An E. coli outbreak linked to clover sprouts sold at Jimmy John’s sandwich shops has ended after sickening 51 people in 10 states, hospitalizing three of them.
Public health officials used genetic tests to identify the genetic “fingerprint” of the outbreak strain of E. coli. The state hardest hit was Utah where 34 cases were reported. The number of cases reported from the other nine states reporting illnesses were: Florida (1), Idaho (1), Illinois (7), Iowa (3), Missouri (1), New York (1), Texas (1), Virginia (1), Wyoming (1).
The people sickened in this outbreak reported the onset of symptoms on dates ranging from January 6, 2020 to March 15, 2020. Many of the case-patients, who range in age from 1 to 79 years old, reported eating clover sprouts on sandwiches they purchased from Jimmy John’s sandwich shops before they became ill. Symptoms of an E. coli infection include abdominal cramping and diarrhea that is sometimes bloody.
Health officials also found the outbreak strain in products made by Chicago Indoor Garden that contained clover sprouts. After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to consumers about these products, Chicago Indoor issued a recall for products containing clover sprouts.
This outbreak was the ninth in 11 years for Jimmy John’s food poisoning outbreak. Just two months before this outbreak, the sandwich shop was linked to another clover sprout E. coli outbreak that sicked customers in Iowa. Jimmy John’s announced in February that it would no longer serve sprouts.
The E. coli lawyers at Pritzker Hageman represent clients sickened by contaminated food. If you would like to request a free consultation with our E. coli Team, call us at 1-888-377-8900, text us at 612-261-0856 or, fill out the form below.
