The FDA said a farm in California recalled the celery and onion mix used in the chicken salad.
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“Out of an abundance of caution”, the company said it was recalling more than 154,000 lots of numerous products from various grocery store chains in 17 states, majority in the West.
This has prompted Taylor Farms to recall a large number of products that contain potentially tainted celery.
“According to Dana Fejes of the (Department of Public Health and Human Services) Communicable Disease Epidemiology Section, the state is issuing this urgent message to ensure the product is not consumed”, the Montana message states.
The Costco-linked illnesses are not related to a recent E. coli outbreak tied to Chipotle that sickened more than 40 people.
Investigators first reported the outbreak last week, linked to Costco’s “Chicken Salad made with Rotisserie Chicken”.
The CDC said laboratory testing was still ongoing. Tauxe says they have all been told they are getting better.
The CDC has identified a DNA fingerprint of the E. coli strain connecting all 19 patients. Affected states are California, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Utah, Washington and Virginia. The bacteria found in Chipotle’s food that sickened 45 people are a different strain than found in the Costco chicken salad.
At least five of the 19 people who have fallen ill this month have been hospitalized.
The infections were discovered after several people reported buying rotisserie chicken salad from Costco sometime around October 25 and 26, who then complained of sickness between October 28 and November 3. The incubation period is three to seven days from the time of exposure.
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At present, Costco is working closely with FDA, CDC, and health official regarding this matter and have also asked its suppliers to co-operate.
