One person has died and seven other people have been hospitalized as a result of Salmonella poisoning, and chicken products processed by Empire Kosher Poultry have been linked to the illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In a notice on its website CDC stated that 17 people became ill in a Salmonella outbreak that was reported in four states. Of those 17 people, eight were hospitalized, and of those eight, one person, from New York, died.
The CDC also stated that epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicates that some kosher chicken products were contaminated with Salmonella, and ill people, when interviewed reported eating products from Empire Kosher.
Of the 17 people affected by Salmonella, 11 were residents of New York, according to the CDC. Four of the patients were from Pennsylvania, while there was one reported case in both Virginia and Maryland. Ill people ranged in age from less than one year to 76, with a median age of 14. Fifty-three percent of the patients were females.
Empire Kosher, on its website, stated that it is fully cooperating with the CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
"The Empire brand takes food safety and the health of our consumers very seriously. Throughout our 80-year history, we have worked with relentless focus to ensure the quality and safety of our products and continue to do so," the company stated.
The CDC’s report follows an earlier public health alert issued by Empire Kosher and FSIS.
That notice stated that Empire Kosher brand raw chicken items, which may include raw whole chicken, raw chicken parts, were produced and sold to consumers from September 2017 to June 2018.
On June 18, 2018, FSIS was notified of multiple Salmonella illnesses within the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States. Working in conjunction with public health partners, FSIS determined that there is a potential link between Empire Kosher brand raw chicken products and this illness cluster.
FSIS, in its notice, stated that the agency and Empire Kosher were working together with and public health partners and would provide updated information should it become available.
