An outbreak of E. coli bacteria infections in the US linked to Wendy’s Co. has spread to New York and Kentucky, part of a group of six states where illnesses have now been discovered.
(Bloomberg) — An outbreak of E. coli bacteria infections in the US linked to Wendy’s Co. has spread to New York and Kentucky, part of a group of six states where illnesses have now been discovered.
About 13 more cases were reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency said Thursday, bringing the number of those affected to 97 through the end of August. Some have had more severe outcomes, including 43 individuals who were hospitalized. Most of the illnesses have been in Michigan, with just one each in New York and Kentucky.
“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” the CDC cautioned in its statement.
While the CDC hasn’t confirmed a link to a specific food yet, many of those who became ill ate at Wendy’s in the week prior.
Wendy’s has said it has removed sandwich lettuce from several hundred locations in the Midwest. Representatives didn’t immediately return a request for comment Friday about the new illnesses.
Pacific International Marketing in Salinas Valley, California, a key Wendy’s lettuce supplier, said that it’s aware of the sicknesses and is monitoring the outbreak.
Bill Marler, a foodborne-illness lawyer representing about 32 people affected by the outbreak, says he believes the contaminated lettuce came from a grower in the Santa Maria area. He declined to name the farm.
Pacific’s website shows that its growing regions include Santa Maria and Salinas, and also areas in Arizona. Wendy’s has said that it gets all of its sandwich lettuce from California at this time of year. Pacific and Coastline Family Farms are big romaine-lettuce suppliers to Wendy’s, said a person familiar with the companies, who asked not to be named discussing private relationships.
Calls to Pacific International Marketing seeking comment weren’t returned. Coastline also didn’t return a request for comment.
“Throughout the year, we source sandwich lettuce from growing areas in California and Arizona, which includes the Salinas Valley,” said a spokesperson for Wendy’s. “We work with a number of suppliers in the region.”
Fruit and vegetable farmers often sell their food to larger processors to pack together and ship to large companies, such as restaurant chains. Those bigger processors would include Pacific and also Coastline.
Wendy’s shares were little changed in New York.
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