The Pennsylvania Department of Health is investigating four cases of E. coli-related illnesses in Montgomery County as part of a multistate outbreak that began in New Jersey, the department announced today.
In a separate release, Taco Bell said it is taking the precautionary measure of removing green onions from restaurants in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, which have been linked to the E. coli outbreak.
"In an abundance of caution, we've decided to pull all green onions from our restaurants until we know conclusively whether they are the cause of the E.coli outbreak," said Greg Creed, Taco Bell president. "We have been working closely with state health authorities to establish the root cause of this issue."
Creed said based on the preliminary test results received on Dec. 5, the company took immediate action to safeguard public health.
The CDC has set a timeframe of Nov. 15 as the start of the outbreak, and all four cases under investigation happened at the end of November. Three of the cases confirmed eating at a Taco Bell restaurant in Montgomery County. However, the health department said no specific food source has been associated with the contamination causing the outbreak.
