212 People Sickened From Parasite Outbreak Linked to Del Monte Vegetables

(US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

At least 212 people have been sickened in four states due to an outbreak of cyclosporiasis linked to Del Monte vegetable trays, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seven of those people have been hospitalized.

The CDC said on Thursday that the outbreak is linked to Del Monte 6-, 12-, and 28-ounce plastic clamshell vegetable trays. They contain fresh broccoli, cauliflower, celery sticks, carrots, and dill dip, officials said.

They were recalled on June 15, 2018, for trays with a “Best if used by” date of June 17. They were sold at Kwik Trip, Kwik Star, Demond’s, Sentry, Potash, Meehan’s, Country Market, FoodMax Supermarket, and Peapod stores in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a prior update.

There have been illnesses reported in Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, and Minnesota. “The two cases from Michigan reportedly purchased the vegetable tray in Wisconsin and therefore Michigan is not impacted from this outbreak,” said the FDA.

Cyclospora cayetanensis, the CDC noted, is a “single-celled parasite that causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis.”

The CDC urges consumers to not eat the recalled vegetable trays, and instead, they should throw them away.

According to the CDC, “Most ill people reported eating pre-packaged Del Monte Fresh Produce vegetable trays containing broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and dill dip.” It added: “Most ill people reported buying pre-packaged Del Monte Fresh Produce vegetable trays containing broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and dill dip in the Midwest. Most people reported buying the trays at Kwik Trip convenience stores.”

There is an ongoing investigation into the matter, the agency said.