Sunday, August 22, 1999
FDA hunts for E.coli source
Cabbage at KFC is prime suspect
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A “trace back” investigation has begun to find the original source of bad coleslaw that caused 11 of the 30 recent cases of E. coli sickness in Greater Cincinnati.
But results, if any are found, remain about a week away, said the director of the Cincinnati field office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“It's sort of a paper chase. The chances of actually finding any contaminated product are fairly small because the product most likely has all been used,” said Henry Fielden, FDA district director.
“But, if we can find a manufacturer or a farm, we can evaluate their practices and perhaps prevent future occurrences.”
The first E. coli illness occurred in early June. By early August, three county public health departments, plus state and federal health officials, were tracking the first 20 cases in the growing cluster.
On Aug. 13, health officials announced that 11 cases involved customers who ate coleslaw at one of four Kentucky Fried Chicken restau rants. The other 19 cases appear unrelated.
Officials suspect the E. coli bacteria rode in on cabbage used to make the coleslaw. Now, the FDA is combing records of all the lots of coleslaw ingredients supplied to the stores during the past two months.
If any clear evidence is found, then the FDA will do a “trace forward” investigation to see if any tainted produce caused any other illnesses at other restaurants, Mr. Fielden said.
After the announcement, KFC said all its Ohio Valley stores have begun buying pre-washed, pre-chopped coleslaw ingredients rather than chopping vegetables on site, a policy KFC is gradually adopting nationwide.
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