Food recall warning: Fresh Express brand Sunflower Crisp Chopped Kit recalled due to E. coli. PROVIDED / CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY
Health and food safety officials are investigating an outbreak of E. coli 0157 spanning five provinces they think is likely linked to Fresh Express brand Sunflower Crisp Chopped Salad Kits and warn that more people may get sick.
Sixteen people have become ill – ten of them in Ontario and the balance in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador – and four people have been hospitalized.
“The outbreak appears to be ongoing, as recent illnesses continue to be reported,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said.
The sick range in age from 11 to 73 years old.
The spike in reported cases of E. coli prompted an investigation by the public health agency and its provincial counterparts, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada.
Many of the people who got sick reported having eaten the chopped salad kits but the agency said that more sources of E. coli could be identified.
On Sunday, the CFIA issued a food recall warning for Fresh Express brand Sunflower Crisp Chopped Kit, 315g packages, UPC Code: 0 71279 30906 4, beginning with lot code Z. The products have a best before date up to and including 07DE19.
The public health agency promised further updates as its investigation continued.
E. coli O157 is more likely to cause severe illness than other strains with pregnant women, those with weakened immune systems, young children and seniors most at risk of developing complications.
Most people who get sick from an E. coli infection will make a complete recovery on their own but rare cases can include life-threatening complications such as stroke, kidney failure and seizures.
Some infected people won’t feel sick – although they’re still infectious – while others have symptoms including nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and watery or bloody diarrhea starting one to 10 days after contact with the bacteria.
The public health agency warns consumers to throw away any of the recalled salad kits, wash their hands after handling and “do not prepare food for other people if you think you are sick with an E. coli infection or suffering from any other contagious illness causing diarrhea.”
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