Odwalla Says Recall Is Complete -- 49 Suspected E. Coli Cases Are Reported In 3 States

SAN FRANCISCO - Odwalla completed its recall yesterday of apple and carrot juice products as health officials reported more than 49 confirmed or suspected E. coli cases in Washington and two other states.

Odwalla, based in Half Moon Bay, Calif., launched the recall in seven Western states and Canada after E. coli cases in Washington were linked to its unpasteurized apple juice. Carrot juice products were recalled because they used the same assembly line at the company's Dinuba, Calif., plant.

"As near as we can tell, the recall is complete," said Scott Lewis of the California Department of Health Services. "The only product left out there is most likely in consumers' homes."

Odwalla officials said they have as yet failed to find any E. coli in their juice products, but continue examining them. The company has offered to pay medical expenses for anyone made ill by Odwalla juices.

Lewis said inspectors were going over every inch of the assembly line yesterday and a government laboratory in Los Angeles was attempting to culture E. coli from juice samples.

Washington, with 17 confirmed cases of E. coli, reported the greatest number of cases from the outbreak. Fifteen of those confirmed drank Odwalla drinks before falling ill, and 12 were children. None were gravely ill, Washington health officials said. Another 10 cases were suspected to be E. coli cases.

Two California girls were believed sickened by E. coli, but were expected to recover. The girls both drank Odwalla apple juice before falling ill.

In Colorado, 15 cases were reported, with four confirmed to be linked to E. coli. Seven cases were reported in California by Thursday.

The source of the contamination is likely to be fecal matter from cows or possibly deer who walked through or near apple orchards, experts say. But Odwalla accepts only tree-picked apples, rejecting those that have fallen on the ground. The fruit is washed and scrubbed extensively at the plant before processing, said Sydney Fisher of Odwalla.

The contamination could be secondhand - a picker could spread fecal material to apples, for instance.

Pasteurization would kill the bacteria, but Odwalla holds that the process also hurts the taste and nutrients in their natural juice drinks.