New outbreak raises old question: How did bacteria from animal waste end up in cereal?

A Malt-O-Meal plant in Northfield, Minn., is being investigated by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration to determine how Salmonella agona, an uncommon food-borne pathogen, ended up in boxes of Malt-O-Meal unsweetened Puffed Rice cereals and unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereals.

One element of intrigue in the investigation: A recall from the same Northfield facility, caused by the same uncommon bacteria, occurred almost 10 years ago to the day.

“Not only is it the same strain of Salmonella,” Seattle attorney William Marler said in a press release Monday, “but it’s the same genetic fingerprint, coming out of the same plant. It makes me wonder how long the contamination has been present.” Marler worked with victims in bringing a class-action lawsuit against the company in April and May of 1998.

Continued: Click “Read more”The Minnesota Department of Health has identified at least one case of Salmonella agona in Minnesota that matches the genetic fingerprint of the outbreak bacteria. In all, 21 cases of the disease have been reported across 13 states.

With a 10-year-old case that has been thoroughly investigated by the Centers for Disease Control, as well as litigated in a class-action suit, the question of how Salmonella agona, a bacteria commonly found in the gut and feces of animals, ended up in rice- and wheat-based cereals should be readily answered.

No cause was ever found for the 1998 outbreak at the Northfield facility, however, although there was some speculation 10 years ago:

The exact cause of the contamination is still unknown, but Malt-O-Meal president John Letman has speculated that a problem with an oven in early April could have caused the problem or allowed a contaminated vitamin spray to spoil the cereal.

The question of how bacteria from animal feces ended up in the vitamin spray that could have contaminated the cereal doesn’t seem to have been asked. The cause of the 2008 outbreak is still unknown. It was first reported on April 5, and there has been no report, yet, of the cause of contamination.