D. DeFranco and Sons Hazelnuts Nationwide E. coli Outbreak
Outbreak News
Numerous state and federal health agencies have determined unshelled hazelnuts sold by California-based wholesaler D. DeFranco and Sons to be the cause of a multi-state E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. To date 7 illnesses have been reported.
On March 4th2011, D. DeFranco and Sons issued a recall for hazelnuts distributed from November 2, 2010 to December 22, 2010 in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, South Dakota, and Montana. The nuts were sold in bulk bins at grocery stores as well as under the brand names Sunripe, George Packing, Firestone Farms, and Northwest Hazelnut in two-pound and four-pound packages, all with a sell-by date of June 30, 2011.
No information is currently available on the status of the victims, or if any have developed the potentially life-threatening complication of E. coli infection, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
Anyone who has purchased these hazelnuts and is experiencing any of the above symptoms should consult a healthcare professional immediately.