FDA Announces E. coli O157: H7 Outbreak:  Do You Need to Speak to a Salad E. coli Lawyer?

FDA Announces E. coli O157: H7 Outbreak:  Do You Need to Speak to an E. coli Lawyer?

(FDA) announced on November 20, 2019, an E. coli outbreak believed to be linked to Ready Pac Bistro® Chicken Caesar Salad, sold in Sam’s Club stores in Maryland. The contaminated salad products were discovered to be linked to the outbreak after one of the reported cases shared an unopened salad bowl they had purchased with the

. The romaine lettuce in the salad bowl product tested positive for E. coli O157: H7.

The FDA, the

(CDC), and state health authorities are currently working together to investigating the E. coli O157: H7 outbreak. According to the CDC, they began receiving reports of people affected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157: H7 since September 24, 2019, and with the last case being reported on November 8, 2019. As of November 18, 2019, a total of 17 cases have been reported with the same genetic strain of E. coli O157: H7, 7 of those cases have required hospitalization.

The Maryland Department of Health reported 2 cases which through Whole Genome Sequencing have been linked to the multi-state outbreak. The unopened package of Ready Pac Bistro® Chicken Caesar Salad provided by one of the affected people in Maryland is currently being tested to determine if it could be linked to the multi-state outbreak of E. coli. According to the FDA, the romaine lettuce used for the salad bowl product was harvested in mid-October and is no longer within current expiration dates.

The Ready Pac Bistro® Chicken Caesar Salad product, which people in Maryland have reported eating prior to becoming ill has lot #255406963, UPC  0 77745 27249 8, and is “Best By” date Oct. 31, 2019. The reported cases stated that they bought the salad product from Sam’s Club stores but it was also sold in many other retailers. The Maryland Department of Health twitted an alert regarding Ready Pac Bistro Bowl Chicken Caesar Salads to warn consumers to beware when purchasing the salad products as there is a possibility they might be contaminated with E. coli. No recall has been announced on the product at this time as many of the potentially linked salad products are passed the “Best by” date.

A national

,

, stated that E. coli O157: H7 is the most common identified STEC in North America, every year over 73,000 are sickened, 2000 are hospitalized, and 60 die as a result of E. coli O157: H7 poisoning. In most common cases E. coli is foodborne; it typically causes symptoms such as severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting.  In more severe cases it can cause bloody diarrhea and lead to life-threatening conditions, such as a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

For more information on the E. coli outbreak, to speak to Salad E. coli Lawyer or to inquire about an E. coli lawsuit, call 1-888-335-4901.

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