DETROIT – On Friday, Michigan health and agriculture officials issued a warning telling consumers not to eat fresh, whole bagged or loose, bulk peaches supplied by California-based Wawona Packing Company and distributed to various retail locations, after linking Salmonella infections to the produce.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and several other states, are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to consumption of fresh, whole peaches supplied by Wawona Packing Company.
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Read: CDC: Outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis Infections Linked to Bagged Peaches
Read more: FDA: Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Enteritidis: Bagged Peaches (August 2020)
Seventeen cases in Michigan have been identified as part of this outbreak, with an age range of 1-73 years and a median age of 39 years.
The patients report onset of illness between July 10 and July 25. As of August 19, there have been 68 cases of Salmonella Enteritidis infection identified in 9 states. The investigation is ongoing, and more cases may be detected.
State and federal officials recommend discarding any fresh, whole bagged or loose peaches supplied by Wawona Packing Company or returning them to the place of purchase. If people are unsure whether the peaches they bought were supplied by Wawona, they should contact the retail location where they were purchased. If consumers have any doubts about where their peaches came from, they should not eat them and throw them away. If there has been potential cross-contamination or mixing of peaches from other sources with these products, then commingled products should be discarded.
Other peaches (including frozen or canned peaches) are not known to be affected. Fresh peaches supplied by other companies are also not known to be affected.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment. Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection.
In some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that they need to be hospitalized.
Questions may be directed to the MDARD Customer Service Center at 800-292-3939, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.