Chapter 12
Salmonella Outbreaks
One in ten thousand eggs produced in the northeastern United States is also said to be contaminated with Salmonella, and poultry is a known vector for Salmonella contamination. Beyond poultry and eggs, though, ground beef, fresh produce, water, and ready-to-eat foods such as peanut butter, almonds, and snack foods have all been associated with Salmonella outbreaks in recent years.
The deadliest Salmonellaoutbreak in history occurred in 1985. At least 6149 cases of Salmonella Typhimurium, of which 5770 were laboratory-confirmed, were reported among people who had consumed 2% pasteurized milk sold by Bluebrook and Hillfarm. The milk had been sold in supermarkets in several Midwestern states.
Located in a Chicago suburb, the Hillfarm dairy was the sole supplier of milk to 217 supermarkets operated by the Jewel Food Stores chain in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan. The dairy was owned by the Jewel company and had been producing milk since 1968. The outbreak prompted the company to cease all dairy production on April 9, 1985. The presence of a cross-connection that could have exposed pasteurized milk to raw milk was suspected as the cause of the contamination in the dairy processing plant.
More Salmonella outbreak information is available in the Outbreak Database.
Past Salmonella Outbreaks
- Moby Dick House of Kabob Salmonella Outbreak
- Tailor Cut Produce Salmonella Outbreak
- Pasha Mediterranean Grill Salmonella Outbreak
- Chiang Mai House Thai Salmonella Outbreak
- Gold Dust West Salmonella Outbreak
- Brixx and Barley Salmonella Outbreak in Nassau County
- Raw Turkey Salmonella Outbreak
- Costco Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak
- Raw Chicken Salmonella Outbreak
- JBS Beef Salmonella Outbreak
- La Luz Mexican Grill Salmonella Outbreak
- Hy-Vee Pasta Salad Salmonella Outbreak
- Kitty's Restaurant Salmonella Outbreak
- Kellogg's Honey Smacks Cereal Salmonella Outbreak
- Multi-state Melon Salmonella Adelaide Outbreak
- Rose Acre Farms Egg Salmonella Outbreak
- Go Smile! Coconut Salmonella Outbreak
- Burrito Delight Fort Lupton Colorado Salmonella Outbreak
- Kratom Multistate Salmonella Outbreak
- Fareway Chicken Salad Salmonella Outbreak
- La California Mexican Restaurant Salmonella Outbreak
- Multi-State Jimmy John's Sprouts Salmonella Outbreak
- Coconut Tree Brand Frozen Shredded Coconut Salmonella Outbreak
- Bemidji Burger King Salmonella Outbreak
- Washington and Oregon Pre-Cut Fruit Salmonella Outbreak
- Toyo Tire Salmonella Outbreak
- Relish Foods Tuna Salmonella Outbreak
- Old Country Buffet Salmonella Outbreak
- Pints & Quarts and C.F. Prime Muskegon Salmonella Outbreak
- Tyson Mechanically Separated Chicken Salmonella Outbreak
- Cashew Cheese Salmonella Outbreak
- Joey's Jerky brand Chicken Jerky Salmonella Outbreak
- Iguana Joe's Restaurant Salmonella Outbreak
- TAHINI Sesame Paste Salmonella Outbreak
- Holiday Inn Bordeaux - Fayetteville, NC Salmonella Outbreak
- Firefly Restaurant Salmonella Outbreak
- Mexican Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak
- Temazcal Restaurant Salmonella Outbreak
- Foster Farms Chicken Salmonella Outbreaks
- Jouni Meats & Gab Halal Foods Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak
- Richard's Hog Head Cheese Salmonella Outbreak
- On the Border Mexican Restaurant Salmonella Outbreak
- Foppen Dutch Salmon Salmonella Outbreak
- Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak
- Daniella Brand Mango Salmonella Outbreak
- Chamberlain Farms Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak
- Hoffman Town & Country Meat Market Turkey Jerky Salmonella Outbreak
- Blue Hill Care Center Salmonella Outbreak
- St. Patrick Irish Picnic Salmonella Outbreak
- Cargill Ground Beef Salmonella Outbreak

Previous Chapter
How to Prevent a Salmonella Infection
Next Chapter
Salmonella Recalls