The FDA has weighed in on the Fresh Express McDonald’s cyclospora outbreak. This outbreak appears to be over as of September 11, 2018. A total of 511 lab-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis were reported in people who ate salads ordered from the fast food chain.
While the FDA did find that a sample of the Fresh Express romaine and carrot mix distributed to McDonald’s restaurants was contaminated with the cyclospora parasite, they did not identify a single source of point of contamination in this outbreak.
The case count by state is: Connecticut (1), Florida (1), Iowa (99), Illinois (274), Indiana (10), Kentucky (9), Michigan (2), Minnesota (11), Missouri (52), Nebraska (5), New York City (1), Ohio (16), South Dakota (18), Tennessee (1), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (10). The patients in Connecticut, Florida, New York City, Tennessee, and Virginia purchased salads in one of the Midwest states. There is no explanation why the case counts were high in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Twenty-four people were hospitalized because they were so ill.
You can reach lawyer Fred Pritzker at 1-888-377-8900.
Food safety attorney Fred Pritzker, who has represented many clients sickened with cyclosporiasis in lawsuits against restaurants and food processors said, “No one should get sick because they ate a salad. This illness can have devastating consequences for patients and they can be sick for months.”
The FDA did discover that Fresh Express distributed chopped romaine to Caito Foods. Caito Foods then used that ingredient in beef pork, and poultry salad products that were recalled at the end of July. No illnesses have been associated with those recalled products.
The expiration date for the products used in the McDonald’s salads and the Caito Foods wraps has passed. McDonald’s replaced the supplier of salads in the affected states in mid-July 2018.
The symptoms of cyclosporiasis include frequent and explosive diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, increased gas, and stomach cramps and pain. If not treated, these symptoms can last for months and seem to go away and relapse. If you ate a salad at McDonald’s and have been ill you may be part of this Fresh Express McDonald’s cyclospora outbreak.
