Walnuts sold at Whole Foods and other grocers recalled after E. coli outbreak sickens 12

A California company is recalling walnuts sold at Whole Foods and other natural food stores in 19 states amid an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 12 people and hospitalized seven. 

Hollister-based Gibson Farms is recalling Organic Light Halves and Pieces shelled walnuts after learning they could be contaminated with an E. coli strain that "causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools," the company said Tuesday in a notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration. 

While most healthy adults recover from e. coli within a week, some can develop a form of kidney failure that can lead to serious organ damage and even death, with the young and elderly the most vulnerable, the statement added.