Community Chat

[Mindy D]

Quoted from CDC,  information on this outbreak

LAST UPDATED JUNE 26, 2020 5:00 PM EDT

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationexternal icon (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora infections linked to bagged salad mix containing iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage produced by Fresh Express and purchased at ALDI, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco, and Walmart stores in the Midwestern United States.

Advice to Consumers, Restaurants, Retailers, and Suppliers/Distributors

CDC has important advice for consumers and retailers in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin:

• Do not eat, sell, or serve:
  • Recalled Marketside brand Classic Iceberg Salad
    • Sold at Walmart stores in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
    • 12-ounce and 24-ounce bags
    • Use-by dates of 05/19/2020 through 07/04/2020
  • Recalled Little Salad Bar brand Garden Salad
    • Sold at ALDI stores in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin
    • 12-ounce bags
    • Use-by dates of 05/01/2020 through 06/29/2020
  • Recalled Hy-Vee brand Garden Salad
    • Sold at Hy-Vee stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
    • 12-ounce bags
    • Any use-by date
  • Recalled Jewel-Osco Signature Farms brand Garden Salad
    • Sold at Jewel-Osco stores in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa
    • 12-ounce bags
    • Use-by dates of 05/16/2020 through 07/04/2020
• Check your home for any of these recalled salads. Throw any remaining salad away, even if some of it has been eaten and no one has gotten sick.
• If you live in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin and don’t know whether the bagged salad mix you have in your home is one of these recalled salads, do not eat it. Throw it away.

Take action if you have symptoms of a Cyclosporainfection:

• Talk to your healthcare provider.
• Write down what you ate in the two weeks before you started to get sick.
• Report your illness to the health department.
• Assist public health investigators by answering questions about your illness.

Latest Outbreak Information

• 206 people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections and who reported eating bagged salad mix before getting sick have been reported from 8 Midwestern states (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin).
  • Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 11, 2020 to June 17, 2020.
  • 23 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
• Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicates that bagged salad mix containing iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage produced by Fresh Express is a likely source of this outbreak.
• Bagged salad mixes purchased at ALDI, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco, and Walmart do not explain all of the illnesses in this outbreak. CDC and FDA continue to investigate to determine whether other products are a source of illnesses.
• CDC will provide updates when more information is available.

Investigation Details

June 26, 2020

Since the last update on June 23, 2020, 84 new laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections have been reported, including 6 from a new state, North Dakota.

Health officials in North Dakota interviewed ill people in their state. In interviews, all six ill people reported eating a salad purchased from a single restaurant location in North Dakota. Health officials determined that the restaurant used Marketside brand bagged garden salad mix purchased from Walmart.

On June 25, 2020, Fresh Express recalled Marketside brand Classic Iceberg Salad sold in 12-ounce and 24-ounce bags at Walmart stores in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

As of June 25, 2020, a total of 206 people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections associated with this outbreak have been reported from 8 states: Illinois (57), Iowa (74), Kansas (1), Minnesota (25), Missouri (10) Nebraska (20), North Dakota (6), and Wisconsin (13).

Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 11, 2020 to June 17, 2020. Ill people range in age from 16 to 92 years with a median age of 60 and 57% are female. Of 198 people with available information, 23 people (12%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 4 to 6 weeks. If the number of cases reported by CDC is different from the number reported by state or local health officials, data reported by local jurisdictions should be considered the most up to date. Any differences may be due to the timing of reporting and website updates.

There are typically multiple clusters of Cyclospora infections that occur each summer. CDC is working to determine if other recent cases of Cyclospora infection are linked to contaminated ingredients in these bagged salad mixes. This investigation is ongoing.

[Mindy D]

Recall Quoted from Fress Express

Precautionary Recall Issued of Products Containing Iceberg, Red Cabbage and/or Carrot Ingredients Produced at Streamwood, IL Facility Due to a Potential Cyclospora Risk

June 27, 2020

At Fresh Express, food safety comes first.  We have learned from FDA that there may be a potential link between salad products produced at our Streamwood IL facility containing iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and carrot ingredients and a Cyclospora outbreak that is occurring primarily in Midwest states.

Our immediate thoughts and concern are for those consumers who have become ill due to the outbreak.  

Out of an abundance of caution, we have issued a voluntary recall of both branded and private label salad products that were produced at the Streamwood facility and contain those ingredients. 

The recalled products are clearly marked with the letter “Z” at the beginning of the Product Code, which is located on the upper right-hand corner of the front of the package.  Those products containing iceberg lettuce, red cabbage and/or carrots AND displaying the Product Code Z178, or a lower “Z” number, are recalled. 

Recalled products were distributed to select retail stores in various states including, for example,  Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. 

No other Fresh Express products are subject to this recall.    

Fresh Express customers are removing the recalled products from all store shelves, distribution, and inventories to ensure they are no longer available for sale or consumption. 

Consumers who may have a recalled salad should discard it immediately and not eat it.   Consumers with questions, or to obtain refunds, may contact the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center toll-free at (800) 242-5472 on Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time. 

Fresh Express stringently follows all mandated regulations and implements preventive food safety measures designed to minimize potential risks. We are working in close coordination with FDA in its continuing investigation to identify a definitive source of the current Cyclospora outbreak.

[Mindy D]

From the FDA site

ANNOUNCEMENT

Fresh Express Voluntarily Issues Recall of Limited Quantity of Marketside Classic Iceberg Salad

When a company announces a recall, market withdrawal, or safety alert, the FDA posts the company's announcement as a public service. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

Summary

Company Announcement Date: June 25, 2020 FDA Publish Date: June 26, 2020 Product Type: Food & Beverages Reason for Announcement:

Possible Cyclospora Contamination

Company Name: Fresh Express Brand Name:

Marketside

Product Description:

Classic Iceberg Salad

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Company Announcement

Fresh Express, out of an abundance of caution, has issued a recall of a limited quantity of Marketside Classic Iceberg Salad from select stores as a precautionary measure due to a possible health risk from Cyclospora.

The recall affects all product codes of Marketside Classic Iceberg Salad sold in 12- and 24-ounce packages with best-if-used-by-dates of May 19 to July 04 and distributed to select stores between June 1 and June 21 in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection caused by the Cyclospora parasite. A person may become infected after ingesting contaminated food or water. Common symptoms include severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, body aches and fatigue. The infection is treated with antibiotics and most people respond quickly to treatment.

Walmart retail stores are removing the recalled product from store shelves and inventories. If customers have the recalled Marketside Classic Iceberg Salad, they should discard it immediately and not consume it. Customers with questions, or to obtain refunds, may contact Fresh Express Consumer Response Center toll-free at (800) 242-5472 Monday - Friday during the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time.

Fresh Express takes food safety matters very seriously, stringently follows all mandated regulations and implements preventive measures designed to minimize potential risks. Fresh Express is working in close coordination with FDA in its continuing investigation to identify a source of the Cyclospora outbreak that has occurred in primarily midwestern states.

Recalled Product Details

• Marketside Classic Iceberg Salad: 12-ounce, UPC Code 6 81131 32894 4
• Marketside Classic Iceberg Salad: 24-ounce, UPC Code 6 81131 32895 1
• Best-If-Used-By-Date: May 19 through July 04
• Distributed to select stores in Iowa, Minnesota Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin

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Company Contact Information

Consumers: Fresh Express Consumer Response Center (800) 242-5472

[Mindy D]

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Four Cyclosporaoocysts from fresh stool stained using a modified acid-fast stain. The oocysts are variably acid fast (that is, they range from unstained to light pink to deep red or purple). (Credit: CDC/DPDx)

Symptoms of cyclosporiasis begin an average of 7 days (range, 2 days to ≥2 weeks) after ingestion of sporulated oocysts (the infective form of the parasite).

Symptoms of cyclosporiasis may include the following:

• Watery diarrhea (most common)
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Cramping
• Bloating
• Increased gas
• Nausea
• Fatigue

Other symptoms that may occur but are less common include the following:

• Vomiting
• Low-grade fever

If a person ill from cyclosporiasis is not treated, symptoms can persist for several weeks to a month or more. Some symptoms, such as diarrhea, can return; and some symptoms, such as fatigue, may continue after the gastrointestinal symptoms have gone away. The infection usually is not life threatening. Some infected persons do not have any symptoms, particularly persons from areas where cyclosporiasis is endemic, such as tropical and subtropical regions.