WILMINGTON — Have you recently eaten a pork, beef or chicken salad wrap from Trader Joe’s, Walgreens or Kroger? Or maybe you have one lurking in your refrigerator.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is warning that wraps sold by those stores could be tainted with a parasite that can cause cyclospora, which can result in vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss. Although it usually lasts for only a few days, in some cases it can linger for weeks. It is not fatal and is treated with antibiotics.
The illness has a two- to 14-day incubation period, so consumers who recently ate the tainted products could still be at risk, USDA said.
Lettuce used in the wraps has been traced to Fresh Express, which also supplied lettuce suspected of recently sickening almost 200 McDonald’s customers in Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
The wraps, distributed by Caito Foods LLC, an Indianapolis, were produced between July 15 and 18 with the either “Best By,” “Enjoy by,” Best if Sold By” or “Sell By” dates ranging from July 18 through July 23, 2018. (See the full list of affected products here.)
The products bear the establishment number “EST. 39985 or P-39985” inside or next to the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to distribution centers nationwide.
USDA urges consumers who may still have the tainted products in their refrigerators to throw the items away or return them to the store where they were purchased.
