Nineteen people in seven states have been sickened.
Advertisement
Speaking with USA Today, Craig Wilson, Costco’s vice president of food safety and quality assurance, verified that diced onions and celery used to make the chicken salad were tainted with E. coli.
The investigation is continuing and the CDC, along with state and local public health officials, are trying to identify other cases of illness associated with the chicken salad.
The FDA reveals the Montana state health authorities have found a sample of the diced vegetable blend tested positive for the E. coli O157:H7 strain and it is believed to be behind the fresh outbreak. It usually clears up in about a week, but in severe cases, it can lead to kidney failure and death. The CDC has been told they are all getting better, Tauxe said.
Dr. Robert Tauxe of the CDC commended state health officials for quickly discovering the outbreak and helping find the links across seven states.
The outbreak, which is expected to grow, was linked to Costco rotisserie chicken salad.
The foods range from Thai-style salads to packaged dinners and wraps, and they are sold at Costco, Target, Starbucks and many other outlets, the FDA said.
The salad has been taken off the shelves and anyone who purchased the product at Costco before November 20 is asked not to eat it. CNN reported that any packaging with the item number 37719 should immediately be discarded. “With mass-produced food, the oportunity for problems is really high”, Marler said. Customers who have questions about the recall can contact Safeway at 1-877-SAFEWAY anytime, or Taylor Farms at 209-830-3141 Monday to Friday, exclusive of holidays, between the hours of 8am-5pm (PST).
Advertisement
In 2013, a California Costco store recalled almost 40,000 pounds of cooked rotisserie chicken because of concerns that it was contaminated with salmonella. Symptoms, which usually appear on the eighth day of E.coli symptoms, include fever, abdominal pain, feeling very exhausted, decreased frequency of urination, small unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, loss of color in cheeks and inside the lower eyelids.
