NY Spinach E. coli Outbreak Rises to 19

At least 19 New Yorkers have fallen ill in an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to spinach salad mix p…

At least 19 New Yorkers have fallen ill in an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to spinach salad mix purchased at Wegmans stores. That number has risen from the 16 cases first confirmed by the New York State Department of Health on Friday.

Of those ill, five have been hospitalized, with four already having been discharged.

The illnesses are spread across five counties: Monroe, Niagara, Steuben, Wayne and Erie.

Wegmans issued a voluntary recall of their ‘Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Spinach & Spring Mix’ on Thursday due to possible E. coli contamination.

The two recalled products are:

- Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Spinach & Spring Mix, 11oz – UPC: 77890-16411 – ONLY product sold between 10/14/12 and 11/1/12.

- Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Spinach & Spring Mix, 5oz – UPC: 77890-16437 – ONLY product sold between 10/14/12 and 11/1/12.

“Test results indicate that only product with a use-by-date of October 23 is connected to the reported illnesses, but out of an abundance of caution Wegmans has removed all code dates of the product, up to and including November 9, from its stores and has called all customers who purchased this product using their Shopper Club card, regardless of the code date purchased,” a Wegmans press release stated late Friday evening.

A spokeswoman with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday that the agency was still testing samples of the product and that the New York health department was leading the outbreak investigation.