State and federal officials are investigating a new multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. The outbreak is associated with Fresh Express brand chopped salad kits. Some people in Canada are also sick.
“Do not eat or sell Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Chopped Salad Kits with this identifying information: UPC 0 71279 30906 4, beginning with lot code Z, and a best-before date up to and including 07DEC19.
“This information is printed on the front of the bag in the top right corner,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned in a notice posted this evening.
Officials say this is a new outbreak, separate from an ongoing E. coli O157:H7 outbreak traced to romaine lettuce from the Salinas, CA, region. That outbreak has sickened at least 102 people in the US and two in Canada and involves a different strain of E. coli bacteria.
Romaine lettuce is an ingredient in the implicated Fresh Express salad kits, but investigators have not yet determined what ingredient or ingredients in the salad kits could be contaminated, according to the CDC.
