The retail list for the Farm Rich products linked to the E. coli O121 outbreak that has sickened at least 27 people in fifteen states has expanded again. Two patients have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the serious complication of a STEC infection that can cause kidney failure. The list of retail establishments that carried the products is now 107 pages long.
The store chains that carried the product nationwide include Alco and Walmart. Several other large chains, including Bi-Lo, Food Lion, Harp’s, Homeland, Kroger, Meijer, Price Chopper, and Shop & Save carried the products in many states. Please look carefully at the retail list to see if you patronize those stores. If you do, check your freezer to see if you have any of the recalled products in your home freezer. Discard them in a sealed container or return to the place of purchase for a refund.
The states where the products were sold in smaller chains and individual stores include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The states where the products were sold in state-wide or area-wide distribution include all of the above plus Montana, North Dakota, Washington state, Minnesota, Iowa, Alaska, Arizona, and the District of Columbia.
If you purchased any of these products, which include all Farm Rich, Market Day, and Schwan’s brand frozen products made at the Waycross, Georgia plant between July 1, 2011 and March 29, 2013, monitor yourself for illness. If you experienced any signs of an E. coli infection, including diarrhea which may be bloody and/or watery, severe stomach and abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and a mild fever, see your doctor immediately.
The patients who have been sickened in this outbreak live in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Public health officials expect at least three more cases in this outbreak in the next few weeks. And if recalled products are still in consumer’s homes, the outbreak could go on for quite some time.
