Prepackaged salads made by Dole, Fresh Express, Simple Truth, Josie’s Organics, and Bright Farms have been linked to nine outbreaks since 2019. The implicated salads were contaminated with a variety of pathogens including E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Cyclospora.
One of these, a Listeria outbreak linked to prepackaged salads made Dole, is ongoing.
2021 -2022 Dole Salad Listeria Outbreak
On December 22, 2021, the CDC announced two Listeria outbreaks linked to repacked salads. One linked to salads made by Dole and one linked to salad made by Fresh Express. (See below)
On the day it was announced, the Dole salad Listeria outbreak included 16 illnesses and two deaths. On February 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the case total of the outbreak to include one additional case.
On December 22. 2021 Dole issued a recall for salads made at two of its facilities. A few weeks later, the company expanded the recall to include salads made at two more Dole facilities. Recalled salads produced by Dole were sold under the brand names Ahold, Dole, Kroger, Lidl, Little Salad Bar, Marketside, Naturally Better, Nature’s Promise, and Simply Nature.
2021 -2022 Fresh Express Salad Listeria Outbreak
A Listeria outbreak linked to prepackaged salads made by Fresh Express ended last week with 10 illnesses and one death, according to the CDC. The eight-state outbreak included illnesses reported from IL, MA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, and VA. from July 26, 2016, to October 19, 2021. All 10 patients, who ranged in age from 44 to 95 years, were hospitalized. The fatality occurred in Pennsylvania.
On December 20, 2021, Fresh Express issued a recall for salads produced at its facility in Streamwood, IL. The recalled salads were sold under the Fresh Express brand name and store brand names at BJ’s, Weis Markets, ALDI, Albertsons, Walmart, GiantEagle, and ShopRite. These store brands include Wellsley Farms, Weis, Simply Nature, Signature Farms, O Organics, Marketside, Market District, Giant Eagle, and Bowl & Basket.
When the CDC announced the outbreak on December 22, 2021, there were 10 illnesses and one death.
2021- 2022 Simple Truth/Nature’s Basket Power Greens E. coli Outbreak
A four-state E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Simple Truth and Nature’s Basket organic power greens ended March 3, 2022, with 10 illnesses and 1 death, according to the CDC. Four people were hospitalized, two of them with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure that is a complication of E. coli infections.
Nature’s Basket is a Giant Eagle store brand. Simple Truth is a Kroger brand. The Kroger family of stores includes Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, Jay C, Food Store, King Soopers, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay-Less Super Markets, Pick’n Save, QFC, Ralphs and Rule.
2021-2022 Josie’s Organics Baby Spinach E. coli Outbreak
An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Josie’s Organics baby spinach that was announced November 15, 2021, ended January 6, 2022, with 15 illnesses in 10 states. Four people were hospitalized, three with HUS.
Illnesses were reported among patients ranging in age from 1 to 76 years old. Most of the patients, 80 percent, were female. They reported the onset of symptoms on dates ranging from October 13, 2021, to November 8, 2021. When state and local public health officials interviewed some of the patients about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick, 11 of the 13 interviewed reported eating spinach.
2020 Fresh Express Salad Cyclospora Outbreak
A Cyclospora outbreak linked to bagged salads made by Fresh Express ended September 25, 2020 after sickening 701 people in 14 states. Thirty-eight people were hospitalized. The outbreak was announced on June 19, 2020.
The number of illnesses reported from each state was: GA (1), IL (211), IA (206), KS (5), MA (1), MI (4), MN (86), MO (57), NE (55), ND (6), OH (7), PA (2), SD (13), WI (47).
Cyclospora is a parasite native to tropical and sub-tropical climates. Health officials identified the source of the outbreak as bagged salads containing iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots produced at a Fresh Express facility in Streamwood, IL.
The salads were sold under the Fresh Express brand name and a variety of store brands. The stores associated with these brands include: ALDI Little Salad Bar, Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco Signature Farms, ShopRite Wholesome Pantry, and Walmart Marketside.
2020 BrightFrams Salad Salmonella Outbreak
A Salmonella outbreak linked to BrightFarms prepackaged salad that was announced July 15, 2021, ended October 6, 2021, with 31 illnesses in four states. Four people were hospitalized.
Four states reported illnesses: Illinois with 18 cases, Wisconsin with 10, Pennsylvania with two, and Michigan with one. The patients, who ranged in age from less than 1 year to 86 years, reported the onset of symptoms on dates ranging from June 10, 2021, to August 18, 2021. Sixty percent of the patients were female.
2019 Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Salad E. coli Outbreak
An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Salad ended January 15, 202, after sickening 10 people in five states. Four people were hospitalized, one of them with HUS. The outbreak occurred at the same time as an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, CA., but it was caused by a different strain.
The number of cases reported from each state was: Georgia (1), Illinois (1), Minnesota (4), North Dakota (1), and Wisconsin (3). The people sickened in this outbreak, who ranged in age from 21 to 92 years old, reported onset of illness dates from November 5, 2019, to November 16, 2019.
2019 Fresh Express Leafy Romaine E. coli Outbreak
As part of an investigation of an E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, CA, Wisconsin health collected products from outbreak patients. On December 6, 2019, they found E. coli O157 in an unopened bag of Fresh Expres brand Leafy Green Romaine Chopped Kit salads in one of them.
Not all ill people in Wisconsin included in this outbreak ate this brand of salad before they became ill. This outbreak was rolled into a larger E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, CA.
2019 Ready Pac Bistro Bowl Chicken Caesar Salad E. coli Outbreak
In November 2019, seven people in Maryland developed E. coli infection after eating Ready Pac Bistro Bowl Chicken Caesar salads they purchased at Sam’s Club stores. Tests on an unopened salad from one patient’s home found were positive for the outbreak strain E. coli O157: H7.
These cases were also rolled into a larger E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, CA. That outbreak ended January 15, 2020, with 167 illnesses. Eighty-five people were hospitalized. 15 with HUS.
Cases were reported from 27 states: AZ (4), CA (8), CO (6), DE (1), FL (4), IA (1), ID (4), IL (15), MD (5), MI (2), MN (7), MT (1), NE (2), NJ (9), NC (3), NM (2), NY (3), OH (12), OR (1), PA (21), SC (1), SD (1), TN (1), TX (6), VA (6), WA (6), WI (35).
Food Poisoning Lawyers with Experience
The food poisoning lawyers at Pritzker Hageman represent clients nationwide. If you have been sickened by contaminated packaged salad and would like to request a free consultation with our Food Safety Team, please call us at 1-888-377-8900, text us at 612-261-0856 or, fill out the form below.