Outbreak of Cyclospora Infections Linked to Bagged Salad Mix
LAST UPDATED JULY 24, 2020 10:00 AM EDT
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationexternal icon (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora infections linked to bagged salad mix containing iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage produced by Fresh Express.
Advice to Consumers, Restaurants, Retailers, and Suppliers/Distributors
On June 27, 2020, Fresh Express recalledexternal icon Fresh Express brand and private label brand salad products produced at its Streamwood, IL facility that contain iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and/or carrots due to possible Cyclospora contamination.
How to identify recalled products:
Products were sold in many states under either the brand name Fresh Express or the store brand labels ALDI Little Salad Bar, Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco Signature Farms, ShopRite Wholesome Pantry, and Walmart Marketside.
You can identify the recalled products by looking for the Product Code, located in the upper right-hand corner of the front of the package.
The recall includes products marked with the letter “Z” at the beginning of the Product Code, followed by the number “178” or lower.
A full listing of recalled products is available on the Fresh Express recall page.
What to do if you have recalled products:
Do not eat, sell, or serve recalled salad products.
Check your home for any of these recalled salads. Throw any remaining salad away, even if some of it has been eaten and no one has gotten sick.
If you don’t know whether the bagged salad mix you have in your home is one of the recalled salads, do not eat it. Throw it away.
Take action if you have symptoms of a Cyclospora infection:
Talk to your healthcare provider.
Write down what you ate in the two weeks before you started to get sick.
Report your illness to the health department.
Assist public health investigators by answering questions about your illness.
At a Glance
Case Count Map
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Epi Curves
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More Information
FDA Outbreak Investigation of Cyclospora: Bagged Salads (June 2020)external icon
Infographic: Steps to Safe and Healthy Fruits and Vegetables (pdf)
Latest Outbreak Information
641 people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections and who reported eating bagged salad mix before getting sick have been reported from 11 states (Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin).
Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 11, 2020 to July 5, 2020.
37 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The Public Health Agency of Canadaexternal icon is investigating an outbreak of Cyclospora infections occurring in three Canadian provinces. Exposure to certain Fresh Express brand salad products containing iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage, has been identified as a likely source of the outbreak.
Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicates that bagged salad mix containing iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage produced by Fresh Express is a likely source of this outbreak.
CDC and FDA continue to investigate to determine which ingredient or ingredients in the salad mix was contaminated and whether other products are a source of illnesses.
CDC will provide updates when more information is available.
Investigation Details
July 24, 2020
Since the last case count update on July 9, 2020, 132 new laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections have been reported, including 16 from three new states: Georgia, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota.
As of July 22, 2020, a total of 641 people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections associated with this outbreak have been reported from 11 states: Georgia (1), Illinois (198), Iowa (195), Kansas (5), Minnesota (73), Missouri (57) Nebraska (55), North Dakota (6), Pennsylvania (2), South Dakota (13) and Wisconsin (36). The ill person from Georgia purchased and ate a bagged salad product while traveling in Missouri.
Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 11, 2020 to July 5, 2020. Ill people range in age from 10 to 92 years with a median age of 59 and 52% are female. Of 636 people with available information, 37 people (6%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
Illnesses might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 4 to 6 weeks. If the number of cases reported by CDC is different from the number reported by state or local health officials, data reported by local jurisdictions should be considered the most up to date. Any differences may be due to the timing of reporting and website updates.
This investigation is ongoing.
July Updates
June Updates
