A new Jimmy John's E. coli O103 outbreak that has sickened at least 14 people in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and Utah was just announced by Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response at the FDA. And yes, it is linked to clover sprouts served at Jimmy John's restaurants in those states. This is a different outbreak from the one that was announced in December 2019 that has sickened 22 people in Iowa alone, and about which the FDA sent a warning letter to Jimmy John's and Sprouts Unlimited this week. Yiannas said, "These 14 new cases are not associated with the warning letter that the FDA issued to the company yesterday, but they do underscore the seriousness of the issue as we work with Jimmy John's to prevent outbreaks like these in the future." The case … [Read more...]
New Jimmy John’s E. coli O103 Outbreak Sickens People in IA, IL, MO, TX, and UT
FDA Warning Letter to Sprouts Unlimited Details Info About Outbreak
An FDA warning letter to Sprouts Unlimited, located in Marion, Iowa, details information about problems at the company's facility in the wake of a 2019 E. coli O103 outbreak in Iowa linked to their raw clover sprouts served at Jimmy John's restaurants. The FDA has determined that the company's clover sprouts are adulterated in that they "bear or contain an added poisonous or deleterious substance which may render them injurious to health." The FDA inspected the Sprouts Unlimited facility from December 31, 2019 to January 9, 2020. Inspectors documented "numerous serious violations of the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption regulation (PSR), Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 112 (21 CFR Part 112) that may have resulted … [Read more...]
FDA Lists Jimmy John’s Sprout Outbreaks in Warning Letter
The FDA has finally sent a warning letter about Jimmy John's sprout outbreaks in the wake of the latest one: an E. coli O103 outbreak that has sickened at least 22 people in Iowa that is lined to raw clover sprouts produced by Sprouts Unlimited of Marion, Iowa. There are five food poisoning outbreaks linked to that restaurant chain that go back to 2012, and more earlier than that. These are the outbreaks listed in the FDA warning letter: The current E. coli O103 outbreak is linked to 15 Jimmy John's restaurants in Iowa. Clover sprouts from Sprouts Unlimited are the culprit. At least 22 people are sick. Illness onset dates range from November 21, 2019 to December 14m 2019. In 2018, at least 10 people were sickened with Salmonella Montevideo infections after eating raw sprouts … [Read more...]
E. coli O103 Jimmy John’s Clover Sprouts Outbreak Sickens 22 in Iowa
An E. coli O103 Jimmy John's clover sprouts outbreak has sickened at least 22 people in Iowa, according to a warning letter the FDA sent to Jimmy John's and Sprouts Unlimited on February 21, 2020. This outbreak was briefly mentioned by the FDA in a recall notice on December 18, 2019, but there were very few details about the outbreak at that time. The FDA warning letter details information about five food poisoning outbreaks linked to Jimmy John's restaurants going back to 2012. The outbreaks were caused by E. coli O103, Salmonella Montevideo, E. coli O102, E. coli O157:H7, and E. coli O26. The letter states that, "Taken together, these outbreaks, which spanned over the past seven years and impacted no fewer than seventeen states demonstrate the corporate-wide supplier control … [Read more...]
FDA Addresses Issue of China Coronavirus and Imported Products
On our Facebook page recently, one person asked if anyone should be concerned about the safety of products arriving from China as the coronavirus outbreak continues. The virus has been named COVID-19, as it is a virus causing coronavirus disease that was first identified in 2019. Is there a danger regarding coronavirus and imported products? The FDA is working to surveil the medical product supply chain and is using enforcement tools to oversee the safety and quality of FDA-regulated products. The FDA isn't able to conduct inspections in China now, as the U.S. State Department's Travel Advisory is not to travel to China because of the outbreak. Here's the takeaway line: "Fortunately, currently, we are not seeing the impacts of this outbreak resulting in an increased public health … [Read more...]
Hepatitis A Employee at the Space at Factoria or Fin & Brew Peekskill, NY
A hepatitis A positive food worker at The Space at Factoria or Fin & Brew in Peekskill, New York worked while sick this month, according to a news release by the Westchester County Health Department. Factoria is an event space, and Fin & Brew shares an ice machine with that space. Anyone who ate at the private event at Factoria on Saturday, February 15, 2020 may have been exposed. Anyone who ate at Fin & Brew on Sunday, February 16 or Wednesday, February 19, 2020 also could have been exposed because of the shared equipment. The Health Department has been contacting patrons to tell them about this possible exposure. Any customers of other restaurants in this complex aren't at risk because those restaurants have separate facilities. The Westchester County Department of … [Read more...]
Possible Poisoning Outbreak at Jimmy John’s on Laclede in St. Louis
A possible food poisoning outbreak at a Jimmy John's restaurant at 3822 Laclede Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri may have sickened "multiple" students who attend St. Louis University. The University News, the newspaper for that campus, published this information on February 20, 2020. The article states that multiple students got sick "shortly after eating at the sandwich shop, some even being hospitalized." It seems that these illnesses happened in mid to late January 2020. The students attended a campus retreat for an SLU organization and that retreat was catered by Jimmy John's. More than a dozen students were sickened after attending that retreat and eating the food provided by Jimmy John's. They suffered from weakness and vomiting. The paper claims that the restaurant was shut … [Read more...]
Hepatitis A in Food Worker at Black Bear Diner on West State St. in Boise, ID
A food service worker at the Black Bear Diner on West State Street in Boise, Idaho has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to the Central Health District in Idaho. That restaurant is located at 7530 West State Street in Boise. The employee only worked at the northwest Boise location. That is under different ownership from the south Boise location of a restaurant that shares the same name. The employee worked at the State Street Black Bear Diner on January 26, 30, 31 of 2020, and February 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, and 16 of 2020. Unfortunately, six of those dates: January 26, 30, 31, and February 1, 2, and 6, 2020 are outside the two week window when hepatitis A vaccinations are effective. While the risk of contracting a hepatitis A infection from a food service worker is … [Read more...]
FDA Releases Final Report on Tailor Cut Salmonella Fruit Mix Outbreak
The FDA has released its final report on the Tailor Cut Salmonella Fruit Mix outbreak that sickened at least 165 people in 14 states. The outbreak is linked to fruit mix sold by Tailor Cut Produce of North Brunswick, New Jersey. The mix contained cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, and red grapes. This outbreak is over as of February 18, 2020. It was caused by Salmonella Javiana. The case count by state is: California (1) Colorado (1), Connecticut (1), Delaware (49), Florida (1), Georgia (1), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (1), New Jersey (50), New York (7), Pennsylvania (49), Virginia (1), and Washington (1). Seventy-three people were hospitalized, which is a high percentage for a Salmonella outbreak. Many of those sickened ate the fruit while they were in hospitals, long … [Read more...]
FDA Weighs In On Fresh Market Blackberries Hepatitis A Outbreak
The FDA has published its final report on its investigation into the Fresh Market Blackberries hepatitis A outbreak. The illnesses are linked to fresh, conventionally grown (non organic) blackberries purchased from Fresh Thyme Farmers Market and Woodman's Market grocery stores. As of February 19, 2020, 20 people in 7 states were sickened. Since the last update on December 12, 2019, two more illnesses have been reported. One of those patients lives in Pennsylvania, a state that had not include in the case count. The case count by state is: Indiana (3), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Nebraska (7), Pennsylvania (1), and Wisconsin (6). The last illness onset date was November 15, 2019. Eleven people were hospitalized because they were so ill. While most people have a … [Read more...]
