Food and Drug Administration CORE Response Teams are investigating three ongoing foodborne disease outbreaks. The systematic process includes recognizing and assigning reference number to each outbreak, characterizing the pathogen involved, identifying products linked to illness, establishing case counts and initiating traceback.  Recalls are mandated if there is reasonable probability that a food may be adulterated resulting in illness or death.  Outbreaks under review include:-

• Outbreak of Salmonella Miami involving 64 cases - The vehicle of infection has yet to be identified.

• An E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak involving 16 cases with 9 hospitalizations and one fatality across five states.  The first cases were identified on December 23rd extending through January 2021.  The vehicle of infection has yet to be identified.

• Listeria monocytogenes attributed to Hispanic style Abuelito soft cheese that was recalled on February 19th followed by expanded action on February 27th.  Implicated products have been distributed in most states east of the Mississippi but also including Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota.  To date 11 cases have been diagnosed with 10 hospitalizations and one fatality.  On February 24th, the Connecticut Department of Public Health confirmed by whole genome sequencing that Listeria monocytogenes found in cheese samples matched the outbreak strain.