At least 41 people have been sickened in a salmonella and E. coli outbreak linked to sprouts in Minnesota and Wisconsin, health officials in the two states said.
Minnesota is reporting 23 cases, while Wisconsin is reporting 18 cases. Three people have been hospitalized, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
“The illnesses have been linked to eating alfalfa sprouts produced by Everything Sprouts, a Minnesota grower, and sold under the Calco and Everything Sprouts brands to restaurants and grocery stores,” MDH said in a statement. “Health officials recommend people check for alfalfa sprouts from Calco or Everything Sprouts, not eat them, and throw them away.”
Health officials said they are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and other states to identify the source and scope of contamination.
The outbreak currently appears to be regional, officials said.
ABC News has reached out to the CDC to determine whether other states may also be affected.
The FDA had warned Everything Sprouts last year of “serious violations” following an inspection the agency had conducted at its facility. Inspectors determined the company had “insanitary conditions whereby [produce] may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to heath.”
FDA inspectors said they had found multiple problems, including roof leaks with water dripping onto produce and clean employee smocks. There was also “build-up of black organic matter” on a hose of the overhead irrigation system for produce, inspectors said.
ABC News has reached out to Everything Sprouts for comment.
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