KFC coleslaw was ultimately identified as the source of the E. coli outbreak. When sanitarians visited the implicated KFC restaurants, they found a number of deficiencies in the preparation of the coleslaw that could have contributed to the outbreak. Three particular food-handling errors were noted as possible explanations for the E. coli contamination in the coleslaw: inclusion of outer cabbage leaves, insufficient washing of cabbage, and the use of unpeeled carrots in the coleslaw.
Marler Clark represented a woman who became ill with an E. coli infection and hemolytic uremic syndrome after eating foods purchased from a Cincinnati KFC restaurant.