WASHINGTON (AP) _ Federal food safety officials say they are working to identify the source of a salmonella outbreak that appears to be linked to ground turkey.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one person has died from salmonella poisoning and 76 people have fallen ill from the same strain of the disease. The illnesses date back to March and have affected people in 26 states.
The Department of Agriculture says the cases have not been linked yet to “a particular brand, product or establishment,” so no recalls have been issued.
The CDC says cultures of ground turkey from four retail locations have shown salmonella contamination, with three linked to the same production site. However, the samples have not been specifically connected to the illnesses.
Food safety advocate Bill Marler is criticizing the government for not issuing a recall, saying: “Consumers have no idea what to do except not eat ground turkey.”
The cases have been spread all over the country. The states with the highest number sickened were Michigan and Ohio with 10 illnesses each, while nine illnesses were reported in Texas.
Illinois had seven, California six and Pennsylvania five.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)