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Trader Joe's Wraps Linked to Hospitalizations
23 Oct
Summary
- Two women hospitalized after eating Trader Joe's chicken wraps.
- Both women diagnosed with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC).
- Lawsuit links illnesses to an ongoing FDA outbreak investigation.
Two women have initiated legal action against Trader Joe's, alleging severe foodborne illness after consuming chicken wraps purchased from the grocery chain. The plaintiffs, Gayle Gottlieb and Meaghan Egan Bright, experienced debilitating symptoms including severe cramping and bloody diarrhea, requiring hospitalization.
Both individuals were diagnosed with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), a pathogen known to sometimes lead to severe complications like kidney damage. Their illnesses are reportedly linked to an active multistate outbreak investigation, FDA outbreak #1421, which has identified a "multi-ingredient wrap with chicken (suspect)" as the potential source.
Despite the ongoing investigation and reports from state health officials identifying a Trader Joe's wrap as the source, neither the FDA nor the USDA has publicly named the specific product. Trader Joe's stated that the affected Tarragon Chicken Salad Wraps were proactively removed from shelves in several states in September, after being notified by the FDA of a possible issue. Subsequent tests at the supplier facility returned negative results for E. coli.
