Ready-to-eat salads linked to 26 sickened with E coli

Glass Onion Catering in Richmond, Calif., recalled about 182,000 pounds of salads and wraps after 26 people got sick eating their products, officials say. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Sunday Glass Onion Catering announced the products -- using fully-cooked chicken and ham -- are being recalled for possible contamination with E. coli, in conjunction with other foods regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FSIS began monitoring a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses on Oct. 29. and was then notified by the FDA on Nov. 6 that California authorities had reported people sickened had consumed pre-packaged salads with grilled chicken. The FSIS is working on the illness outbreak with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FDA, the California Department of Public Health, the Washington state Department of Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services. FSIS determined there is a link between Glass Onion's grilled chicken salads and the illness cluster. Twenty-six people in three states who got sick were identified with indistinguishable E.coli O157:H7 PFGE patterns with symptoms starting from Sept 29 to Oct. 26. Based on epidemiological information, 15 case-patients reported consumption of ready-to-eat pre-packaged salads prior to illness onset. A traceback investigation determined Glass Onion Catering was the supplier of the products implicated in the outbreak. The products were produced between Sept. 23 and Nov. 6 and shipped to distributions centers intended for retail sale in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington. While uncommon to find E. coli O157:H7 in a poultry product, FSIS officials said they would continue the investigation with the other agencies. Included in the recall are: -- 12 oz. packages of "delish pan pacific chop salad." -- 13.4 oz. packages of "delish California style grilled chicken salad." -- 9.9 oz. packages of "delish uncured applewood smoked ham & cheese wrap." -- 10 oz. packages of "delish grilled chicken Caesar wrap." -- 10.9 oz. packages of "delish Southwestern chicken wrap." -- 11.5 oz. packages of "delish Greek brand low-calorie grilled chicken wrap." -- 9.9 oz. packages of "delish white chicken club wrap." -- 11.2 oz. packages of "delish Asian style chicken wrap." -- 13.4 oz. packages of "Atherstone Fine Foods Southwestern Style White Chicken Wrap with Chimichurri Sauce." -- 10.5 oz. packages of "Atherstone Fine Foods Asian Style White Chicken Wrap with Mango Vinaigrette." -- 9.9 oz. packages of "Atherstone Fine Foods Grilled White Chicken Caesar Wrap with Caesar Dressing." -- 10.7 oz. packages of "super fresh Foods California Grilled Chicken Salad, Low Fat Mendocino Mustard Dressing." -- 10.7 oz. packages of "Lunch Spot Southwestern Style Chicken Wrap, Chile & Lime Dressing." -- 9.2 oz. packages of "super fresh Foods Pan Pacific Chopped Chicken Salad, Ginger Soy Dressing." -- 10.7 oz. plastic containers of "Trader Joe's Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken." -- 11 oz. plastic containers of "Trader Joe's Mexicali Salas with Chili Lime Chicken." FSIS and the company are concerned that some products might be in consumers' refrigerators. Because this is a ready-to-eat product, FSIS advises all consumers to destroy the product. A full list of products recalled is available on FDA's website at: www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Recalls/default.htm.