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How to handle food safety concernsHow to handle food safety concerns

Wendy's handling of the recent E.coli outbreak is the subject of today's pod

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

October 26, 2022

 

Welcome to First Bite, a Nation’s Restaurant News podcast, your daily source of news from NRN hosted by Holly Petre.

Today, we’re talking about how Wendy's prepared for its E.coli outbreak.

An E. coli outbreak linked to The Wendy’s Co. units in six states is over, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but more than 40 of the 109 identified victims are being represented by lawyers.

The Dublin, Ohio-based burger chain immediately removed romaine lettuce from its menus when the outbreak was initially reported.

The incident began with three states and expanded eventually to six and spanned July 26 to Aug. 17. The outbreak involved 109 reported cases and 52 hospitalizations. The most cases were reported in Michigan, and the illnesses were identified in five other states: Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. The CDC declared the outbreak over on Oct. 4.

Foodborne illness investigators could not confirm romaine lettuce as the source of the six-state outbreak.

Hear more from senior editor Ron Ruggless.

Plus, catch up on all the top news of the day with our daily news recap at the beginning of each episode.

Be sure to subscribe to First Bite wherever you get your podcasts or on Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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