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 … [Read more...]
Jimmy John’s Sprouts E. coli O103 Outbreak Info From the CDC
Information about the multistate Jimmy John's sprouts E. coli O103 outbreak has been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is a different outbreak from the E. coli O103 outbreak at Jimmy John's restaurants in Iowa that sickened 22 people in late 2019. Ill people reported eating clover sprouts that were served at Jimmy John's restaurants in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and Utah. The government is investigating to see if contaminated sprouts were served at other restaurants or sold in grocery stores. The case count by state is: Illinois (6), Iowa (3), Missouri (1), Texas (1), and Utah (3). Illness onset dates range from January 6, 2020 to February 11, 2020. The patient case count is from 1 year to 79 years. No hospitalizations or deaths have … [Read more...]
New Jimmy John’s E. coli O103 Outbreak Sickens People in IA, IL, MO, TX, and UT
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...]
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...]
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...]
Iowa Raw Sprouts E. coli O103 Outbreak at Jimmy John’s, HyVee
An Iowa raw sprouts E. coli O103 outbreak is linked to Sprouts Unlimited raw clover sprouts that were distributed to Hy Vee Food stores, Fareway Food Stores, and Jimmy John's restaurants in that state, according to a recall notice posted by the FDA. Sprouts Unlimited of Marion, Iowa is recalling clover sprouts sold in 4 ounce packages. The sprouts available at retail were packaged in pint containers with a blue label on the lid. The UPC number 7 32684 00013 6 is stamped on the bottom right side of the label. The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals told Sprouts Unlimited that a cluster of E. coli O103 illnesses epidemiologically linked to their clover sprouts has been identified. An investigation has been launched. There is no further information about how many people are … [Read more...]
Jimmy John’s Raw Sprouts Salmonella Outbreak Ends with 10 Sick
The Salmonella Montevideo outbreak linked to Jimmy John's raw sprouts served on sandwiches at those restaurants is over, after sickening ten people in three states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Epidemiologic evidence found that raw sprouts were the likely source of this outbreak. The case count by state is: Illinois (2), Minnesota (2), and Wisconsin (6). No one was hospitalized and no deaths were reported in this outbreak. Ill persons reported eating raw sprouts on sandwiches that were served on Jimmy John's sandwiches purchased in Illinois and Wisconsin. One ill person ate raw sprouts that were purchased from a grocery store in Minnesota. Illness onset dates ranged from December 20, 2017 to January 28, 2018. The patient age range is from 26 … [Read more...]
Revisiting Raw Sprouts: Why Are They Such a Health Risk?
The current Salmonella Montevideo outbreak at Jimmy John's restaurants seems to be pinpointed on raw sprouts served on that chain's sandwiches. Unfortunately, most people do not think of produce as being a risk for food poisoning. But that class of foods is most often associated with foodborne illness outbreaks. There have been many outbreaks in the past few years linked to fresh produce, including leafy greens, apples, raspberries, snow peas, cilantro, and yes, sprouts. In fact, sprouts are almost in a category by themselves. The way this food is produced is part of the problem. To make sprouts, seeds are placed in a warm and moist environment, which happens to be the ideal medium for bacterial growth. Since 1998, fresh or lightly cooked sprouts have been linked to 49 food … [Read more...]
