Glass Onion Catering in California was forced to recall its packaged grilled chicken salads and sandwich wraps after three people were hospitalized for falling sick with E. coli
Ready-to-eat frozen food may come with a lot of convenience but is it safe and healthy to eat? This question has been raised several times when packaged food manufactures have been forced to recall some of their products owing to contamination or inferior quality. In one such recent event, Glass Onion Catering in California was forced to recall 180,000 pounds of its packaged grilled chicken salads and sandwich wraps after three people were hospitalized for falling sick with E. coli infection, reports local website Q13Fox.com.
The report revealed that all three people tested positive from the same strain of E. coli and ate Ready-To-Eat salads purchased at Trader Joe's. They were residents of Snohomish, Whatcom and King County. The company has recalled products from Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington and also revealed plans to recall ham products too.
It is very uncommon to get E. coli infections from eating chicken. Generally, infections caused by chicken products are from the bacteria salmonella. The latest outbreak involving chicken was with Foster Farms Chicken products where over 300 people fell sick.
According to an NBC report, 26 people in three states have been infected by the same E. coli strain so far, of which fifteen revealed they had eaten packaged food manufactured by Glass Onion Catering.
"The company announced that the products are being recalled in conjunction with other foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A full list of products being recalled will be available on FDA's website," USDA officials said in a statement.
USDA officials revealed that the cluster of E.coli infections reported began October 29 and after conducting various tests, they found a link between the grilled chicken salads and the illness cluster.
According to a CDC report, food-borne diseases are not uncommon. Every year 48 million Americans fall sick from eating contaminated food. Common outbreaks include Salmonella in eggs or vegetables, E. coli in beef and Listeria in dairy products.
E.coil infections are very common and the bacterium is usually harmless. However, the 0157:H7 strain can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Though, in most cases, patients tend to get better on their own, severe cases of infection can lead to a near-deadly type of kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
This is not the first time a manufacturer has recalled its products due to such infections. In August 2011, Cargill was forced to recall 36,000,000 pounds of fresh and frozen ground turkey products produced at the company's Springdale facility after 26 people were hospitalized for Salmonella infections. Touted to be one of the biggest E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks, 79 people fell sick after eating at Federico's Mexican Restaurant in Litchfield Park, Arizona between July and August.
Earlier in October, the U.S Department of Agriculture announced a recall of about 5,000 pounds of broccoli salad kits retailed by Taylor Farms over possible Listeria contamination. In August, National Beef Packing Co. voluntarily recalled 50,000 pounds of ground beef for fear of E. coli contamination. Previous to that the same company recalled 22,000 pounds of meat over another possible E. coli contamination.
The symptoms of E. coli infections are diarrhea, abdominal pain or cramping, nausea, and vomiting, MayoClinic reported. Common carriers of the bacteria are unpasteurized milk, fresh produce, restaurant meals, and ground beef. There have been 378 cases in the United States since June, but only 21 have been hospitalized.
Click here to see a list of recalled products in the last 6 months.
