On 15 February the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an ongoing investigation of a 12-person E. coli O26 outbreak, including two hospitalisations, linked to raw clover sprouts used as sandwich toppings at Jimmy John’s restaurants in Iowa (five ilnesses), Missouri (three illnesses), Kansas (two illnesses), Arkansas (one illness), and Wisconsin (one illnesses).
According to a complaint filed in Polk County District Court, 23-year-old Mollie Horton consumed a sandwich from a Jimmy John’s party platter at a family gathering on 23 December. The sandwich contained sprouts, but Ms Horton removed them before eating.
By 26 December, she began experiencing severe gastrointestinal symptoms which persisted until 5 January, when they dramatically worsened and she was rushed to the emergency room where she was treated for pain and severe dehydration. She was then admitted to the hospital where she stayed through 8 January.
After discharge, her symptoms continued for several weeks. The complaint alleges that testing showed that Ms. Horton’s illness was the result of a genetically identical strain of E. coli O26 linked to the Jimmy John’s sprout outbreak.
The lawsuit further alleges that raw sprouts served at Jimmy John’s have been responsible for four previous E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks that have sickened hundreds of people in the past four years. Though the company had stood by its use of sprouts in the past, this outbreak has prompted Jimmy John’s to permanently end the use of the product.
Horton’s attorney William Marler, said: “On one hand, I’m happy that Jimmy John’s finally pulled sprouts from their menu. On the other hand, it is disappointing that this wasn’t done earlier, because doing so could have prevented this outbreak.”
Source: Marler Clark
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024