As of February 17, 2016, 18 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Virchow have been reported from 15 states. The number of ill people identified in each state is as follows: Florida (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Minnesota (2), New Jersey (2), New Mexico (1), North Carolina (1), Ohio (1), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (1), Rhode Island (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (1), Utah (2), and Wisconsin (1).
Among people for whom information is available, illnesses started on dates ranging from December 5, 2015 to February 3, 2016. Ill people range in age from 1 year to 76, with a median age of 34. Fifty-six percent of ill people are male. Among 12 ill people with available information, four (33%) reported being hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
In ongoing interviews, ill people answered questions about foods eaten and other exposures in the week before they became ill. Of the 14 ill people who have been interviewed, 14 (100%) reported consuming powdered supplements or meal replacement powders in the week before illness onset; all 14 (100%) specifically reported consuming Garden of Life RAW Meal products.
The Utah Public Health Laboratory and Oklahoma Public Health Laboratory isolated the outbreak strain of Salmonella Virchow from open containers of Garden of Life RAW Meal collected from ill people’s homes in Utah and Oklahoma. Both products that were tested were from lots covered under the recalls announced by Garden of Life, LLC. FDA sampling confirmed the presence of the outbreak strain of Salmonella Virchow in Organic Moringa Leaf powder used in RAW Meal Organic Shake & Meal Replacement products.
On February 12, 2016, Garden of Life, LLC issued an expanded recall of its RAW Meal Organic Shake & Meal products available in chocolate, original, vanilla, and vanilla chai to include these additional lots.