Chicken wraps sold at Trader Joe’s linked to 50 sicknesses with potentially deadly bacteria
Chicken wraps sold at Trader Joe’s have been linked to an outbreak that has sickened more than 50 people.
On September 23, health officials warned of the outbreak caused by E. coli, which can cause a severe intestinal infection, and said it was linked to a ‘multi-ingredient chicken wrap’ but gave no further details.
Now, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has confirmed that Trader Joe’s tarragon chicken salad wraps were the source.
In a statement, they said the wraps were withdrawn from sale as soon as a link to the outbreak was suspected.
The wraps were sold in nine states, mostly in the South and Northeast.
Trader Joe’s has confirmed the connection, and said they immediately pulled the wraps from shelves in nine states back in September, after the FDA notified that there may be a ‘possible issue’ with the products.
Officials say that none of the affected wraps were still available for sale, and are still investigating which ingredient was contaminated in the product, and whether it was used in other food items.
All patients in the outbreak have tested positive for E. coli O157:H7, which can cause a severe intestinal infection and kidney damage. The same strain was behind a major McDonald’s recall in 2024 that led to one death and 34 hospitalizations.
Chicken wraps sold at Trader Joe’s have been linked to a potentially deadly bacteria that sickened 50 people, health officials say (stock)
In its statement, first reported by USA TODAY, the FSIS said: ‘The E. coli O157:H7 outbreak (2026-04) investigation identified ready-to-eat, multi-ingredient chicken wraps from certain Trader Joe’s stores as a common exposure among people who became sick.
‘The wraps reported by some cases very early in the investigation were proactively removed from the market by Trader Joe’s before a link to the outbreak was established.’
The Daily Mail has contacted both the FSIS and Trader Joe’s.
Currently, the FDA’s website says it is monitoring an outbreak of E. coli linked to ‘multi-ingredient chicken wraps.’ It does not mention Trader Joe’s or which brand is behind the wraps.
In past outbreaks, health agencies have named ingredients in suspected tainted products – even if it has not been confirmed.
Reports of foodborne illness potentially connected to the wraps emerged in late August.
In early September, the FDA alerted the supermarket regarding the ‘possible issue’ with the wraps, causing Trader Joe’s to remove them from stores in nine states.
Then, on September 23, the FDA declared an active outbreak investigation and recorded 25 sickened individuals.
By October 15, the case count reached 50. Two women filed a lawsuit against the supermarket claiming the popular chicken wraps sickened them with potentially deadly bacteria.
According to the lawsuit, in one case, Gayle Gottlieb, from North Carolina, bought three tarragon chicken salad wraps from the grocery giant on August 23 and ate the first on August 27.
Two days later, she became sick and was ‘hunched over with abdominal cramping,’ the lawsuit claimed.
A total of 50 people have been sickened in the outbreak. Investigators are not certain of the source, but have linked the cases to multi-ingredient chicken wraps (stock image of wrap, not the one at issue)
She allegedly suffered from bloody diarrhea and was hospitalized and discharged on August 31 before being re-admitted that same day with dehydration, a potentially fatal complication, according to her complaint.
Testing showed she was infected with Shiga toxin-producing E.coli, a strain that causes serious illness, the lawsuit states.
In the other case, Meaghan Egan Bright, from Massachusetts, was alleged to have purchased a tarragon chicken salad wrap from her local Trader Joe’s and to have consumed it that same day.
She fell ill on August 27, the lawsuit says, and by August 30, was allegedly hospitalized after suffering from vomiting, blood in her stool and severe pain. Doctors told her she was at risk of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially life-long kidney complication, according to the complaint.
Testing showed she had also tested positive for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, her complaint claimed.
The lawsuit was filed in California, where Trader Joe’s has its headquarters, and accused the chain of negligence and demanded a trial by jury.
It also alleges that both women were told by local health officials that they were part of a multistate outbreak of E. coli.
The same E. coli strain was behind a major McDonald’s recall in 2024 that led to one death and 34 hospitalizations.
In the McDonald’s outbreak in 2024 linked to the chain’s Quarter Pounders, testing showed that sliced onions used in the burgers had been contaminated with E. coli.
McDonald’s stopped serving onions in the burgers for a period before securing a new supply of onions that were not contaminated with the bacteria.
E. coli is transmitted by consuming contaminated food and water, such as undercooked meat, raw milk, unpasteurized juice and leafy greens.
Early symptoms of an infection include abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and fever. In some cases, patients also suffer from bloody diarrhea and dehydration, which, in rare cases, can be fatal.
In an infection with the E. coli strain O157:H7, patients are at higher risk of HUS, a potentially life-long kidney complication, which affects about five to 10 percent of patients.
Anyone can be infected with E. coli, but children under five years old, adults over 65 years old and people who have weakened immune systems are more at risk from the infection.
Roughly 75,000 to 90,000 Americans are infected with the O157:H7 strain of E. coli every year and about 100 die from the disease.
In some cases, an E. coli infection can resolve in a few days without treatment. In cases where symptoms persist, doctors may prescribe antibiotics to clear the infection or put a patient on an intravenous drip to replace lost fluids.
