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6 Minnesota salmonella cases linked to breaded chicken

Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) - 10/24/2014

Oct. 23--Six Minnesotans have suffered salmonella poisoning after consuming the same brand of frozen chicken Kiev, prompting a consumer alert from the state Department of Health.

While the department isn't ordering a recall of the tainted products -- Antioch Farms brand A La Kiev raw stuffed chicken breast -- it is urging people to either discard them or to make sure they are cooked to a temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

The salmonella risk was much more common until 2008, when packaging was improved to clarify that these contained raw meat, the Health Department said Thursday.

"The problem arises when consumers don't realize that they are handling and preparing a raw product," according to Dr. Carrie Rigdon, an investigator for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Dairy and Food Inspection Division.

One of the six patients required hospital care for the illness.

State disease investigators were able to isolate the source of contamination in part because all six cases involved infections with the same strain, Salmonella Enteritidis. The infections all occurred in August and September. The products involved have a U.S. Department of Agriculture stamped code of P-1358.

Six similar outbreaks involving the frozen, breaded chicken products occurred between 1998 and 2008, prompting new labeling to make clear that they contained raw chicken. This is the first such outbreak since that time.

The state typically counts around 700 cases salmonella poisoning each year. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps and fever, and begin within 12 to 72 hours of consumption of tainted food.

Jeremy Olson -- 612-673-7744

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