Outbreaks
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.”
