Published • loading... • Updated
Press Advisory: Food Safety Advocate Available to Speak About Recent E. Coli Outbreak Linked to Kebab Shop Restaurant
Five people were hospitalized and two developed hemolytic uremic syndrome after leftover ground beef tested positive for E. coli, officials said.
- On Sunday, May 24, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert for beef kofta served at The Kebab Shop in California, Florida and Texas after nine California residents were infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7.
- The contaminated beef kofta was produced by Olympia Food Industries in Franklin Park, Illinois in January and distributed to The Kebab Shop locations; federal officials discovered the contamination during an ongoing California outbreak investigation.
- Six of the nine infected were children, with illness onset dates ranging from March 27 through April 30, 2026; five were hospitalized and two developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious kidney complication.
- The Kebab Shop voluntarily stopped selling beef kofta at all 50 restaurants on May 18, several days before the alert, and no formal recall was issued because the products are no longer available for purchase.
- Food safety lawyer Bill Marler, featured in the Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary 'Poisoned,' has fought for regulatory reforms since the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box outbreak; E. coli cases linked to ground beef have nearly disappeared over two decades, though produce-related illnesses now dominate his practice.
Insights by Ground AI
37 Articles
37 Articles
Ground Beef and E. coli
The Current Outbreak — The Kebab Shop (2026)As of May 19, 2026, nine California residents have been infected with an outbreak strain of STEC O157:H7 linked to beef kofta served at several California locations of The Kebab Shop restaurant chain. Illness onset dates range from March 27 through April 30, 2026. Six of the illnesses are in children. Five individuals have been hospitalized, and two have developed HUS — acute kidney failure. The beef k…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources37
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center20Last UpdatedBias Distribution87% Center
Bias Distribution
- 87% of the sources are Center
87% Center
13%
C 87%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
