3 people die from Listeria bacteria found in milkshakes sold at a Tacoma Frugals
TACOMA, Wash. - Three of six people hospitalized with a foodborne illnesss from a Frugals restaurant in Tacoma have died. It should be noted that all people hospitalized had pre-existing conditions that made their immune system weak.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, Listeria bacteria was found in all milkshake flavors sold at the Frugals restaurant at 10727 Pacific Ave. S.
Investigators found Listeria in the ice cream machines, which were not cleaned correctly. No other Frugals restaurants are believed to be affected.
According to the DOH, the restaurant stopped using its machines on Aug. 8, but Listeria can sicken people up to 70 days after initial infection.
The restaurant stopped using its ice cream machines Aug. 8, but Listeria can sicken people up to 70 days later.
Most people who eat food contaminated with Listeria will not get seriously sick, but people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, and those with weakened immune systems should call their health care provider if they ate a Frugals’ Tacoma milkshake between May 29 and Aug. 7, 2023 and have Listeria symptoms.
In a statement, Frugals said:
"Today, we were deeply saddened to learn the Washington State Department of Health is reporting six people were hospitalized with foodborne listeriosis and three people later died. We are heartbroken and deeply regret any harm our actions could have caused.
Frugals has and will continue to fully cooperate with and support this ongoing investigation. We have followed all PCHD’s recommendations, including immediately halting all milkshake sales at our Tacoma location and sending the milkshake equipment to an independent facility for thorough cleaning, sanitization and re-testing.
Although PCHD said they are confident that this contamination is isolated to the Tacoma location milkshake machine, out of an abundance of caution for our customers, we have also directed all milkshake machines in our other locations to be shut down and samples from these machines to be sent out for similar testing. Although also not required by PCHD, Frugals will also undergo enhanced cleaning, safety and sanitization procedures across all product categories and at all store locations.
As a family-owned business for over 30 years, the trust of our customers is paramount. We will continue to fully cooperate with this investigation, and we are committed to making any changes deemed necessary to maintain our high standard of operations and prevent this from happening again."
Two people who were hospitalized, but did not die, said they ate Frugals’ Tacoma milkshakes before getting sick.
Listeria symptoms:
- People who are not pregnant usually have a fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
- They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
- Those who are pregnant usually have a fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. However, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns.