The third largest food poisoning outbreak of 2014 was a Salmonella outbreak linked to organic sprouted chia powder. At least 31 people in 16 states were sickened in this outbreak. Bacteria tied to the outbreak were Salmonella Newport, Salmonella Hartford, and Salmonella Oranienburg. Twenty people were sick with Salmonella Newport infections, 7 with Salmonella Hartford, and 4 with Salmonella Oranienburg. Five people were hospitalized as a result of their illnesses. No deaths were reported.
A recall was issued for many different products associated with this outbreak, including Oriya Organics Superfood Protein Medley; Health Matters Organic Traditions Sprouted Chia Seed Powder and Sprouted Chia and Flax Seed Powder, Chia Seeds, and Ultimate Superfood Trailmix; Navitas Naturals Organic Sprouted Chia Powder, Omega Blend Sprouted Smoothie Mix, and Williams-Sonoma Omega 3 Smoothie Mixer; and Green Smoothie Girl Sprouted Ground TriOmega Superfood. Products were also recalled in Canada.
The outbreak case count by state was: Arizona (1), California (4), Colorado (1), Connecticut (3), Florida (1), Illinois (2), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (1), New York (7), Ohio (1), Rhode Island (1), Texas (2), Utah (1), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (3). Dates of illness onset ranged from January 21, 2014, to July 22, 2014. Ill persons ranged in age from 1 to 81 years, with a median age of 48 years. Sixty-one percent of patients were female.
Traceback investigations conducted by public health officials found that the outbreak was linked to various brands of products containing chia. The strains of Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Hartford had never been seen before in PulseNet. The outbreak strain of Salmonella Oranienburg had been seen before in PulseNet. Nineteen of the 21 patients interviewed reported eating chia seeds or powder before becoming ill.
A Canadian firm, Bioessential Botanicals, was identified as a common supplier of organic sprouted chia powder used in the products eaten by patients. On June 11, 2014, the FDA placed Bioessential Botanicals on Import Alert. The outbreak strains of Salmonella Newport, Salmonella Hartford, and Salmonella Oranienburg were isolated from leftover recalled products containing chia powder. And testing of unopened products also identified the outbreak strains of the pathogenic bacteria.
