(Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

If you recently purchased premade salad kits at the store, check the label before serving it. Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Chopped salad kits have been linked with an E. coli outbreak.

Consumers should not eat the salads – nor should retailers sell it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health officials advise disposing of the salad kits even if they were partially consumed and no one became ill.

An E. coli infection can cause symptoms such as severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Anyone experiencing symptoms should seek medical care and report their illness to their local health department, according to the CDC.

Since November, eight people have been infected with this particular E. coli strain; six reported consuming a Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Chopped salad kit. Of those sickened, three have been hospitalized and one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, according to the CDC. No deaths have been reported.

While romaine lettuce is one of the ingredients in the Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Chopped salad kit, health officials say this outbreak is caused by a different strain of E. coli than the outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from the Salinas, California, growing region. Officials don’t know if the two outbreaks are related at this time.

Affected Fresh Express products can be identified by looking at codes on the front of the bag in the top right corner. Affected products will include the following identifying information: UPC 0 71279 30906 4, begin with the lot code “Z,” and a best-before date up to and including 07DEC19.

Once products have been disposed of, be sure to clean out the fridge. (See the CDC’s how-to guide for cleaning after a recall.)

For more information and updates on the outbreak, visit the CDC’s website.

Contact Kristen Thometz: @kristenthometz | (773) 509-5452 |  [email protected]

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