A nationwide Salmonella outbreak has been traced to pot pies produced by ConAgra and distributed under the Banquet brand name.  Today, the Washington Department of Health announced that three Salmonella cases in the state were probably linked to the outbreak:

Three cases of salmonellosis in Washington may be linked to frozen pot pies, part of a national outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people in several states.

The Washington cases are potentially linked to products made by ConAgra, most of which were sold under the Banquet brand name.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a health alert advising consumers not to eat ConAgra frozen pot pies with "P9" in the identification code printed on the box. USDA says the pot pies are sold under Banquet and store-brand names, each containing the "P9" identifier.

The Minnesota Department of Health also released a statement about the outbreak today:

Six cases of Salmonella infection in Minnesota residents have been linked to eating Banquet brand turkey or chicken pot pies, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) said today. The finding prompted health and agriculture officials to warn consumers not to eat any Banquet brand pot pies. An investigation is ongoing.

Banquet brand pot pies are sold in the freezer section at grocery stores and other outlets throughout the country. Pot pies made at the same plant are also sold under a dozen store labels, but all carry a code number beginning with 5009. “Best if used by” dates for implicated product are not known at this time.

Three of the Minnesota cases are adults and three are children. Five of the cases are from outstate Minnesota, and one is from the Twin Cities metro area. No one has been hospitalized.

The Minnesota cases are part of a much larger multi-state outbreak of Salmonella infections. Since June, at least 135 confirmed cases have been identified from approximately 25 states. The six Minnesota cases were reported in September; interviews of these cases by MDH epidemiologists led to the identification of Banquet pot pies as the source of the illnesses. The national investigation to determine the extent of the outbreak, production dates of contaminated product, and the source of contamination is ongoing.