11 sick from falafels and 67 from Wendy’s in the past two months.
Falafel E. coli Outbreak: The CDC reports that as of October 7 2022, 20 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O121 have been reported from 6 states – Michigan 11, Wisconsin 4, Iowa 1, Ohio 1, Kansas 1 and Florida 2. Illnesses started on dates ranging from July 13, 2022, to September 13, 2022.
Sick people range in age from less than 1 to 71 years, with a median age of 31, and 79% are female. Of 14 people with information available, 5 have been hospitalized, including 1 who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Among 18 people interviewed, 15 reported shopping at ALDI stores. Among these 15 ALDI shoppers, 6 reported eating Earth Grown brand frozen falafel purchased from ALDI in the week before getting sick. Cuisine Innovations Unlimited, LLC of 180 Lehigh Avenue, Lakewood, NJ, is voluntarily recalling its Earth Grown Vegan Traditional Falafel and Garlic & Herb Falafel Distributed & Sold Exclusively by Aldi, Batavia, IL due to the possible presence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
Wendy’s E. coli Outbreak: According to the CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) investigated a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections but were unable to confirm the food source. A total of 109 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 were reported from 6 states. Indiana 11, Kentucky 2, Michigan 67, New York 1, Ohio 24, Pennsylvania 4. Illnesses started on dates ranging from July 26, 2022, to August 17, 2022.
Sick people ranged in age from 1 to 94 years, with a median age of 22 years, and 55% were male. Of 97 people with information available, 52 were hospitalized and 13 developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. No deaths were reported.
State and local public health officials interviewed people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Among 82 people with detailed food history, 68 (83%) reported eating at a Wendy’s restaurant in the week before their illness started. The Wendy’s restaurants where sick people ate were in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. People reported eating a variety of menu items, including burgers and sandwiches. Of 68 people with detailed information about what they ate at Wendy’s, 46 (68%) reported eating romaine lettuce served on burgers and sandwiches.
Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of E. coli outbreaks and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The E. coli lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of E. coli and other foodborne illness infections and have recovered over $850 Million for clients in the last 29 years. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.
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