Recall of celery tied to E. coli outbreak expands to 16 states

A large California vegetable producer has expanded its recall of celery linked to a dangerous strain of E. coli bacteria that has sickened 19 people in seven states.

The celery was sold by Taylor Farms Pacific Inc. of Tracy, Calif., and was used as part of an onion and celery mix included in chicken salad at Costco stores. Now, the FDA has expanded the recall to a dozen retail chains in 16 states.

In addition to Costco's chicken salad, the celery was used in sandwiches, wraps, vegetable trays, cornbread stuffing and other items sold at a variety of stores. Affected stores include 7-Eleven, King Soopers, Raley's, Save Mart, Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Starbucks, Target, Walmart and Sam's Club.

Five people sickened in the E. coli outbreak have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure.

The specific type of bacteria in this outbreak, E. coli O157, is particularly dangerous, especially for children.

E. coli 0157 is more likely than other varieties of the bacteria to cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can leave survivors on dialysis.

One in 6 Americans — more than 48 million people — are sickened by the food they eat each year in the country, causing about 3,000 deaths and 125,000 hospitalizations and costing the economy $14.1 billion, according to the CDC.