FDA Issues E coli Recall to Walmart, Target, Starbucks

The FDA issued the recall after contaminated celery from California-based Taylor Farms Pacific was linked to E. coli found in Costco’s chicken salad nationwide recall last week. Affected stores include 7-Eleven, King Soopers, Raley’s, Save Mart, Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Starbucks, Target, Walmart and Sam’s Club. Taylor Farms Pacific, Inc. of California which produced the blend voluntarily recalled multiple celery products in late November because of possible contamination.

Starbucks has also removed potentially infected items from its various locations, according to Business Insider.

The source of a an E. coli outbreak spanning seven states has been traced back to a single ingredient in Costco’s rotisserie chicken salad: diced celery. People in Colorado, Montana and Washington were also sickened, and five were hospitalized.

“Consumers who purchased rotisserie chicken salad from any Costco store in the United States on or before November 20, 2015, should not eat it and should throw it away”, said the CDC website.

Contaminated celery is what caused the outbreak.

The recall list includes products sold at major grocery store chains.

Alabama is not listed as one of the states covered under the recall, though Costco had earlier taken chicken salad products off the shelf nationwide.

The FDA is urging people to contact a doctor if they have diarrhea that lasts for more than three days or if they also have a high fever, bloody stool, or frequent vomiting. Young kids, older adults and people with weak immune systems are most at risk.

The particular E-coli bacteria strain involved in the celery outbreak is Shiga toxin producing and different than the E.coli strain showing up at Chipotle restaurants.

Luckily, there are no confirmed cases of people getting sick from the paninis sold at Starbucks, meaning the bacteria probably didn’t spread there.