The following products are subject to recall:

• 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 80/20 Coarse Ground Chuck, package code “0481.”

• 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 81/19 Coarse Ground Beef, package code “0421.”

• 10 lb. packages of “National Beef” 80/20 Fine Ground Chuck, package code “0484.”

All these products have a “USE BY/SELL BY DATE” of June 14, 2013. The products were produced on May 25, 2013, and shipped to various institutions and retail establishments. FSIS and the establishment are concerned that some product may be frozen and in shoppers’ freezers.

The problem was discovered through routine FSIS monitoring which confirmed a positive result for E.coli O157:H7. An investigation determined the firm was the sole supplier of the source materials used to produce the positive product. FSIS and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

According to the complaint, Brian Brothers consumed “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” on multiple occasions between January and April of 2013.  He alleges that he became fatigued and experienced darker urine for several days before going to the Emergency Room with jaundice, nausea and a fever—all typical symptoms of hepatitis A infection—on May 22. His attorneys claim that blood tests revealed that his liver was not fully functioning and it was suggested that Mr. Brothers might need a liver transplant.  Luckily, his condition improved; however, he alleges that during the acute phase of his illness he suffered from headache and fever, acute stomach ache and nausea, yellow skin and eyes, extreme fatigue, and cloudy judgment and that he continues to experience extreme fatigue.

“All of the people I represent in this outbreak have been fatigued for weeks,” said attorney Bill Marler, who represents dozens of individuals who claim to have become ill with hepatitis A after eating the Townsend Farms product.  “Brian Brothers has been suffering the effects of his hepatitis A infection for a month now and likely won’t get back to his normal self for several more weeks.”

Marler noted that victims of hepatitis A infection can take up to 6 months to fully recover from their illnesses.

According to a June 18 update to the CDC website, “Multistate outbreak of Hepatitis A infections potentially associated with ‘Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend’ frozen berry and pomegranate mix,” at least 118 people in 8 states have fallen ill with hepatitis A infections as part of the outbreak traced to the Townsend Farms product.

“I expect the numbers to continue to go up since people continued to eat this product until well into June,” added Marler.  “Some people probably won’t start feeling ill until closer to the Fourth of July.”

BACKGROUND:  Marler Clark has represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness outbreaks, including hundreds of victims of hepatitis A outbreaks and thousands who were exposed to hepatitis A and were forced to receive inoculations against the virus.  In the last 20 years, Marler Clark has recovered over $600 million on behalf of victims of foodborne illnesses such as hepatitis A, E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria.

Investigation by state and local health departments, FDA, and CDC is ongoing. Costco notified its members who purchased this product since late February 2013, and has removed the “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix from its shelves. The product was distributed in 12 states (AZ, AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, and WA); however, no cases from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, or Montana have been linked to the outbreak at this time.

Hepatitis A:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce and restaurant food.  The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Subway, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Quiznos, Chi-Chi’s and Carl’s Jr.

If you or a family member became ill with a Hepatitis A infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Hepatitis A attorneys for a free case evaluation.

According to the lawsuit, Catherine Gunn purchased and consumed Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend berry and pomegranate seed mix in May of 2013.  She alleges she fell ill with symptoms of hepatitis A infection on May 31 and later tested positive for hepatitis A.  Ms. Gunn’s attorneys state that she has sought medical care for treatment of hepatitis A on multiple occasions and continues to receive medical care.

“All of the people I represent in this outbreak have been fatigued for weeks,” said attorney Bill Marler, who represents over XX individuals who became ill with hepatitis A after eating the Townsend Farms product.  Marler noted that victims of hepatitis A infection can take up to 6 months to fully recover from their illnesses.

According to a June 17 update to the CDC website, “Multistate outbreak of Hepatitis A infections potentially associated with ‘Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend’ frozen berry and pomegranate mix,” at least 106 people in 8 states have fallen ill with hepatitis A infections as part of the outbreak traced to the Townsend Farms product.  The incubation period, or time between ingesting the virus and becoming ill with symptoms of hepatitis A infection, is typically about 30 days.

“This outbreak will continue to grow,” added Marler.  “Some people probably won’t start feeling ill until closer to the Fourth of July.”

BACKGROUND:  Marler Clark has represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness outbreaks, including hundreds of victims of hepatitis A outbreaks and thousands who were exposed to hepatitis A and were forced to receive inoculations against the virus.  In the last 20 years, Marler Clark has recovered over $600 million on behalf of victims of foodborne illnesses such as hepatitis A, E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria.

Investigation by state and local health departments, FDA, and CDC is ongoing.  Costco notified its members who purchased this product since late February 2013, and has removed the “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix from its shelves.

FDA has begun an inspection of the processing facilities of Townsend Farms of Fairview, Oregon.

The FDA is also finalizing a protocol to test berries for the Hepatitis A virus (HAV), and will be testing samples related to the outbreak, including the frozen blend for the presence of HAV.

On June 3, 2013, Townsend Farms, Inc. of Fairview, Oregon voluntarily recalled certain lots of its frozen Organic Antioxidant Blend because it has the potential to be contaminated with hepatitis A virus.

Preliminary laboratory studies of specimens from five states suggest the outbreak strain of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is genotype 1B. This strain is rarely seen in the Americas but circulates in North Africa and the Middle East.

This genotype was identified in a 2013 outbreak in Europe linked to frozen berries and another 2012 outbreak in British Columbia related to a frozen berry blend with pomegranate seeds from Egypt. However, there is no evidence at this time that these outbreaks are related to the current U.S. outbreak.

According to the label, the “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix associated with illness contained products originating from the U.S., Argentina, Chile, and Turkey.

Hepatitis A is a human disease and usually occurs when an infected food handler prepares food without appropriate hand hygiene.  However, food contaminated with HAV, as is suspected in this outbreak, can cause outbreaks of disease among persons who eat or handle food.

All four people who got sick say they ate dinner at Los Burritos Mexicanos on St. Charles Road in Lombard.

On Friday, ccording to the Chicago Tribune, the DuPage County Health Department closed an unnamed Lombard restaurant in connection with the investigation into four confirmed cases of E. coli in people admitted to a county hospital this week, officials said today.

Jason Gerwig, a public information officer for the DuPage County Health Department, said his agency is looking at a Lombard restaurant as a possible source for the outbreak, and said the restaurant had been temporarily closed at 5 p.m. Friday as part of the investigation. Gerwig said the total number of cases confirmed or under investigation is about 10.

The four confirmed cases were all hospitalized at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, officials said Friday. Jim Silvestri, a spokesman for Good Samaritan, said Friday that eight people had come to the hospital feeling ill and that four had been admitted.

For those consumers like Evo’s Coffee Lounge, who appear not to have heard (or paid attention to) the recall, the product continues to potentially spread its nasty cargo.  This is especially true for a product like Townsend’s frozen berries that can slip into the back of the freezer only to be ready to unload another round of hepatitis A illnesses later.

Hepatitis A:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce and restaurant food.  The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Subway, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Quiznos, Chi-Chi’s and Carl’s Jr.

If you or a family member became ill with a Hepatitis A infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Hepatitis A attorneys for a free case evaluation.

For those who consume it, like the Target pharmacist, there is the possibility of spreading the virus to both close friends and family or customers that they might come in contact with, and if those people become ill the virus can spread farther still.

Hepatitis A:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce and restaurant food.  The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Subway, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Quiznos, Chi-Chi’s and Carl’s Jr.

If you or a family member became ill with a Hepatitis A infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Hepatitis A attorneys for a free case evaluation.

Jason Gerwig, a public information officer for the DuPage County Health Department, said his agency is looking at a Lombard restaurant as a possible source for the outbreak, and said the restaurant had been temporarily closed at 5 p.m. Friday as part of the investigation. Gerwig said the total number of cases confirmed or under investigation is about 10.

The four confirmed cases were all hospitalized at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, officials said Friday. Jim Silvestri, a spokesman for Good Samaritan, said Friday that eight people had come to the hospital feeling ill and that four had been admitted.

E. coli:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of E. coli outbreaks and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The E. coli lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of E. coli and other foodborne illness infections and have recovered over $600 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our E. coli lawyers have litigated E. coli and HUS cases stemming from outbreaks traced to ground beef, raw milk, lettuce, spinach, sprouts, and other food products.  The law firm has brought E. coli lawsuits against such companies as Jack in the Box, Dole, ConAgra, Cargill, and Jimmy John’s.  We have proudly represented such victims as Brianne Kiner, Stephanie Smith and Linda Rivera.

If you or a family member became ill with an E. coli infection or HUS after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark E. coli attorneys for a free case evaluation.

Based on available epidemiologic data from 87 of the 99 cases under investigation:

55 (63%) ill people are women

Ages range from 2 – 87 years

Illness onset dates range from 3/16/2013 – 6/4/2013

44 (51%) ill people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported

71 of 87 (82%) ill people interviewed reported eating “Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix

All those who reported eating this product purchased it from Costco markets; however, the product was also sold at Harris Teeter stores. No cases have been identified that bought the product at Harris Teeter at this time.

Investigation by state and local health departments, FDA, and CDC is ongoing. Costco notified its members who purchased this product since late February 2013, and has removed the “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix from its shelves.

FDA has begun an inspection of the processing facilities of Townsend Farms of Fairview, Oregon.

The FDA is also finalizing a protocol to test berries for the Hepatitis A virus (HAV), and will be testing samples related to the outbreak, including the frozen blend for the presence of HAV.

On June 3, 2013, Townsend Farms, Inc. of Fairview, Oregon voluntarily recalled certain lots of its frozen Organic Antioxidant BlendExternal Web Site Icon because it has the potential to be contaminated with hepatitis A virus.

Preliminary laboratory studies of specimens from five states suggest the outbreak strain of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is genotype 1B. This strain is rarely seen in the Americas but circulates in North Africa and the Middle East.

This genotype was identified in a 2013 outbreak in Europe linked to frozen berries and another 2012 outbreak in British Columbia related to a frozen berry blend with pomegranate seeds from Egypt. However, there is no evidence at this time that these outbreaks are related to the current U.S. outbreak.

According to the label, the “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” frozen berry and pomegranate mix associated with illness contained products originating from the U.S., Argentina, Chile, and Turkey.