The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Saturday that 27 E. coli cases have now been confirmed in connection with an E. coli O121 outbreak that has been traced to Farm Rich brand frozen foods.
Residents of 15 states have been confirmed ill with E. coli O121 infections since December 30, 2012. Three states reported the confirmation of one new case each in this latest outbreak update: Illinois, Michigan, and New York. Other states reporting illness: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Rich Products Corporation has expanded its recall of Farm Rich frozen mini meals and snack foods to include more than 10 million pounds of frozen pizzas, quesadillas, mozzarella bites, sandwiches, and other foods. The recall includes all products produced at the Rich Products Waycross, Georgia plant between July 1, 2011 and March 29, 2013. The items added to the list include products sold to both foodservice vendors and consumer brands nationwide.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the specific types and sources of frozen food that might be linked with illness, as well as to determine which particular ingredients or components of these products may be contaminated. (Food Safety News: www.foodsafetynews.com)