A California company is recalling new products sold at Whole Foods and other health food stores in 19 states amid an outbreak of E. coli that has sickened 12 people and hospitalized seven.
Hollister-based Gibson Farms is recalling new Peeled Organic Light Halves and Pieces after learning they may be contaminated with a strain of E. coli that “causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools,” the company said Tuesday in an advisory published by the Food and Drug Administration.
While most healthy adults recover from e. coli within a week, some can develop a form of kidney failure that can lead to severe organ damage and even death, with the young and elderly most vulnerable, the statement added.
The FDA has reason to believe that more than 300 commercial establishments in the following states received the new recalls: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. People affected by the outbreak are in California and Washington.
The recalled organic walnut halves and pieces were sold in bulk containers to health food stores and co-ops (see here for a full list of affected retailers). The expiration dates ranged from May 21, 2025, to June 7, 2025, federal officials said. The FDA said an investigation is ongoing to determine whether additional products or states are affected.
