Two Oregonians Sickened By Soynut At Center Of Recall

Two siblings in Clackamas County - both under 18-years-old - have been diagnosed with E. coli, part of a nationwide outbreak linked to a peanut butter substitute that is the subject of a nationwide recall.

The Oregon Health Authority says that people with I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter and I.M. Granola in their homes, should get rid of the products immediately.

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"People need to know that if they have this product in their pantries, they should immediately return it to the store where they bought it, or throw it out," said Paul Cieslak, MD, medical director for the Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section at the OHA Public Health Division. "If they ate the product and are experiencing symptoms of E. coli infection, they should see their health care provider right away."

There have been 16 cases identified as part of the outbreak so far. Fourteen of the cases have involved people under 18-years-old. The Clackamas siblings are under 18.

Five of the cases resulted in a form of kidney failure.

In addition to the two Oregon cases, there have been four in Arizona; four in California; and one each in Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

"Even if some of the SoyNut Butter or granola was eaten or served and no one got sick, throw the rest of the product away," the CDC said on Friday. "Put it in a sealed bag in the trash so that children, pets or other animals can't eat it."

In a message posted on its website, I.M. Healthy said it voluntarily recalled the product.

"While we are taking the necessary investigative steps in getting the product in question and the supply chain tested, we decided to issue the recall for the sake of food safety," the company said in a statement. "We take our products integrity seriously and will update all our customers as we receive more information."

The company urged anyone with questions or concerns to call its offices at 800-288-1012.

Photo via Mike Mozart/Flickr under a Creative Commons 2.0 license