Health agent warns consumers to be aware
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Over the course of the last six months food products such as spinach, frozen hamburgers and frozen pot pies have been recalled and removed from grocery store shelves.

Westminster Health Agent Wibby Swedburg said these most recent recalls by the US Food and Drug Administration are the most dangerous ones. She said it is important that people pay attention to the recalls.

On Oct. 11, ConAgra Food voluntarily recalled all varieties of their pot pie products because of a possible link to salmonellosis, according to the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The pot pies include those sold by Banquet, Albertson's Food Lion, Great Value, Hill Country Fare, Kirkwood, Kroger, Meijer, and Western Family. (Please see side bar for all recall data.)

On Oct. 13, the J&B Meats Corporation voluntarily recalled 173,554 pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may have been contaminated with E. coli, according to the federal agency. (Please see sidebar for more details on recalled products.)

"People can have them in their freezer and they may not even know it," she said. "Topps is a very common brand around here."

"We haven't had any cases in Westminster of salmonellosis or E. Coli from these outbreaks," she said.

She said she has contacted the local grocery store about the recall, as she does with all food recalls.

Swedburg said she had experience with salmonellosis when she worked in Athol but that was because of an exotic toad, which was carrying the disease and not a food born outbreak.

Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborn illnesses. The infections can be life threatening, especially to those with weak immune systems, according to the USDA.

E. Coli is a bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.

Over the years the number of recalls have appeared to increasing but Swedburg does not think the actual occurrences of these diseases are increasing.

"It seems like the Department of Public Health is better monitoring," Swedburg said. "I think its better tracking."

She added that with the recent recalls on toys because of lead paint are paying more attention to the issues.

"I think people's awareness is raised with all of these toy recalls," she said.

Swedburg said the health department gets updates on food recalls weekly but the recalls of the pot pies and the hamburgers have been classified as level one, which means the diseases are considered to associated with a severe health hazard or death.

Five Massachusetts residents have gotten salmonellosis from the frozen chicken and turkey pot pies. According to the state Department of Public Health three cases were in Bristol County, and one was in each Suffolk and Franklin counties.

Swedburg said salmonellosis has different strains that can be "fingerprinted" and then tracked.

"This is how they have identified these five cases from the same pot pie strain," she said.

The state Department of Public Health requires all labs to report outbreaks of these and other communicable diseases to their office, which then reports the outbreaks to the Boards of Health. Swedburg said the town will announce issues with easily transmittable diseases, such as Hepatitis A in food service personal; and will also contact people who have had, or may have had, personal contact with someone who catches a disease like Meningococcal Disease or Measles.

"This is so it doesn't continue to carry," she said.

Swedburg said the public can look the state or the federal Web sites and the recalls are also posted at the Board of Health office in Town Hall.