The Food and Drug Administration has sent a warning letter to sandwich chain Jimmy John’s after there have been several E. coli and/or salmonella outbreaks linked to the stores.
The FDA, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health officials, accused the chain of selling "adulterated fresh produce, specifically clover sprouts and cucumbers," USA Today reported.
Multiple outbreaks happened, according to the FDA over the past seven years in 17 states. You can read the warning letter here.
The FDA said the outbreaks happened in February 2018, August 2014, October 2013 and April 2012.
The 2018 outbreak involved salmonella that made 10 people in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin sick. Many ate sandwiches with sprouts on them, one ate sprouts from a grocery store.
The other outbreaks were E. coli related that involved either sprouts or cucumbers in California, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Utah, Washington or Colorado, CNN reported.
The government agencies said the company had not corrected its supply chain for the long run to make sure that the ingredients used are safe.
But changes have recently been made, the company said.
Jimmy John's President James North told USA Today that no more sprouts will be sold at all locations across the country until further notice. But company President James North said the stoppage was "out of the abundance of caution and was not initiated by any known, immediate threat," CNN reported.
The FDA said Jimmy John's must provide the steps it is taking to address the issues within 15 days of the letter and if it does not correct the violations, there could be "a seizure and/or injunction," CNN reported.
