Whole Foods Recalls RTE Grain Salads in Northern CA

WASHINGTONWhole Foods Markets in Northern California are recalling ready-to-eat Artichoke Wheatberry Salad and Southwest SooFoo® Salad in response to a recall issued by Glass Onion Catering over the possibility of E. coli O157:H7 contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced.

The recall involves Artichoke Wheatberry Salad and Southwest SooFoo Salad sold from the fresh deli case, salad bar and/or in pre-packed pint or half-pint containers in the Prepared Foods department. Both products have been pulled from all venues and carry an expiration date between Nov. 9 and Nov. 13, 20123.

The recalled salads were sold in 10 of the companys 40 Northern California stores. Click here for a list of stores affected by the recall.

The FDA, USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses possibly linked to prepackaged salad meals. Currently, there have been 26 cases of illness reported in three statesArizona, California, and Washington.

On Nov. 10, 2013, FSIS announced that Glass Onion Catering, a Richmond, Calif., firm, is recalling approximately 181,620 pounds of ready-to-eat salads and sandwich wrap products with fully-cooked chicken and ham because some of these products have been linked to the illnesses through epidemiological and traceback investigation.