Salad Recall: Cyclospora Outbreak 'Potentially Linked' To Certain Store Brands Of Garden Mixes

Salads produced by Fresh Express have been potentially linked to a growing outbreak of Cyclospora. The store and private brand salad mixes were sold at Aldi, Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco, and Walmart locations and have been recalled as of Saturday.

Based in Streamwood, Illinois, Fresh Express issued the recall voluntarily and included a variety of private label and branded products, 80 in all. According to the recall, the affected items were produced at the same facility and are known to contain iceberg lettuce, carrots, and/or red cabbage.

“Our immediate thoughts and concern are for those consumers who have become ill due to the outbreak,” Fresh Express said in a statement from Saturday. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have issued a voluntary recall of both branded and private label salad products that were produced at the Streamwood facility and contain those ingredients.”

Wary consumers can confirm if a Fresh Express product is infected by this recall by checking the product code on the front upper right-hand corner of the packaging. The effected mixes feature the code Z178 or lower and were produced between June 6-26, with best-by dates ranging between June 25-July 14.

While initially found mostly in six Midwestern states, the affected products have now been found in stores across 31 states. Fresh Express urges anyone with a recalled product to dispose of it immediately.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued alerts on Friday confirming 206 cases of Cyclospora linked to Fresh Express products, resulting in 23 hospitalizations.

Cyclospora is an intestinal illness caused by microscopic bacteria. Its symptoms include bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, gas, loss of appetite, nausea, stomach cramps, and weight loss.

Recalled salad mixes have been found in the following states: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.