Cauliflower, more lettuce recalled
FDA identifies farm involved in E. coli outbreak.
A California farm where the Food and Drug Administration found the strain of E. coli that caused the current romaine lettuce recall is recalling red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce and cauliflower.
Adam Bros. Farms of Santa Maria, California, said in a statement that it was doing so “out of an abundance of caution.”
The recall is for the three types of produce that were grown in particular fields and harvested between Nov. 2730, the company said.
None of the recalled products has tested positive for E. coli O157:H7.
Both red and green leaf lettuces were distributed to wholesalers in California, Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Canada.
Red leaf also went to Minnesota and Tijuana, Mexico, according to Adam Bros. Farms.
Cauliflower made its way to Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mexico, and Canada.
“Adam Bros. Farming, Inc. feels a strong commitment to its customers and has worked for years to provide a safe and healthy food supply,” the company said.
The Food and Drug Administration identified Adam Bros. publicly on Thursday.
A sample investigators had collected from the sediment of an agricultural reservoir there tested positive for the same strain of E. coli, which caused the current outbreak.
As of Thursday, 59 people in 15 states and Washington, D.C., had fallen ill, including 23 who were hospitalized.
Investigators expect to find other sources for the E. coli outbreak beyond Adam Bros.
“Traceback information from five restaurants in four different states have identified 11 different distributors, nine different growers and eight different farms as potential sources of the contaminated lettuce,” the FDA said on its website Thursday.
“The information indicates that the outbreak may not be explained by a single farm, grower, harvester or distributor.”
The FDA explained that Americans should still refrain from eating romaine in California’s Monterey, San Benito and Santa Barbara counties and, if harvested before Nov. 23, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz and Ventura counties.