Retailers recall bagged salad as Cyclospora outbreak case count grows
Three supermarkets in the U.S. have recalled bagged salad products after they were linked to a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora.
Jewel-Osco announced on Saturday it is voluntarily recalling 12 oz. bagged Signature Farms Garden Salad sold in its stores in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa.
Then, Hy-Vee on Monday recalled its 12 oz. Hy-Vee Bagged Garden Salad product across its eight-state Midwest region.
Following that, on Tuesday ALDI removed Little Salad Bar Garden Salad from select stores across 10 states in cooperation with Fresh Express.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as of Tuesday afternoon there have been 122 ill people reported from seven states: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.
The CDC said that interviews with sick people indicate that bagged salad mixes containing carrots, red cabbage, and iceberg lettuce purchased at ALDI, Hy-Vee, and Jewel-Osco stores in the Midwestern U.S. are a likely source of this outbreak.
The advisory is only for these store brand "garden salad mixes" and not for other types of store brand packaged salads sold at these retailers.
“The FDA is working with the companies to determine the source of the products, but in the meantime, we are issuing a public warning to consumers to avoid the identified products to prevent additional infections," the FDA said.