According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), multiple cities—Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C.—are investigating Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to eating at Fig & Olive restaurants.
Illnesses have so far been reported from Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, but the investigation is ongoing to determine whether there are illnesses in other states that are linked to eating at any other Fig & Olive locations that are owned by the New York-based chain.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reports that as of October 2, thirty- nine people may have been sickened with Salmonella after eating at the Fig & Olive restaurant in West Hollywood between September 6 and 11, 2015. Of these illnesses, eight cases have been confirmed by laboratory tests. So far, two people have reportedly been hospitalized, and there have been no related deaths.
The same type of Salmonella sickened at least sixty people in Washington, D.C., and five other states from late August through early September. As a result, an additional 150 cases are being investigated.
The source of the infections has not yet been identified, but the NBC affiliate in Washington reports that LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of the D.C. Department of Health, said that the truffle fries and mushroom croquettes were most likely to blame.
“We will advise the public if specific steps are identified that consumers can take to protect themselves,” CDC stated. “People with concerns about eating at a Fig & Olive restaurant location should contact their local health department.”
CDC is coordinating a multistate investigation with the Washington, D.C., Department of Health, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and other states that have Fig & Olive restaurant locations.
In addition to the D.C. and West Hollywood locations, Fig & Olive has three restaurants in New York City, one in Scarsdale, New York, one in Newport Beach, California, and one in Chicago, Illinois.