E. Coli Contamination at Sizzler

Irradiation Would Not Have Prevented Problem

Sizzler International, Inc. reported sales dipped to $54.6 million from $55.3 million in last year's second quarter revenues. The company's earnings also fell to $310,000 from $2.1 million for last year's corresponding period. The loss was in part attributed to the Wisconsin E. coli outbreak in July which sickened 62 patrons and took the life of a three-year-old child, Agri-Wire reported.

A complete report from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services on the investigation following the outbreak describes employees working despite prolonged diarrhea and nausea, workers washing their hands in buckets because of a lack of hand washing stations, and inadequate food safety knowledge among restaurant staff. The report concludes that the main cause of the outbreak was that a mixer, located between two tables where most food preparation for the salad bar took place, was used with a removable grinder attachment to grind sirloin tri-tip roasts.

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