Nineteen People Ill with E. coli Linked to Chicken Salad in Costco

It’s unknown what ingredient in the food could have caused the illness, but the CDC is still investigating the E.coli outbreak. The rotisserie chicken salad were said to be infected with E. coli bacteria.

The product is labeled “Chicken Salad made with Rotisserie Chicken” with item number 37719 on the label.

Costco has already pulled the chicken salad from the shelves. All four people affected by E. coli bacteria have now recovered.

It’s a different strain of E. coli from the one that forced the closure of more than 40 chipotle outlets in Washington and OR earlier this month.

According to Food Safety News, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting there have been five hospitalizations, including two reports of a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

The Wall Street Journal reports federal investigators are examining whether the celery and onion mix in the rotisserie chicken salad was the source of the E. coli outbreak. The Montana Department of Health says the state has been hit hard in the outbreak, with six people ill and two of them hospitalized.

Craig Wilson, Costco’s vice president responsible for food safety, said in a statement that they removed the product from the stores as soon as they were informed by the CDC about the issue on Friday.

This is not the first health related allegation Costco is facing in recent times.

Wilson said chickens have not been connected to the outbreak, and no other Costco products use the same other ingredients found in the chicken salad.

Costco only has one supplier for those vegetables in the chicken salad, which is sold in all its US stores, Wilson said, adding that the supplier is Taylor Farms of Salinas, CA.

“I think we’re going to learn something important from both ultimately”, he said. “Symptoms can include abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which can sometimes be bloody”, CNN reported.

McCullough says flu-like symptoms can start between 2 and 10 days from exposure and can be life threatening for kids or those with compromised immune systems.