The most recent CDC report on the Salmonella outbreak linked to pine nuts sold at Wegmans states that 42 people are known to have been infected and two hospitalized. Those affected either bought the pine nuts in bulk sections of the store or ate prepared foods with pine nuts in them. Specifically Caprese salads and asparagus with pine nuts in them, including pesto.
The report notes that, while they’re treating all 42 people as a group, only 39 had information available and of those, 25 positively reported eating pine nuts from Wegmans. They know this in part because the affected people’s Shoppers Club cards appear to have been analyzed. Per the report:
Early in the investigation, shopper card information was collected and used to identify which specific products to suspect as sources of illness. Ill persons gave permission for public health officials to retrieve shopper card purchase information. A review of shopper card records identified that ill persons had purchased the same type of Turkish pine nuts from bulk bins at different locations of Wegmans grocery stores before becoming ill.
To find out more about the Wegmans pine nut recall – which includes bulk pine nuts sold in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland, see their corporate page here. The recall does not include pestos.
For its part, the CDC is recommending that shoppers not eat any pine nuts bought in bulk at Wegmans between July 1, 2011 and October 18, 2011, including those items that contain pesto, since pesto is made with pine nuts as well. For more information from the CDC, check the link below:
CDC – November 3, 2011 – Salmonella Enteritidis Infections Linked to Turkish Pine Nuts.
