September 12, 2013
FDA Receives 89 Reports of Illness From Yogurt
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
At least 89 people have reported getting sick after eating Chobani Greek yogurt manufactured in Twin Falls, the Food and Drug Administration reported.
FDA spokeswoman Tamara Ward told The Times-News (http://bit.ly/17nnX7P) on Monday that some have described nausea and cramps.
No link has been confirmed between the illnesses and the yogurt. However, Ward says the FDA is working with Chobani to hasten its voluntary recall.
Chobani last week told grocery stores to destroy 35 varieties of yogurt reported to have been contaminated by a mold associated with dairy products. Last Thursday, Chobani spokeswoman Amy Juaristi said 95 percent of the tainted product had been destroyed.
The affected yogurt cups have the code 16-012 and expiration dates between Sept. 11 and Oct. 7.
Health officials have said the yogurt is not a public health threat, but the company said last week the "mold can act as an opportunistic pathogen for those with compromised immune systems."
Juaristi told the newspaper on Monday that the company had identified the source of the issue at the Twin Falls plant and had taken steps to prevent it from happening again. The company has not said what caused the outbreak or how it would prevent a reoccurrence.
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
