Chicken blamed for salmonella cases in Minnesota

Antioch Farms brand A La Kiev raw stuffed chicken breast has been linked to six recent cases of salmonellosis in Minnesota.

The chicken entree, sold at many grocery store chains, is frozen, breaded, pre-browned and stuffed, but raw. The suspected brand has a U.S. Department of Agriculture stamped code of P-1358.

Investigators from the Minnesota Department of Health and Department of Agriculture linked six cases of salmonella infection from August and September to the same strain of Salmonella Enteritidis. One person was hospitalized. About 700 cases of salmonellosis are reported each year in Minnesota.

Six outbreaks of salmonellosis in Minnesota have been linked to these types of products from 1998 through 2008. This is the first outbreak since improvements were made in 2008 to the labeling of these products. The current labels clearly state that the product is raw. All raw poultry products need to be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Consumers can find more information about safe food-handling practices on the MDH website, www.health.state.mn.us/foodsafety.