Business & Tech

Federal Case: Investigators Join County Health Over Stall On E.Coli Source

Schnucks steps up to aid investigation; other stores await specifics.

The St. Louis County Department of Health is investigating an E. coli outbreak. At least 23 cases of the bacteria were reported this week, health officials said Friday.

No source has yet been identified for the 1057 E.coli strain, so Federal health investigators came into St. Louis Friday to work on uncovering the source.

According to Health Department Spokesperson John Shelton, the bacteria is food-borne. Local salad bars were under investigation.

Shelton said Thursday that six people have been hospitalized and treated at Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur. The bacteria has a 10-day incubation period—until the symptoms kick in after exposure to it.

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The cases are spread out from Florissant to South County, but the County did not give any specifics on where the cases were reported.

Stores in the Chesterfield area reacted to the news, but with no named source, many stores seemed on hold.

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However, Schnucks spokeswoman Lori Willis told Patch that when Schnucks got news of the outbreak from the health department, it began taking proactive precautionary steps until more information is available.

"Our food safety team got involved and they started asking questions. They started tracking back to items that have a history that suggests they could be part of a recall," Willis said.

Schnucks said some items have been pulled from the salad bar, including lettuce and strawberries, but points out this was done voluntarily and the store was not asked to remove the items. "This was a precaution taken by our food safety team. They're going to error on the side of safety," Willis said.

Willis emphasized that those food items have not been named as a source of the bacteria.

"I do not want to implicate products that don't have anything to do with this investigation," Willis said. "I can tell you very certainly that the health department assured us they do not have a source at this time, nor do they know the scope of the outbreak, whether it's local, or larger than that."

Willis said Schnucks and others in the food service industry are working closely with the County health department as it investigates, in order to find a source.

"We take E. coli very seriously, as should anyone in the food industry. Until we get additional information, there is not much we can do. We expect to know much more in 24 hours," Willis said. "Certainly there will be some type of recall coming."

Whole Foods Marketing Director Marcia Whelan told Patch that Whole Foods has not pulled any items from store shelves or the salad bar. Whole Foods is located at Clayton Road at Woods Mill.

"I don't know what we would pull off the shelf if we don't know what is causing it," Whelan explained. "I can't imagine how we would even begin to approach that without some sense of direction."

Whelan said she will continue working closely with Whole Foods corporate office and wait for any further direction as far as the outbreak.

Patch is awaiting more details from the St. Louis County Health Department. Check back for updates.


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