Samples Match Taco John's E. Coli Strain; Investigation Ongoing

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration announced that two environmental samples gathered from dairy farms near a lettuce growing area in California's Central Valley tested positive for the same strain of E. coli responsible for the outbreak at Cheyenne, Wyo.-based Taco John's Restaurants. The incident sickened approximately 81 people late last year. The FDA and the state of California are working with state health officials in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin to continue the investigation. Additional field samples are being obtained to determine if and how material from the dairy farms may have contaminated the lettuce growing in the same area.