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E. coli linked to SoyNut Butter infects 16, company expands recall
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The manufacturer of a soy nut butter that may have caused an outbreak of Escherichia coli has expanded a recall of its products because the list of people infected has grown to 16.
The SoyNut Butter Company, based in Glenview, Illinois, has recalled all varieties of I.M. Healthy brand SoyNut Butters and I.M. Healthy brand Granola products in the wake of the outbreak in nine U.S. states.
According to the CDC, eight of the 16 patients infected with strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli have been hospitalized. Five developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, characterized by the destruction of red blood cells that, when damaged, clog the kidneys’ filtering system and can cause kidney failure.
All but two of the patients are aged younger than 18 years. No deaths have been reported.
Evidence points to I.M. Healthy brand SoyNut Butter as a likely source of the sickness, a CDC statement read.
“We are concerned about illness and hospitalizations among children, and we recommend that people do not eat — and child care centers, schools and other institutions do not serve — [the recalled SoyNut products],” CDC spokeswoman Kate Fowlie told Infectious Disease News.
The illnesses began between Jan. 4 and Feb. 21, and have affected people in Arizona, California, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Those states are investigating the cases, along with the CDC and FDA.
A SoyNut Butter Company statement said anyone who has purchased any of the recalled products can return them and receive a full refund. – by Joe Green
Disclosure: Fowlie is a spokeswoman for the CDC.
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