LAST UPDATED JUNE 19, 2020 6:00 PM EDT
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)external icon are investigating a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora infections linked to bagged salad mix purchased at ALDI, Hy-Vee, and Jewel-Osco stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
Advice to Consumers, Restaurants, Retailers, and Suppliers/Distributors
CDC is advising that consumers do not eat and retailers not sell:
- All ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad sold Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Minnesota
- All Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad sold in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
- All Jewel-Osco Signature Farms Garden Salad sold in Illinois
This investigation is ongoing and the advice will be updated when more information is available.
- Consumers who have ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad, Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad, or Jewel-Osco Signature Farms Garden Salad purchased at ALDI, Hy-Vee, and Jewel-Osco stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, and Nebraska in their homes should not eat it.
Throw away ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad, Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad Jewel-Osco Signature Farms Garden Salad, even if some has been eaten and no one has gotten sick. Do not eat salads or other dishes that include ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad, Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad or Jewel-Osco Signature Farms Garden Salad.
Take action if you have symptoms of a Cyclospora infection: - Talk to your healthcare provider.
- Write down what you ate in the two weeks before you started to get sick.
- Report your illness to the health department.
- Assist public health investigators by answering questions about your illness.
Latest Outbreak Information
- People with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections and who reported eating bagged salad mix before getting sick have been reported from 6 states (Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Minnesota).
- Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 11, 2020 to June 14, 2020.
- Sixteen people have been hospitalized. No deaths attributed to Cyclospora have been reported.
- Epidemiologic evidence indicates that ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad, Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad, or Jewel-Osco Signature Farms Garden Salad are likely sources of this outbreak, but does not explain all of the cases.
- At least 20 people in this cluster shopped at ALDI, and of those, at least 16 (80%) people specifically report purchasing bagged salad mix. Among people who remembered the specific name of the product, most reported the Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad.
- At least 37 people in this cluster shopped at Hy-Vee, and of those, at least 16 (43%) people specifically report purchasing bagged salad mix from Hy-Vee. Among people who remembered the specific name of the product, most reported the Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad.
- At least 6 people in this cluster shopped at Jewel-Osco, and of those, at least 5 (80%) people specifically report purchasing bagged salad mix from Jewel-Osco. Among people who remembered the specific name of the product, most reported the Signature Farms Brand Garden Salad.
- Bagged salad mixes from ALDI, Hy-Vee, and Jewel-Osco do not explain all of the illnesses in this outbreak. CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are continuing to investigate to determine whether other products are a source of illnesses in this outbreak.
- This investigation is ongoing. CDC will provide updates when more information is available.
Investigation Details
June 19, 2020
CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora infections linked to consumption of ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad, Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad, or Jewel-Osco Signature Farms Garden Salad. The investigation is ongoing to determine whether other products are a source of illnesses in this outbreak.
As of June 19, 2020, a total of 76 people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections associated with this outbreak have been reported from 6 states: IA (28), IL (23), KS (1), MN (10), MO (7) and NE (7).
Illnesses started on dates ranging from May 11, 2020 to June 14, 2020. Ill people ranged in age from 16 to 92 years with a median age of 62 and 59% were female. Of 72 people with available information, 16 people (22%) have been hospitalized. No deaths attributed to Cyclospora have been reported.
Illnesses might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of 4 to 6 weeks. Please see the Timeline for Reporting Cases of Cyclospora Infection for more details.
There are typically multiple clusters of Cyclospora infections that occur during a given season. It is unknown at this time if other reported cases of Cyclospora infection in the United States this season are linked to contaminated ingredients in these bagged salad mixes. This investigation is ongoing.
Investigation of the Outbreak
Epidemiologic evidence indicates that ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad, Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad or Jewel-Osco Signature Farms Garden Salad are likely sources of this outbreak, but does not explain all of the cases.
In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the two weeks before they became ill. An illness cluster is defined as two or more people who do not live in the same household who report eating at the same restaurant location, attending a common event, or shopping at the same location of a grocery store in the week before becoming ill. Investigating illness clusters provides critical clues about the source of an outbreak. If several unrelated ill people ate or shopped at the same location of a restaurant or store within several days of each other, it suggests that the contaminated food item was served or sold there. In this bagged salad mix-associated cluster, several ill people reported eating ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salad, Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salad, or Jewel-Osco Signature Farms Garden Salad. CDC and FDA, together with state health departments, continue to investigate other potential sources of illnesses in this cluster.
This investigation is ongoing, and CDC will provide updates when more information is available.
