Whole Foods Market locations, South Weymouth, Massachusetts and Newton, Massachusetts recalled 368 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced August 15, 2014.
FSIS was notified of an investigation of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses on June 25, 2014. Working in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), FSIS determined that there is a link between ground beef purchased at Whole Foods Market and this illness cluster. Based on epidemiologic investigation, three case-patients have been identified in Massachusetts with illness onset dates ranging from June 13, 2014 to June 25, 2014. While the onset of illnesses was in June, on August 13, 2014, additional laboratory results provided linkages between the three Massachusetts case-patients and ground beef purchased from Whole Foods. Traceback investigation indicated that all three case-patients consumed ground beef purchased from two Whole Foods Market prior to illness onset.