PCC grass-fed, organic yogurt, made for PCC Community Markets by Pure Eire Dairy, is under recall for E. coli after Washington health officials linked it to illnesses in that state. In addition to all flavors of PCC yogurt sold in 8 oz and 16 oz -containers, the PCC yogurt E. coli recall also includes yogurt sold at the salad bar and deli items made with the yogurt. These include:

• Butter Chicken (hot bar and to-go casseroles)
• Spicy Yellow Curry Chicken (hot bar and to-go casseroles)
• Tzatziki Sauce (grain bowl bar, to-go spreads)
• Sticky Toffee Pudding (refrigerated desserts)

Yogurt sold under the Pure Eire brand name is also included in the recall.  Consumers who have purchased yogurt sold under either brand name should not eat it as E. coli can cause serious illness and death.

Previous Pure Eire E. coli Recall, Pasteurization Problem

Pure Eire Dairy of Othello, WA sells pasteurized dairy products and raw (unpasteurized) milk under the Pure Eire brand name. In 2013, the company issued a raw milk E.coli recall and stopped raw milk production while authorities investigated. That temporary suspension or raw milk production lasted about 10 days.

About three weeks prior to that recall, Pure Eire issued a recall for some of its pasteurized milk and cream. During an inspection, the Washington Department of Agriculture noted a pasteurization problem. The problem was corrected during the inspection, the company said at that time.

Pure Eire uses vat pasteurization, a method also known as “batch” or “low-temperature long-time pasteurization.” This method, which involves heating the dairy product to a certain temperature for 30 minutes and then quickly cooling it, is “one of the most effective methods of pasteurization, ” according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  A critical element of this process is that the temperature in the air space above the vat constantly remains 5˚ F above the holding temperature of the liquid in the vat. The problem in 2013 was with the air space temperature.

E. coli lawyer - yogurt in a bowl

E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak

E. coli O157:H7, which live almost exclusively in the intestines of cattle, produce a substance that is poison to humans called a Shiga toxin.  A handful of other E. coli serovars also make this poison. These Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli cause severe illness.

Earlier this month, health officials began investigating an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Washington that now includes 11 confirmed cases. Seven people have been hospitalized, three of them with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure associated with E. coli infections. The people sickened in this outbreak range in age from under 10 to over 70 years old. Six of them are children under the age of 10.

The people sickened in this outbreak said they first developed symptoms of an E. coli infection, which include abdominal cramps and diarrhea that can be bloody, reported onset of illness dates ranging from March 9 to April 21, 2021.

E. coli Lawsuit Consultation

Pritzker Hageman E. coli lawyers have represented clients in every major E. coli outbreak in the U.S. Our clients have included those who battled HUS and families who have suffered the wrongful death of a loved one. If you were sickened in this outbreak and would like a free consultation with an experienced E. coli lawyer, please contact the Pritzker Hageman E. coli Legal Team. 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.