E.

COLI:
1993 JACK IN THE BOX
Stephanie Wong

E. Coli

Escherichia coli inhibits the intestinal

tract
More than 700 types
Most are harmless
Rapidly multiplies in the large intestine
and binds to the intestinal lining

History
Jan. 13, 1993: Washington
Department of Health notified
Hamburger patties produced by Vons
Companies of California and Canada

Provided ground beef with E. coli levels that

exceeded Foodmakers standard
Only general levels of the bacteria not the
O157:H7 strain
Never notified Foodmaker of the E. coli level as
the contract required

E. coli 0157:H7 strain found in the beef patties

Jack in the Box Outbreak

Found mostly in the Monster Burger

Involved 73 Jack in the Box fast food chains
High demand lead to shorter cooking time
Beef patties were cooked to 144 F
E. coli was not killed at this temperature and
patties were contaminated
If patties are cooked longer they tend to be
tough.

Slow to recall bad meat

Who was infected

732 people infected in Washington,

Nevada, California, and Idaho
Majority of victims were children under
10
4 children died
178 victims left with permanent kidney
and brain damage

Symptoms

Begin three or four days after exposure

Diarrhea

Blood problems
Kidney problems

Abdominal cramping
Nausea and vomiting
Fatigue and Fever
Bowel necrosis (rare)

Washington State
Regulation

Required patties to be cooked to 155 F

not the previous 140 F like all the other
49 states
Washington was ahead of the curve
because health officials investigated an
earlier outbreak linked with undercooked
meat
Warned by health officials and
employees that beef patties were
undercooked
Jack in the Box officials claimed they

Lawsuit & Settlements

Settlements

Reached over $50 million for individuals

and class-action claimants
Jack in the Box lost over $160 million in
court and from sales

Lawsuits

Foodmaker sued Vons for contaminated

meat
Vons sued for defamation and trade libel
Jack in the Box sued for lost business

Changes that were made

USDA introduced HACCP

FDA increased recommended internal
temperature of beef patties to 155 F
Jack in the Box restructured their
operations around food safety.
Beef patties are reaching temperature of
180 F

Questions

What was the most likely cause of this outbreak?

How did the food get compromised?

The most likely cause was that the beef patties were
not cooked to 155 F
The food was compromised because Vons did not let
Foodmaker know that there was high levels of E. coli
found in the beef patties

If contamination was involved, how can you

ensure total numbers of the microorganism be
reduced?

Beef patties should be cooked till the thickest part of

the patty is 155 F for 2 minutes because this
temperature kills the E. coli bacteria

References
Andrews, J. (2013). Jack in the Box and the Decline
of
E. coli. Food Safety News. Retrieved from
http:// www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/02/jack-inthe- box-and-the-decline-of-e-coli/ #.VH1kPl6zDwI
Kershner, I., & Landler, M. (1993). COMPANY NEWS;
Jack in the Box's Worst Nightmare. The New
York Times. Retrieved from http://
www.nytimes.com/1993/02/06/business/
company-news-jack-in-the-box-s-worstnightmare.html