Once again, Jimmy Johns is at the center of a salmonella outbreak, this time its Salmonella Montevideo, and again it is linked to sprouts. At least that is the work from state and federal health investigators looking into the salmonella outbreak in and around Illinois. At least 2 Illinois residents have been identified, and now the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is asking Jimmy John’s to take sprouts off the menu across the state. According to the CDC, there are victims in other states, though the number of such victims has not been released.
This is not the first, second, or even third time that Jimmy John’s has been at the center of a sprout-linked salmonella outbreak. As recently as 2010, 2012, and 2014 there were also complaints of Salmonella linked to consumption of Jimmy John’s sandwiches. And prior to that, in 2008, there was an outbreak linked to e. coli. In fact, Jimmy John’s now has a warning on its web page about the threat of eating sprouts, but at the same time continues to provide raw sprouts on its sandwiches. It is unclear if there are any in-store warnings available.
Sprouts are a natural risk due to how they are harvested, the difficulty of cleaning them, and the fact that they are not heat-treated, nearly always consumed raw. For this reason, many establishments simply will not sell them. Jimmy John’s was pressured to adopt such a policy following the outbreaks, but re-introduced them thereafter.
For more information about the Jimmy John’s sprout Salmonella Montevideo outbreak, or to speak to a salmonella lawyer, call 1-888-335-4901.
