Romaine lettuce susceptible to E. coli, experts say

Grocery stores have pulled romaine lettuce off their shelves and many restaurants have stopped serving caesar salads after the leafy green has been linked to an E. coli outbreak for the third time in about a year.

The lettuce is more susceptible to E. coli contamination partly because of how it’s grown, experts say, and its increasingly tarnished image could shake consumer confidence into not buying the salad green even after non-contaminated produce appears on store shelves and restaurant tables again.

“Romaine lettuce is particularly susceptible,” said Keith Warriner, a University of Guelph professor. “In our own research, what we found is that E. coli likes romaine lettuce out of all the other lettuces we have.”

There have been 19 confirmed cases of E. coli illness investigated in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick as of Wednesday, the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a public health notice. The sick range from five to 93 years old and most reported eating romaine lettuce before experiencing symptoms.

People living in those provinces should avoid eating romaine lettuce for now, the agency said.

In the states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered retailers and restaurants to stop selling the product. The strain infected 32 people across 11 states as of Tuesday, according to the agency’s most recent update.