Salmonella outbreak prompts recalls for some foods sold in Louisville area

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A salmonella outbreak is prompting major recalls for certain products sold at grocery stores in the Louisville area.

Dozens of people across the country have gotten sick from contaminated food, but there are steps you can take to help make sure what you're serving your family is safe.

When it comes to grocery shopping, most people are worried about the rising costs. But food safety should also be top of mind when checking off your shopping list.

Last week, nearly two million eggs — some sold at Walmart stores in Indiana — were recalled over a serious salmonella outbreak that left dozens of people sick across the country. Just days ago, a major cucumber recall was expanded for similar contamination concerns.

"Salmonella can infect anybody at any age and make you pretty sick," said Dr. David Acheson. "You might end up being hospitalized and people die from salmonella, so it's absolutely something to take seriously."

Acheson is a food safety expert who has held roles at both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Even though it may seem like it, he said we aren't actually seeing recalls more frequently. But they are involving bigger brands and more serious contaminants that grab attention.

"If you look at the data around the numbers of recalls per year broadly across U.S. food, it really has changed much, it's largely flat," he said. "But what has changed is that we've had some very high profile recalls."

Those recalls are making some people very sick. Dr. Joshua Yuen, with Norton Healthcare, said a fever, severe abdominal pain and dehydration are symptoms that would warrant a trip to the doctor.

"When it comes to food-borne illnesses, generally most people will get better on their own," Yuen said. "If they have cancer, if they have an autoimmune disease, if they're pregnant, if they're older, certainly we want to be more careful."

There are also things you can do once you get your groceries home to lower your risk of illness. That includes keeping your food cold, cook it properly to kill bacteria, avoid cross-contamination and stay aware about recalls being issued.

"Now cucumbers, they're gone or you've thrown them out or you've eaten them," said Acheson. "If it's something like a jar of peanut butter or something with a longer shelf life, you can take action on that to protect yourself and your family."

The best place to find information about food safety and the latest recalls is on the federal Food Safety website by clicking here. The website has the latest information, photos of the affected products, and times and locations where items were sold.

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