Salmonella Poisoning in 35 States Blamed on Ice Cream

ST. PAUL, Minn. —  Ice cream made in Minnesota is now blamed for thousands of suspected cases of salmonella poisoning in at least 35 states, and investigators are trying to figure out the source of the bacteria.

Schwan’s Sales Enterprises, based in Marshall, Minn., recalled its ice cream after the first reports of food poisoning last week. Investigators have found salmonella bacteria in samples of Schwan’s ice cream from people who got ill.

Dr. Larry Slutsker, an epidemiologist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday that reports have come from at least 35 states.

The CDC has 400 confirmed cases of salmonella from Schwan’s ice cream, and 3,000 to 5,000 suspected cases, agency spokesman Kent Taylor said.

The CDC said the confirmed cases came from 15 states: Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.

The CDC is not releasing the list of the 20 other states where cases have been reported but not yet confirmed. “We don’t want to cause alarm in these areas,” said another CDC spokesman, Bob Howard.

In Minnesota alone, about 2,500 people called a state hot line to report getting sick after eating the ice cream. As of Friday, 72 cases had been confirmed as salmonella.

The ice cream could have been contaminated in any number of ways, investigators said.

“We’re looking at everything from the ingredients to the mixes to the transportation system to the plant. We’re trying to determine in which of those areas the salmonella might be growing and how it got there,” said Jackie Renner, a spokeswoman for the state Agriculture Department.

Schwan’s suppliers turn the raw ingredients, such as milk, sugar and cream, into a pasteurized ice cream mix that Schwan’s uses to make the ice cream.

Salmonella causes nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, fever and headaches. Symptoms are most severe in infants, the elderly and people with weak immune systems.