Salmonellosis Epidemic linked to the Costco delicatessen in Issaquah

ISSAQUAH, Wash. – An outbreak of salmonella has been linked to prepared foods in service grocery stores at Costco's wholesale warehouse in Issaquah.

A survey by Public Health Seattle & King County found that seven people who became ill between August 2017 and July 2018 were all tested positive for the same strain of salmonella, suggesting a common source of infection.

While the investigation was continuing, the authorities discovered in August that the seven sick people had made their purchases at the Costco store in Issaquah. Of these, five bought ready-to-eat foods at the grocery store and an employee at the grocery store – although there is no evidence that the employee was at the origin of l & # 39; outbreak.

It was not possible to confirm whether the seventh person had purchased food from Costco Deli. A Salmonella victim had to be hospitalized, but all seven have since recovered.

The costco catering service prepares and sells a variety of ready-to-eat foods, but it was not possible to determine which of these sources was causing the outbreak, said King County Health officials.

After the Costco grocery store was linked to the outbreak, the investigators conducted an inspection and identified potential risk factors for cross-contamination and spread of bacteria, including irregular hand washing practices and cleaning

Health officials ordered corrective actions and follow-up inspections – but again found food handling problems and on September 19, the grocery store was shut down until it was closed. the problems can be corrected.

Deli has been tasked with providing additional food handling training to employees to minimize the risk of cross-contamination. In addition, a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the serving deli was required before resuming the preparation and sale of ready-to-eat foods.

On September 21, the investigators went to the grocery store to confirm that the facility had thoroughly cleaned and disinfected and that a training and procedural change plan had been put in place.

Costco Issaquah has provided ample evidence of thorough disinfection and corrective action to allow the grocery store service to resume its normal food preparation operations. Another follow-up visit will be held within 14 days to ensure that all corrective actions have been completed.