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Section rewrites for 1992–1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak

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Aftermath

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Foodmaker Inc. officials initially defended themselves and their brand by taking the blame away from their cooking practices as they believed they had not caused the outbreak. However, the Health Department would find that their burgers were undercooked under state-approved regulations, leading to the officials issuing an apology for their involvement in the outbreak.[1] Jack in the Box faced severe criticism accusing them of being irresponsible for their actions and ignoring safety regulations that were set in place, as well as having poor communication when addressing the crisis to their customers and appearing to shift the blame to others involved in the outbreak, such as Foodmaker Inc. and the cooks at the Jack In the Box location.[2] In hopes of improving the company's reputation, then-chairman of Jack in the Box, Jack Goodall, publicly announced that the company shared their sympathy and prayers to the families of the victims of the crisis and would pay the hospital bills for all of the customers affected by the outbreak.[3] As a direct result of the outbreak:

  • E. coli O157:H7 was upgraded to become a reportable disease at all state health departments.[4]
  • The US FDA increased the recommended internal temperature for cooked hamburgers from 140 °F (60 °C) to 155 °F (68 °C).[5][4][6]
  • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) introduced safe food-handling labels for packaged raw meat and poultry retailed in supermarkets, alongside an education campaign alerting consumers to the risks associated with undercooked hamburgers. [5][4] The labels and the education campaign came with criticism and objection from the industry.[7]
  • The FSIS introduced testing for E. coli O157:H7 in ground meat.[5]
  • The USDA reclassified E. coli O157:H7 as an adulterant in ground beef.[8]
  • The USDA introduced the Pathogen Reduction and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (PR/HACCP) program.[5][9][8][10]
  • The NCBA created a task force to fund research into the reduction of E. coli O157:H7 in cattle and in slaughterhouses.[5]
  • Jack in the Box completely overhauled and restructured their corporate operations around food safety priorities, setting new standards across the fast food industry.[11]
  • Parents of the affected children played key roles in spreading awareness and advocating for change – speaking directly to President Bill Clinton, meeting with Vice President Al Gore, testifying before the Clinton Healthcare Task Force, working with the Secretary of Agriculture, and discussing food safety issues with lawmakers in Washington, D.C.[12][13]

Lawsuits

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In 1993, attorney William "Bill" Marler represented the then 9-year-old Brianne Kiner in litigation against Jack in the Box following the outbreak, securing a $15.6 million settlement.[14] Marler represented hundreds of other victims of the outbreak in a class-action suit against Jack in the Box, settling for over $50 million. At the time, it was the largest-ever payout related to foodborne illness.[15][better source needed][16]

Victims of the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak sued Foodmaker Inc., who was responsible for supplying the meat for Jack in the Box restaurants, arguing that they had failed to check the meat supply to deem it safe to eat and that they withheld information for their benefit from the company. Sheree Zizzi was a spokesperson for Foodmaker Inc. when the lawsuit of Riley Detwiler was settled, she had a positive view on the lawsuit by referring to it as fair and equitable. However, another Foodmaker Inc. official, Robert Nugent was not pleased and viewed the lawsuits as poor settlements with the franchisees as a whole.[3]

Legacy

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External videos
video icon "Chasing Outbreaks: How Safe is our Food?". Retro Report short film dated May 10, 2015, discussing the Jack in the Box outbreak and how it led to major changes in industry practices and government oversight of the food supply. (Duration: 11 mins 8 secs)

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), addressing a congressional hearing on food safety in 2006, described the outbreak as "a pivotal moment in the history of the beef industry."[17] James Reagan, vice president of Research and Knowledge Management at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), said that the outbreak was "significant to the industry" and "the initiative that moved us further down the road [of food safety] and still drives us today."[11] David Acheson, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Associate Commissioner for Foods, in 2015 told Retro Report that "Jack in the Box was a wakeup call to many, including the regulators. You go in for a hamburger with the kids and you could die. It changed consumers' perceptions and it absolutely changed the behaviors of the industry."[18]

Roni Rudolph, mother of Lauren Rudolph, and many other parents of affected children formed STOP Foodborne Illness (formerly Safe Tables Our Priority, or S.T.O.P.), a national non-profit organization dedicated "to prevent[ing] Americans from becoming ill and dying from foodborne illness" by advocating for sound public policy, building public awareness, and assisting those impacted by foodborne illness.[19]

Darin Detwiler, who lost his son, Riley, to E. coli-caused hemolytic–uremic syndrome during the outbreak, later served as a regulatory policy advisor to the USDA for meat and poultry inspection. Detwiler became a professor of Food Policy and the Director of Regulatory Affairs of Food and Food Industry at Northeastern University.[20] In 2018, 25 years after his son's death in the outbreak, Dr. Detwiler received the Food Safety Magazine "Distinguished Service Award" for 25 years of contribution to food safety and policy.[21]

E. coli-related events that are reported by the media outlets, often cite the Jack in the Box example because of its significance with its brand and the people. The repetition of negative media on a restaurant tarnishes its history because the consumers of the media will uphold that negative image for long periods of time.[22]

Media

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Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. Coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat was a 2011 book by Jeff Benedict that followed the events of the outbreak and the development of Bill Marler, an attorney who fought against Jack in the Box.[23] The book later became the basis of the 2023 Netflix documentary, Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food.[24]

  1. ^ Littlefield, Robert. "Jack in the Box: Lessons learned by accepting responsibility". Lessons learned about protecting America’s food supply. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  2. ^ Ulmer, Robert R.; Sellnow, Timothy L. (2000-05-01). "Consistent Questions of Ambiguity in Organizational Crisis Communication: Jack in the Box as a Case Study". Journal of Business Ethics. 25 (2): 143–155. doi:10.1023/A:1006183805499. ISSN 1573-0697. S2CID 142916103.
  3. ^ a b Littlefield, Robert. "Jack in the Box: Lessons learned by Accepting Responsibility". Lessons learned about protecting America's Food. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Benedict 2011, p. xi.
  5. ^ a b c d e Golan et al. 2004, p. 10.
  6. ^ Food Safety Innovation in the United States [1]
  7. ^ Detwiler, Darin. "Do Meat and Poultry Handling Labels Really Convey Safety?". Food Quality and Safety. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Roberts 2008, p. 183.
  9. ^ Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems, 61 Fed. Reg. 38806 (1996).
  10. ^ Golan et al. 2004, p. 14.
  11. ^ a b Andrews, James (February 11, 2013). "Jack in the Box and the Decline of E. coli". Food Safety News. Seattle, WA. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  12. ^ Balter, Joni (January 9, 1994). "Darin Detwiler: He Lost Son To E. coli, Now Is Hellbent On Making It To Olympia". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  13. ^ King, Warren (February 25, 1993). "E. coli Victim Leaves Legacy Of Awareness". Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  14. ^ "Directory Profile | School of Law | University of Arkansas". law.uark.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  15. ^ "Brianne Kiner — The 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli Outbreak". billmarler.com. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  16. ^ "Other big E.coli outbreaks". South Wales Echo. Cardiff. March 11, 2008. p. 9. ProQuest document ID 342321106.
  17. ^ Food Safety: Current Challenges and New Ideas to Safeguard Consumers: Hearing Before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, United States Senate, 109th Cong. 76 (November 15, 2006) (statement of Senator Dick Durbin).
  18. ^ Michels, Scott; Magratten, Drew (May 10, 2015). "Chasing Outbreaks: How Safe Is Our Food?". Retro Report. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  19. ^ News Desk (April 21, 2011). "Name Change for Food Safety Advocacy Group STOP". Food Safety News. Seattle. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  20. ^ Canaday, Autumn. "USDA Press Release No. 0186.04: Veneman Names New Member to National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection". USDA. USDA Office of Communications. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  21. ^ "Detwiler to Receive Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award – Food Safety Magazine". foodsafetymagazine.com. June 1, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  22. ^ Seo, Soobin; Jang, SooCheong (Shawn); Almanza, Barbara; Miao, Li; Behnke, Carl (2014-05-01). "The negative spillover effect of food crises on restaurant firms: Did Jack in the Box really recover from an E. coli scare?". International Journal of Hospitality Management. 39: 107–121. doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2014.02.011. ISSN 0278-4319. PMC 7117015. PMID 32287858.
  23. ^ "Jack in the Box E. coli Outbreak – 25th Anniversary". Food Safety News. 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  24. ^ "Jack in the Box E. coli Outbreak – 25th Anniversary". Food Safety News. 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
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