LANSING, Mich.—Two people in Michigan have become sick from an outbreak of E. coli infections linked to frozen snack foods marketed to children.
State agencies say the two who became ill are among at least 24 people infected in 15 states.
Rich Products Corp., based in Buffalo, N.Y., recalled a number of Farm Rich and Market Day items, including 10 million pounds of frozen pizza and other products amid the E. coli scare.
The Michigan Departments of Community Health and Agriculture and Rural Development say residents should check their freezers for the recalled products and consult a doctor if they have bloody diarrhea.
An investigation detected E. coli in an open package of Farm Rich brand frozen chicken quesadillas at an ill person’s home in New York.
Specifically, the strain of E. coli is called the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O121 (STEC O121), according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some people who have been infected in the outbreak have gotten more serious illnesses, including kidney failure, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The products have “best by” dates that range between Jan. 1, 2013 to Sept. 29, 2014. The products were produced at the company’s Georgia plant between July 1, 2011 and March 29, 2013 and were distributed around the country.
“When it became apparent to us that, despite the expertise of the USDA, the FDA, the scientific community and our own experts, identification of a specific cause was not going to be a simple or short process, we decided to act proactively to expand the recall,” Bill Gisel, Rich Food’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement.
Consumers can contact Rich Products 24 hours a day at 888-220-5955.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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