The Star-Ledger reports that the source of 10 E. coli infections confirmed in the Hunterdon County late last year was an agricultural product grown in California. John Beckley, Hunterdon County health department director, described the source only as “fresh, raw produce,” declining to identify the food until the investigation is complete.
Between late October and early November, 10 individuals were sickened by E. coli. The county and state health departments have been investigating the cases, focusing on Chili’s restaurant in Flemington, where all the individuals had either dined or worked.
The county department has been investigating the restaurant’s produce sources, including a wholesale packaging plant in Pennsylvania that turned out to be uncontaminated. The food item was traced to farms in California.