Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Officials: Stay on guard for romaine lettuce
WASHINGTON — Public health officials are warning consumers not to eat store-bought, chopped romaine lettuce as an E. coli outbreak linked to the vegetable worsens.
Fifty-three related E. coli infections have been reported in 16 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the past several days, 18 new cases have been added to the CDC’s investigation. Additionally, the CDC said, “nine more hospitalizations have been reported, including two people who developed a type of kidney fail-
ure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.”
The CDC said the exact source of the tainted lettuce hasn’t been identified but that “information collected to date indicates that chopped romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region could be contaminated ... and could make people sick.”
“Consumers anywhere in the United States who have store-bought chopped romaine lettuce at home, including salads and salad mixes containing chopped romaine lettuce, should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick,” the CDC said. “If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine, do not eat it and throw it away.”
The health agency added: “Before purchasing romaine lettuce at a grocery store or eating it at a restaurant, confirm with the store or restaurant that it is not chopped romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region. If you cannot confirm the source of the romaine lettuce, do not buy it or eat it.”
New cases were reported to the CDC in Arizona, Alaska, California, Montana and Louisiana. Previously, the E. coli reports had been centered in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, from Connecticut to Michigan.
A 66-year-old woman in New Jersey, Louise Fraser, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court against Panera Bread, after claiming she ate contaminated romaine lettuce there.
Fraser’s attorney, Bill Marler, told The Washington Post on Sunday that he’d expected the number of reported illnesses nationwide to grow as officials investigate how romaine harvested from the Yuma region made it to retailers and restaurants around the country.
Last week, Fresh Foods Manufacturing, based in Freedom, Pa., recalled 8,757 pounds of prepackaged salad products over fears that they may have been contaminated with E. coli.
The recalled items were labeled “Great to Go by Market District.”
Retailers and restaurants, such as Walmart and Del Taco, have warned customers who may have bought recalled products and removed all salad items from their locations.