The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) announced the investigation into a multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to chicken salad produced by Triple T Specialty Meats, Inc. and sold at Fareway grocery stores.

Chicken salad/CDC
Chicken salad/CDC

To date, 65 Salmonella Typhimurium infections, including 28 hospitalizations from five states–Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and Texas. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses reported by investigators in Iowa also included ill people who reported eating chicken salad from a Fareway store and who had a diagnostic test showing they were infected with Salmonella bacteria. CDC is not including these people in the outbreak case count until DNA fingerprinting can link their illnesses to the outbreak. Some people may not be included because no bacterial isolates are available for DNA fingerprinting.

On February 9, 2018, Fareway stopped selling chicken salad in all of its stores after the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals contacted the company about the illnesses. Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals then issued a consumer advisory on February 13, 2018 warning that chicken salad sold at Fareway may be contaminated with Salmonella.

On February 21, 2018, Triple T Specialty Meats, Inc. recalled all chicken salad produced from January 2, 2018 to February 7, 2018. The recalled chicken salad was sold in containers of various weights from the deli at Fareway grocery stores in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota from January 4, 2018 to February 9, 2018.

CDC recommends that people do not eat  recalled chicken salad. Throw it away or return it to the place of purchase.

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