A recent recall for a frozen snack food product for E. coli contamination was extended. It is possible that school lunch rooms served the tainted product.
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Schools in various locations throughout the U.S. may have served food possibly contaminated with E. coli to students and teachers at lunchrooms. The news comes after Rich Products Corp. issued a recall for approximately 10 million pounds of frozen food items.
There have been, at least in 15 states, 27 reported E. coli illnesses related to the frozen food items recalled. Dwight Gram a company spokesman of Rich Products told the press that about 3 million pounds may still be in the marketplace and approximately 300,000 pounds may have ended up in school lunchrooms. A majority of the items shipped to schools were labeled as pizza dippers and pepperoni pizzatas.
Students and teachers who consumed the contaminated items may face serious health issues. E. coli infection can cause mild diarrhea or more severe complications, including kidney damage. According to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 81 percent of the people who fell ill after consuming tainted food were under the age of 21. Of those, nine people were hospitalized and two have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure that can have lasting health effects.
Some laboratories cannot identify the strain of E. coli that is linked to the Farm Rich brand products because it is rare. Therefore, the CDC is under the impression that many illnesses may not have been identified.
However, health officials have been able to directly link the outbreak strain to two different Farm Rich brand products – frozen mini pizza slices and frozen chicken quesadillas. There were various E. coli strain samples collected from those products in the Texas and New York homes of two people who became ill.
So far it is unclear if any illnesses are linked to foods shipped to the schools.
Initially, the frozen snacks were recalled two weeks ago by Rich Products for certain Farm Rich and Market Day brand products because of the possible E. coli contamination. A second extension was issued last week and at that point the company expanded that recall to include everything made at its Waycross, Ga. Plant. Products manufactured at other plants have not been affected.
At least one school district warned parents that food served in its cafeterias was recalled because of possible E. coli contamination. Other districts are encouraged to inform parents as well.
Gram informed reporters that school cooked foods may be safer than those purchased by individuals because they are more likely to be well cooked. It has been proven that cooking items thoroughly can kill E. coli.
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