| ■ Taco John E. coli Outbreak Widens | 06.12.15 |
| An E. coli outbreak first detected at a Taco John's restaurant in Cedar Falls, Iowa, has widened to include two Taco John's in southern Minnesota. Nearly three dozen people became sick after eating at the Cedar Falls outlet and 14 people fell ill after eating at the restaurants in Albert Lea and Austin, Minn. All the people ate at the restaurants in late November and early December. The three outlets get their produce from the same supplier but it hasn't been determined whether produce was the source of the E. coli, a spokesman for Wyoming-based Taco John's told the Associated Press. "We're still trying to pinpoint exactly what happened," spokesman Brian Dixon added, noting that the chain is testing all types of food from the three outlets. E. coli, which is found in the feces of humans and livestock, can be present in undercooked meat. The germs can be spread by people who don't thoroughly wash their hands after using the washroom. There's no indication of a link between the outbreak at the Taco John's outlets and an outbreak at Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S. Northeast that sickened 64 people, U.S. federal health officials said. The two companies are not affiliated. |