The controversy over the Chipotle E. coli bacteria outbreak has yet to die down fully, but another leading American company is now in trouble with government health officials.
Retail giant Costco is now being investigated by the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control Prevention, as its chicken salad is being blamed for 19 people in at least seven states falling ill to E. coli. Five people have been hospitalized so far, while two have developed severe kidney failure, a distinctive complication for this specific strain of the E. coli virus. No fatalities have been reported following this new outbreak.
The CDC’s initial investigations show that a rotisserie chicken salad made and sold in Costco Wholesale branches in multiple states may be to blame for the outbreak. Officials have yet to determine a specific ingredient in the salad that is to blame for the people falling ill. 14 out of 16 people had either purchased or ate the chicken salad from Costco about one week before they became sick. The retailer’s rotisserie chicken salad has a suggested shelf life of three days.
Most of the cases have been reported in Western states, with the most cases coming from Colorado, Montana, and Utah. Other states affected by the outbreak include California, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington.
In a statement made to health officials, Costco said last Friday that it has removed all of the remaining chicken salad from its stores, and it will stop producing any more until further notice. Meanwhile, the CDC is also advising consumers to throw away any rotisserie chicken salad sold by its stores on or before November 20.