000862 Meatpacker Tied to Milwaukee E. Coli DeathAugust 31, 2000Milwaukee, WI - A Fort Morgan meat packing plant has been linked to an E. coli outbreak that recently killed a small child and sickened dozens in the Milwaukee area. A spokesman for Excel Corp., which owns the Fort Morgan plant, said the company only recently learned of government tests that linked its meat to an outbreak in late July and early August at two Sizzler restaurants in the Milwaukee area. The outbreak sickened more than 60 people over two weeks. A young girl died from complications associated with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a disease caused by the bacteria. "This is just a terrible situation; you have the death of a 3-year-old," said Excel spokesman Mark Klein. "We do believe we're a leader in food safety and we're going to remain focused on being that." Poor food-handling practices at the restaurants also are to blame, said William Marler, a Seattle-based attorney who represents 10 of the Milwaukee victims. Marler said it appears employees prepared salad bar materials too close to areas where uncooked meat was handled.
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