All News / Outbreaks /

MONTEREY CO. LETTUCE LINKED TO UTAH E. COLI OUTBREAK

Lettuce grown in Monterey County has been linked to five cases of E. coli bacteria poisoning at a Wendy’s restaurant in Ogden, Utah, during a three-day period in late June, reports CBS Channel 5 in Salinas.

"The only food item that was shared by all of these cases was iceberg lettuce from this Wendy’s store,” Weber-Morgan Health Department Officer Gary House said. "The lettuce was the common source.”

The Wendy’s restaurant at the center of the outbreak was thoroughly inspected and no health violations were found.

Wendy’s staff told the health department that the lettuce came from Monterey County.

Because Wendy’s regularly disposes of its unused lettuce, however, health officials could not test samples of the lettuce from the three-day period to positively confirm the origin of the E. coli, according to House.

California Department of Health Services spokeswoman Patti Roberts cautioned that just because lettuce from Monterey County was found to be a common source in the outbreak does not mean that the E. coli originated with the lettuce.

The Department of Health Services has not begun an investigation of Monterey County’s lettuce crop in connection with the Utah E. coli outbreak at this point.

Get Help

Affected by an outbreak or recall?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

Get a free consultation
Related Resources
E. coli Food Poisoning

What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so...

E. coli O157:H7

E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in...

Non-O157 STEC

Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 may be the most notorious serotype of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), but there are at least...

Sources of E. coli

Where do E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) come from? The primary reservoirs, or ultimate sources, of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC in nature are...

Transmission of and Infection with E. coli

While many dairy cattle-associated foodborne disease outbreaks are linked to raw milk and other raw dairy products (e.g., cheeses, butter, ice cream), dairy cattle still represent a source of contamination...

Outbreak Database

Looking for a comprehensive list of outbreaks?

The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more.

View Outbreak Database