I. M. Healthy SoyNut Peanut Butter Substitute Responsible for At Least 7 Illnesses in the E. coli Portland Day-care Outbreak: Investigation Ongoing
The I. M. Healthy SoyNut E. coli outbreak has grown to two-dozen victims as more and more victims are identified. Among the victims are children from at least two different day-cares where the SoyNut was either served or made one of the children sick and then led to secondary infections as the illness spread. Day-cares, like school and hospitals, are institutions where bacteria can spread quickly in the absence of careful hand washing and proper personal hygiene.
Multnomah County health officials have reportedly identified at least seven victims at the Portland-area day-care, though the results of testing have yet to confirm each is linked to the outbreak.
Schools ad day-cares are often nut-free environments, due to allergies, and hence a SoyNut product that is a replacement for peanut butter can be common. I. M. healthy has, for example, a nut-free recipe for making “peanut butter” cookies that are gluten, dairy and peanut free.
Other kids have also been victims, including at least two children in Washington State. The most recent one was identified in Olympia Washington. No information has been provided as the whether the children in Washington consumed the product at home or in institutional care, such as a school or daycare.
Authorities continue to warn the public to avoid any I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter product, I.M. Healthy Granola, or Dixie Diner’s Club Carb Not Beanit Butter as they are all potentially carriers of E. coli bacteria.
