The FDA has weighed in on the Jimmy John’s sprouts E. coli O103 outbreak that has sickened at least 14 people in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and Utah. Epidemiologic evidence has indicated that clover sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurants are a likely source of this outbreak. And this isn’t the first time an outbreak like this has happened. The FDA recently sent a warning letter to Jimmy John’s detailing the four other outbreaks linked to their sprouts since 2012.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that anyone who has eaten clover sprouts on a sandwich from Jimmy John’s restaurants and who is sick with the symptoms of an E. coli infection see a doctor as soon as possible. Those symptoms include severe and painful stomach and abdominal cramps, diarrhea that may be bloody, mild fever, nausea, and vomiting. If you have a leftover sandwich made with clover sprouts from a Jimmy John’s restaurant, don’t eat it; throw it away.
The patient case count by state is: Iowa (3), Illinois (6), Missouri (1), Texas (1), and Utah (3). There is another E. coli O103 outbreak linked to Jimmy John’s clover sprouts that has sickened 22 people in Iowa but officials are saying it isn’t linked to this outbreak which happened late last year.
If you have been diagnosed with an E. coli O103 infection after eating clover sprouts at Jimmy John’s restaurants, you can contact food safety attorney Fred Pritzker for help by calling 1-888-377-8900 or 612-338-0202.
Food safety experts warn people in high risk groups for serious food poisoning complications to avoid raw sprouts completely. Those people include young children, the elderly, pregnant women, those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, and anyone with a compromised immune system. The seeds can be contaminated on the inside, and the growing environment for sprouting is perfect for bacterial growth.
Jimmy John’s restaurants stopped selling clover sprouts earlier this week. There should not be available at any Jimmy John’s restaurants as of February 24, 2020.
