King County health officials announced an E. coli (STEC) outbreak linked to multiple Homegrown restaurants. As of May 23, four people had tested positive for STEC after consuming food from three different Homegrown restaurants in King County, Washington: Redmond, Kirkland and Seattle (Westlake Ave) locations. All four ate the chicken pesto sandwich.
Of the four ill, three were adults and one was a child. Illness onset dates ranged from April 24-May 6.
On May 24, health investigators visited the three Homegrown locations. During inspections, investigators reported washing violations at two of the three locations and a cold holding temperature violation at one location. Additionally, investigators tested the various ingredients in the chicken pesto sandwich.
All three restaurants were required to complete a thorough cleaning and disinfection. Investigators returned to the restaurants on May 25 to confirm that the required cleaning was completed appropriately.
Of the four ill persons, three tested positive for STEC 026. This was the first time this genetic fingerprint has been seen in the United States.
Food safety lawyers at Marler Clark represented one of the victims in this outbreak, achieving settlements covering medical expenses, wage loss, and pain and suffering. At this time, this case has been successfully settled.