Josie’s Organics and Fresh Thyme baby spinach have been linked to an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 10 people in seven states, according to state and federal health officials. Both of these brands are produced by Braga Fresh of Salinas, California. Two people have been hospitalized.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health have both issued notices about the outbreak. The CDC stated that the true number of people sickened is much larger than the 10 confirmed cases. The outbreak patients range in age from 2 to 71 years old with a median age of 26. Seventy percent of the patients are female.
Symptoms of an E. coli infection include abdominal cramps and diarrhea that can be bloody. Usually, these symptoms develop between one and five days of exposure. The people sickened in this outbreak said they first became ill on dates ranging from October 15, 2021, to October 27, 2021.
Genetic tests performed on the E. coli cultured from each of the patients show the strains are closely related indicating people in this outbreak got sick from the same food. So far, health officials have interviewed six of the patients to ask them about the foods they ate the week before they became ill. All but one of them reported eating spinach.
Minnesota health officials collected leftover Josie’s Organics baby spinach from a patient’s home. The product, which had a “best by” date of 10/23/2021, tested positive for E. coli O157. Genetic tests are being performed on the E. coli found in the spinach to see if it matches the strain cultured from the patients.
The number of illnesses reported from each state is: Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (2), Missouri (1), Ohio (1), and South Dakota (1). Fresh Thyme has locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Hy Vee has stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The two Minnesota patients, who are in their mid-20s, said they first experienced symptoms between October 17 and October 23, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. One of the patients purchased Josie’s Organics organic baby spinach purchased from HyVee. The other patient purchased Fresh Thyme organic baby spinach from a Fresh Thyme store.
Experienced E. coli Lawyers
If you developed E. coli after eating contaminated spinach and would like a free consultation with an experienced E. coli lawyer, please contact the Pritzker Hageman E. coli Legal Team. Pritzker Hageman E. coli lawyers have represented clients in every major E. coli outbreak in the U.S. You can reach us by calling 1-888-377-8900, sending a text to 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below. There is no obligation and you don’t pay us unless we win.