California company withdraws products from Costco after infecting 19 people

California-based company Taylor Farms Pacific recalled its own-produced vegetable mix, which supposedly caused two dozen buyers of chicken salad to get infected at Costco supermarkets.

The outbreak of E. coli began in Seattle, Washington, after which infections were also recorded in Montana (six people), Utah (five people), Colorado (four people), California, Missouri and Virginia. The age of the infected is from five to 84 years.

According to Costco, for chicken salads in all its stores, the retailer uses one supplier of vegetables - Taylor Farms Pacific, which is located in the city of Tracy, near San Francisco.

As reported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Taylor Farms Pacific has withdrawn a celery mix with onions, which could be used in Costco chicken salads and other celery products, including Thai salads, sandwiches and complex dinners.

Costco's management also issued a warning and withdrew the entire batch of chicken salads.

Other chains that use the California-based company's products include Target and Starbucks.

Doctors believe that the strain that spread with the detected vegetable mixes can be life threatening, including especially dangerous for children.

Anyone who has bought chicken salad in any of the American stores in the last few days is advised to throw it away, even if no one has been poisoned.

Five of the 16 people who purchased lettuce at Costco's grocery stores were hospitalized with symptoms of intestinal disease. At the same time, as reported, two had renal failure.

The FDA believes that over the coming weeks, the number of people infected will likely increase, despite the fact that products have already been removed from store shelves.

Symptoms of E. coli can be diarrhea, colic, nausea and vomiting. The incubation period ranges from three to seven days from the date of consumption of the product.

Last year, Costco announced a salmonella outbreak, found in a retailer sold by the chicken.

"Forum" talked earlier about the difference between conventional and organic productswhich are sold in most American supermarkets.