July 25 (UPI) — The Food and Drug Administration said 641 people have now been sickened in 11 states in an outbreak linked to a bagged salad mix recalled more than a month ago.
The salad mix with iceberg lettuce, carrots and red cabbage was sold at multiple major grocery stores, including Walmart and Aldi.
The FDA said the product has been linked to hundreds of cases of cyclospora, a tiny parasite that can infect the intestinal tract.
Of those sickened, 37 have been hospitalized. Illnesses have been reported in Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
The reported illnesses began between May 11 and July 5.
The mix was sold at Aldi’s as Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salads; at Hy-Vee’s as Garden Salad; at Jewel-Osco as Signature Farms Garden Salad; and at Walmart as Marketside Classic Iceberg Salad. All stores have recalled the products in question, which were manufactured by Fresh Express. The “best buy” dates on the recalled products run through July 14, 2020.
The FDA said consumers shouldn’t eat the salad if they have any at home.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it could take a while for additional cases of cyclosporiasis to be reported because the onset of symptoms after infection usually takes between 4 weeks and 6 weeks.
Symptoms of the disease include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, cramping, bloating, increased gas, nausea and fatigue. Health people usually recover from the infection without treatment, but doctors may choose to treat with antibiotics.
