San Diego County public health officials announced Wednesday that an investigation is underway into an outbreak of Salmonella linked to Ramona Family Naturals Market in Ramona.
Officials said 13 confirmed and probable cases of Salmonella have been reported since June 21.
According to the county, those who became ill range in age from 27 to 60, and four people were hospitalized. Investigators believe the outbreak is connected to mayonnaise made with raw, unpasteurized eggs.
The market’s owner, Victoria Taylor Bradley, has been working with the county’s Environmental Health and Quality and Public Health Services and has stopped using raw, unpasteurized eggs in all the deli’s food products, according to the county. Raw eggs carry a risk of Salmonella, but this strain is not related to the Salmonella outbreak linked to shell eggs in the Midwest.
Bradley said she was notified of a potential connection between the Salmonella outbreak and Ramona Family Naturals on July 27.
She said although the investigation is ongoing, there may be a link between the outbreak and the market’s use of raw eggs in its mayonnaise. Health inspectors who visited the store on Tuesday, July 28 did not report any problems with safety, food handling or temperature control, Bradley said.
“When they notified us on Monday, out of an abundance of caution, we took all products with raw eggs out of our deli department,” said Bradley, estimating the concern was only through July 12.
Salmonella infection, or salmonellosis, can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea that might have blood or mucus, abdominal cramps and fever. Symptoms typically begin 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and can last four to seven days. Most people recover without treatment.
Those at higher risk for complications include children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and those who are immunocompromised.
Aubry Brown, Ramona Family Naturals Market general manager, said that although connections were identified between the 13 people who became ill, there may also be other connections, and nothing has been concluded from the investigation as of yet.
“The investigation is ongoing and the point of the investigation is to gather more data,” Brown said. “The purpose of the county’s press release was to reach out to the public and let them know that they have an investigation going on now and they are requiring more data.”
Brown said Ramona Family Naturals has voluntarily removed any products from the store’s deli that contain raw eggs. They have already begun using a high quality organic mayonnaise instead of their own mayonnaise, she added.
“Even though nothing has been 100% confirmed, we voluntarily removed anything in question from sale,” she said. “The product has been destroyed and we are now working on transitioning our recipes that use any raw egg.”
Brown said the market does use local eggs in its deli, but they were told the California Department of Food and Agriculture has opened a separate investigation into that aspect of the outbreak.
Brown and Bradley said If anyone has had Salmonella symptoms they are encouraged to contact the county and share their experiences.
“While the affected products were prepared in our deli, the focus of the investigation is the raw eggs used as an ingredient and not the deli’s food safety practices,” Bradley said.
The county is urging people who ate food purchased at Ramona Family Naturals Market or its deli and develop symptoms to contact their health care provider.
Anyone who is still ill or has recovered after dining at the market can report their illness to the county Department of Environmental Health and Quality by calling 858-505-6814, completing a form or emailing it to fhdepi@sdcounty.ca.gov.
City News Service contributed to this story.