of a Cambridge toddler, but is not confirmed.

Authorities have reportedly not identified the source of the E. coli contamination.

Most E. coli infections

Federal and state regulators, researchers and lettuce industry representatives are scheduled to meet in Salinas for a foodborne illness outbreak summit, reports the Monterey Herald.

Organized by the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security at the University of California-Davis, the meeting will focus in part on how investigations of leafy green-related outbreaks can be

The Tennessee health department has confirmed that the seven people who fell ill ate at a Hixson restaurant between July 8th and 20th, reports WDEF-TV.

Since then, employees of the restaurant have all tested negative for the bacteria, and health inspectors have made sure that the restaurant was thoroughly sanitized.

Three of Janet King’s four

A woman from Longville, Minnesota, who apparently ate contaminated food at a church supper, has become the first Minnesotan recorded as dying of E. coli complications in at least three and a half years, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Services will be held today for Carolyn Hawkinson, right, 73, at Salem Lutheran Church in Longville