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King Garden Restaurant E. coli Outbreak

On September 26, 2002 the Wayne County Health Department (WCHD) announced it was investigating the outbreak of four confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 thought to be connected to a single restaurant in the city of Wooster, Ohio.

The restaurant was later identified as the King Garden restaurant. WCHD reported 11 culture-confirmed and two probable cases of E. coli O157:H7, and determined the outbreak had been caused by consumption of food at the King Garden restaurant, specifically Jell-O.

Health Department officials concluded that “the likely source of E. coli O157:H7 in the Jell-O was from raw meat juices dripping on the Jell-O while it was solidifying in the refrigerator.” An environmental inspection of the restaurant revealed many problems, including “raw meat stored above the Jell-O in the refrigerator.”

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