New E. coli outbreaks traced to fast food restaurants

January 2007

A recent outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the Northeast was traced to Taco Bell restaurants in that area, according to health officials from the CDC.

According to the FDA, the outbreak was first reported in New Jersey on Nov. 20, 2006.

Over the course of the next three weeks, the outbreak resulted in the illnesses of 33 people in New Jersey, 22 people in New York, 13 people in Pennsylvania, two people in Delaware and one person from South Carolina who ate at a Pennsylvania restaurant.

Also on the same day as the initial report, all 15 Taco Bell restaurants in Philadelphia were closed voluntarily. Other Taco Bells in New Jersey and New York also closed.

However, Taco Bells in Long Island and two of three restaurants in New Jersey that were implicated in the outbreak reopened.

Outbreak over

On Dec. 14, the CDC announced that the outbreak “appeared to be over.” However, CDC officials said additional cases could still be identified.

By Dec. 14, 71 cases had been reported to the CDC, 53 (75%) people were hospitalized and eight (11%) were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome.

To investigate the outbreak, federal health officials obtained samples of cilantro, cheddar cheese, blended cheese, green onions, yellow onions, tomatoes and lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in the Northeast.

The CDC issued a report on Dec. 6, noting that white onions tested positive for a different strain of E. coli than the one involved in the outbreak.

Preliminary testing by independent labs indicated green onions as the culprit, and as a result of that report, Taco Bell officials removed green onions from their 5,800 restaurants nationwide.

Although the investigation is ongoing, officials now believe that shredded iceberg lettuce may have been the cause of the outbreak.

A CDC report said that shredded iceberg lettuce was “most likely to have been the vehicle of pathogen transmission in this outbreak.”

Distribution investigated

Northeast Taco Bell restaurants receive their ingredients from a southern New Jersey distribution center located in Burlington County operated by McLane Food Service, which is based in Carrollton, Texas. The products from McLane that were shipped to New Jersey, including onions, cilantro, tomatoes and lettuce, were tested for E. coli.

Health officials also tested produce from Ready Pac Produce, located in Florence, N.J., and based in California. Ready Pac is an additional produce processor that distributes to Taco Bell and was also involved in the E. coli outbreak in September involving spinach.

Ready Pac purchased onions from Boskovich Farms, a California-based producer, according to Steve Dickstein, vice president for marketing at Ready Pac Produce. These particular onions were produced only for Taco Bell.

“It certainly heightens concern and undermines confidence among consumers and buyers about the safety of products coming from [California],” said Trevor Suslow, PhD, vegetable specialist from the University of California, Davis.

The FDA suggested that if consumers believe they were infected with E. coli or ate at Taco Bell between Nov. 20 and Dec. 6, they should contact their physician immediately.

Another outbreak

A second outbreak of E. coli was traced to another fast food chain in Iowa and Minnesota. In this outbreak, approximately 40 people became ill and 18 people were hospitalized from eating at Taco John’s restaurants in Cedar Falls, Iowa and in Albert Lea and Austin, Minn.

Federal health officials said this outbreak was not believed to be associated with the Taco Bell outbreak. Taco John’s has no association to Taco Bell and is based in Cheyenne, Wyo.

Taco John’s closed briefly to replace the contaminated food with new food. Roma Foods located in Rice, Minn., is the main supplier for Taco John’s.

For more information:

• Visit the CDC’s Web site at www.cdc.gov/ecoli.