McDonald’s salads sicken people in 4 new states

People in at least four more states have been sickened by tainted McDonald’s salads.

Health officials in Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota all report they now have cases of people infected by the Cyclospora parasite that they believe came from having eaten lettuce in salads at McDonald’s. But the numbers, so far, are limited. Minnesota has three cases; the others have two.

The new states join Iowa and McDonald’s home state of Illinois, which reported outbreaks Thursday. So far, there are 16 cases in Iowa and 29 in Illinois. The multistate total is 54.

Cyclosporiasis is a non-fatal infection and the most common symptom is watery diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People fall ill an average of seven days after eating food contaminated with fecal matter.

McDonald’s said that until it can switch to another lettuce-blend supplier, the company was voluntarily halting sales of salads “out of an abundance of caution” at distribution centers and an estimated 3,000 restaurants. They’re primarily in the Midwest – the six affected states along with Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio and West Virginia.

“McDonald’s is committed to the highest standards of food safety and quality control,” the company said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring this situation and cooperating with state and federal public health authorities as they further investigate.”

The Cyclospora parasite is also what sickened more than 200 people in the Midwest who ate contaminated Del Monte vegetable trays earlier this month.