As of August 3, CDC had received reports of 78 cases from 26 states, including one death associated with this outbreak since March 1, 2011, according to Dr. Chris Braden, the director of the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at CDC.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), however, says this recall points to the inaction USDA has taken on listing Salmonella Heidelberg as an adulterant. “The Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the US Department of Agriculture in May to declare this and three other strains that have caused outbreaks and recalls as ‘adulterants’ under the law,” says CSPI Staff Attorney Sarah Klein. “This would trigger new testing for those strains and make it less likely that contaminated products reach consumers.”