1996 Odwalla E. coli outbreak

1996 Odwalla E. coli outbreak
Bacteria strainEscherichia coli O157:H7
SourceContaminated apple juice sold by Odwalla Inc.
LocationUnited States
First outbreakWashington state
First reportedOctober 30, 1996
DateOctober 7 – November 5, 1996
Confirmed cases70
Deaths
1

The 1996 Odwalla E. coli outbreak began on October 7, 1996, when American food company Odwalla produced a batch of unpasteurized apple juice using blemished fruit contaminated with the E. coli bacterium, which ultimately killed a 16-month-old girl and sickened 70 people in California, Colorado, Washington state, and British Columbia, of whom 25 were hospitalized and 14 developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.[1] Odwalla made and marketed unpasteurized fruit juices for the health segment of the juice market.[2]

  1. ^ Cody SH, Glynn MK, Farrar JA, Cairns KL, Griffin PM, Kobayashi J, Fyfe M, Hoffman R, King AS, Lewis JH, Swaminathan B, Bryant RG, Vugia DJ (February 2, 1999). "An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection from unpasteurized commercial apple juice". Ann Intern Med. 130 (3): 202–209. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-130-3-199902020-00005. PMID 10049198. S2CID 27811829. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  2. ^ Drew, Christopher; Belluck, Pam (January 4, 1998). "Deadly Bacteria a New Threat To Fruit and Produce in U.S." The New York Times. New York. Retrieved April 13, 2015.