According to this evenings press reports, it’s not just Schnuck’s salad bars under consideration as a possible pathway of the E. coli outbreak that has sickened dozens. The St. Louis County Health Department says many of those who got sick at salads at other area salad bars.
“There has been a lot of media focus on Schnucks,” said health department spokesman Craig LeFebvre, “And a large percentage of the people who tested positive for the E. coli did eat at a Schnucks salad bar. But fully a third did not. So, Schnucks alone could not explain the outbreak.”
The latest numbers show 26 “probable or confirmed” cases of E. coli in Missouri with 20 of those in St. Louis County. Some patients have been treated at area hospitals, but no one has died.
“Of the 35 percent that did not eat at Schnucks salad bars, a number of them did eat at other salad bars that were not owned or operated by Schnucks,” LeFebvre said.