Costco Chicken Salad Linked to E. Coli, Health Officials Say

Costco stores in Washington have pulled chicken salad made with rotisserie chicken and are urging customers to throw it away due to a possible link to E. coli, health officials said.

The Washington State Department of Health said in a release that at least one case of E. coli within the state was linked to Costo chicken salad, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked the chicken to cases in Colorado, Utah and Montana as well. Federal agencies are working to confirm the source of the contamination, but as a precaution officials are warning against purchasing or consuming the product.

“We take E. coli very seriously in Washington,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist, “and we are working with CDC and state partners to determine the source.”

E. coli, which causes diarrhea and severe abdominal pain, can be particularly harmful to young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.