Schnucks Salad Bar E. coli Outbreak: The Search for the Food Source
As the E. coli outbreak in the St. Louis area continues to grow, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) is partnering with the CDC and FDA to find the food source. This is what MDHSS has reported to date:
- Number of people sickened in the outbreak: There are 26 confirmed and 25 suspected. Testing continues.
- Schnucks salad bar connection: To date, investigators have discovered that 85% of patients (17 of 20) who reported shopping at Schnuck's stores also reported obtaining food from the salad bar.
- Foods that have been tested or are now being tested: Initially the focus was on lettuce, strawberries and Caesar salad dressing from Schnucks salad bars in the St. Louis area, but additional food samples from 5 Schnucks stores are now being tested, including Bistro Salad Dressing, broccoli florets, deviled eggs, diced hard boiled eggs, honey Dijon dressing, Italian dressing, pineapple chunks, red wine vinaigrette, shredded carrots, shredded radishes, shredded zucchini, sliced red onions, and the following packaged salads that included salad bar ingredients: Bistro Chopped Salad, Fresco House Salad, Fried Chicken Salad, Garden Salad, Italian Salad, and Turkey Cobb Salad.
- Negative E. coli tests: The Missouri State Lab has tested 17 food samples taken from individuals' homes and local Schnuck's salad bars, all of which were found not to contain E. coli or shiga toxin, its harmful byproduct. These samples included two strawberries retrieved from sick individuals' homes. The remaining samples consist of lettuce, strawberries, and Caesar dressing taken from several Schnuck's stores in the region.
- Case study and call center: The CDC will conduct a case control study to compare what the people who became ill ate with what was consumed by individuals that did not become ill. This will enhance efforts to identify food(s) which may be the source of the E. coli. The CDC is setting up a call center to contact residents in neighborhoods where patients have been identified using random digit dialing.
- Investigation of distribution chain: Yesterday, inspectors from the FDA arrived in St. Louis to assist in the inspection of facilities that may have been part of the distribution chain.
Our E. coli lawyers have been contacted by victims of this outbreak and their families and are investigating a lawsuit against Schnucks for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and other damages. Contact our attorneys for a free consultation.
