1996 Odwalla E. coli outbreak
1996 Odwalla E. coli outbreak | |
---|---|
Bacteria strain | Escherichia coli O157:H7 |
Source | Contaminated apple juice sold by Odwalla Inc. |
Location | United States |
First outbreak | Washington state |
First reported | October 30, 1996 |
Date | October 7 – November 5, 1996 |
Confirmed cases | 70 |
Deaths | 1 |
The 1996 Odwalla E. coli outbreak began on October 7, 1996, when American food company
History
Background
The Odwalla plant had several food safety issues, many of which arose because Odwalla did not
The next year, Dave Stevenson, Odwalla's technical services director who oversaw quality assurance, suggested to Odwalla executives that the company should add a chlorine rinse to guard against bacteria on the skin of processed fruit, supplementing its existing phosphoric acid wash process. However, this plan was dropped by Chip Bettle, Odwalla's senior vice president, who feared that the chemicals would harm the fruit and alter the flavor of the juice.[2][4]
In a letter to The New York Times written on January 5, 1998, Odwalla's director of communications, Christopher C. Gallagher, wrote that "Odwalla continuously upgraded its manufacturing process in the period leading up to the recall. Moreover, our primary indicator of overall quality was daily bacteria-level readings, which were relatively low and decreasing in apple juice".[5]
Outbreak
On October 30, 1996, health officials from the state of
As a result of the outbreak, 16-month-old Anna Gimmestad of
Aftermath
The outbreak occurred because Odwalla sold unpasteurized fruit juices, though pasteurization had long been standard in the juice industry, claiming that pasteurization alters the flavor and destroys at least 30% of nutrients and enzymes in fruit juice.
To boost sales following the recall, Odwalla reformulated five products to remove their apple juice content and re-released them in November 1996.[10] Flash pasteurization, as well as several other safety precautions,[15] were introduced to the manufacturing process, and the juices reappeared on store shelves on December 5, 1996.[21]
Depictions in media
- The outbreak was profiled in the fourth-season episode of Forensic Files titled "Core Evidence."[citation needed]
- The outbreak is discussed in a book on Food Safety [22]
References
- S2CID 27811829. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Drew, Christopher; Belluck, Pam (January 4, 1998). "Deadly Bacteria a New Threat To Fruit and Produce in U.S." The New York Times. New York. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ "Newspaper: Odwalla relaxed standards". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Moscow, Idaho. January 5, 1998. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Questions of Pasteurization Raised After E. coli Is Traced to Juice". The New York Times. New York. November 4, 1996. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ Gallagher, Christopher C. (January 9, 1998). "What Can Consumers Do to Insure Food Safety?; Company Took Steps". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved April 13, 2005.
- ^ a b Knapp, Don. "$1.5 M fine in tainted juice case". CNN. Atlanta. Archived from the original on August 30, 2006. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ Burros, Marian (November 20, 1996). "Opting for an Early Warning When E. coli Is Suspected". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ a b c Evan, Thomas J. (June 1999). "Odwalla". Public Relations Quarterly. 44 (2). Routledge: 15. Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved April 13, 2015. (subscription required)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Archived from the originalon September 16, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Odwalla Inc. 10-K405: Recent events". SEC Info. August 31, 1996. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- Fast Company. Archived from the originalon April 19, 2003. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ a b "Odwalla pleads guilty". CNNMoney. Atlanta. July 23, 1998. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ a b "History". Hoovers.com. 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-06.[dead link]
- ^ Austin, Nancy K. (April 28, 1998). "When Buzz Goes Bad". Inc. Boston. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ a b Groves, Martha (December 5, 1996). "Odwalla will pasteurize its apple juice". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. D1. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2015.(subscription required)
- ^ Gutsche, Mark; Flynn, Meghan (December 10, 1996). "Tropicana welcomes use of flash pasteurization". Business Wire. San Francisco. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- PMID 10030145. Archived from the originalon January 26, 2008.
- ^ "Agreement Reached Between Odwalla, Inc. and U.S. Attorney in Fresno, CA". SEC Info. July 23, 1998. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ "Michael Beverly - The 1996 Odwalla E. coli Outbreak". billmarler.com. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
- ^ Belluck, Pam (July 24, 1998). "Juice-Poisoning Case Brings Guilty Plea and a Huge Fine". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ Thomsen, Steven R; Rawson, Bret (September 1998). "Purifying a tainted corporate image: Odwalla's response to an E. coli poisoning". Public Relations Quarterly. 43 (3). Routledge: 35. Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved April 13, 2015. (subscription required)
- ISBN 9780128182192.