The FDA has released an update on the E. coli O103 outbreak likely linked to clover sprouts, but this time is warning consumers not to eat Chicago Indoor Garden red clover sprouts and other products. FDA analysis found E. coli O103 in some of these products, which all contain sprouts. Whole genome sequencing tests found that the DNA in the bacteria on the sprouts matches the outbreak strain.
The products are Chicago Indoor Garden red clover (with and without non-GMO labels), sprout salad, mixed greens, and spring salad with best by dates between December 1, 2019 and March 12, 2020. You can see more pictures of product photos at the FDA web site.
The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating an outbreak of 14 illnesses caused by E. coli O103 in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and Utah that are likely linked to clover sprouts. That number has not changed from the update in February. The last illness onset date was February 11, 2020. The update did not mention Jimmy John’s restaurants as it did in the February 26, 2020 update.
The FDA and CDC recommend that children, the elderly, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, and anyone with a chronic illness avoid eating raw sprouts of any kind. This food has been linked to many multistate outbreaks in the past few years.
If you ate the sprouts and salad products from Chicago Indoor Garden and have experienced the symptoms of an E. coli infection, see your doctor. Symptoms include a mild fever, vomiting, nausea, severe and painful abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that is bloody or watery.
In some patients, this infection can develop into a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure. Symptoms of HUS include little urine output, lethargy, easy bruising, and a skin rash. This can be a life-threatening condition, so anyone with these symptoms has to see a doctor. There have been no HUS patients in this particular outbreak.
