The Mediterranean cuisine Fig & Olive restaurant at City Center in Washington, D.C., and the Fig & Olive at Melrose Place in West Hollywood. California, have been linked to approximately 175 Salmonella illnesses in five states. The majority are in the D.C. area, and linked to the City Center restaurant – health officials had interviewed 135 suspected victims in that outbreak by September 16th, and determined that truffle oil was the likely source of the outbreak. Then, last week, another dozen illnesses appeared in California, with at least nine of the confirmed cases being infected with the same strain as the victims identified in Washington D.C. Again, health officials focused on the truffle oil used to make their signature fries and mushroom croquettes, which is made by the New York based franchise. Items made with the truffle oil have now been pulled from the menus of both restaurants
In addition to about a dozen customers, at least three employees have also been identified in the California outbreak. The D.C. Fig & Olive, originally closed for six days, is now open again, having rotated all food items out of the establishment and pulled any items that contain truffle oil. The West Hollywood location is also open, following a brief closure and intervention by a third party food safety firm who, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Public Health Department, assessed the restaurant.
So far, at least two Fig & Olive lawsuits have been filed, and many more are expected to seek to file a Fig & Olive lawsuits or to file a claim with the Salmonella Claim Center at 1-888-335-4901.
