Romaine lettuce is unsafe to eat in any form, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday in a broad alert in response to a new outbreak of illnesses caused by a particularly dangerous type of E. coli contamination.
According to the CDC, 32 people have become ill from a strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in 11 states from Oct. 8 through Oct. 31. Thirteen of those people were hospitalized, including one who suffered kidney failure. In addition, at least 18 people in Canada have been infected with E. coli in Ontario and Quebec.
All of those cases have been linked to romaine lettuce, and the CDC said consumers should not eat any romaine lettuce of any kind, as “no common grower, supplier, distributor, or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified.”
The CDC told consumers to throw away any romaine lettuce they may already have purchased. Restaurants should not serve it, stores should not sell it, and people should not buy it, no matter where or when the lettuce was grown. It doesn’t matter if it is chopped, whole head or part of a mix. All romaine should be avoided.
“This advice includes all types or uses of romaine lettuce, such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, and bags and boxes of precut lettuce and salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad,” the CDC said. “If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine or whether a salad mix contains romaine, do not eat it and throw it away.”
The agency also advised consumers to wash and sanitize drawers and shelves where the lettuce was stored. People usually become sick within three or four days of consuming lettuce contaminated with the E. coli, according to the CDC.
The strain identified is different than the one linked to romaine earlier this year that killed 5 people and sickened nearly 200 across 36 states, but it appears similar to one linked to leafy greens last year.
Statement from Bodek Kosher that their produce is SAFE to eat:
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6 Responses
At least now the bug problem is solved…
Anti vaxxers are exempt from cdc ruling.
Thanks to Obama and Jimmy Carter we are now starting to see what outsourcing of our food causes…. We are creating our own famine in this country. We need our farmers to go back to growing our food and stop buying from Mexico and other 3rd world countries. The soil in Mexico is full of E-Coli not just the water. I stopped buying any foods that come from South America for that one main reason. Now I see that I was correct. Stop supporting outsourcing of our food supplies. G-d gave us the richest nation on earth other than Israel and like idiots we listened to these Stupid leaders like Obama and Carter… now look what we have gained from them. Sickness and Death. And this is just the beginning. The FDA is approval chemicals that are known to cause cancer and all kinds of digestive problems. The people in America had better be taking back their food supply and starting to grow their own produce.
When the CDC issues a blanket DO NOT EAT to ALL brands of Romaine, it is probably not a good idea to run press releases from individual packagers giving themselves a clean bill of health until the sources of the problem are firmly identified. Bodek has not provided any documentation, at least in this press release, to support the “clean bill of health”.
I was told soap kills the bacteria
To Kelilah….The U.S. today grows more of its food and raises more of the livestock consumed than at any point in the past 50 years. Please check the data readily available on the DoA website or the 2017 Annual Farm Production reports (which uses 2016 data). I’m not sure what “approved” weeds you are smoking but your ignorance of rant against Presidents Carter, Obama FDA approval of “chemicals is breathtaking. (e.g. the EPA regulates most chemical emissions and use of chemical pesticides which enter the food chain and the Trump EPA has been systematically trying to “undo” all the Obama era rules on chemicals etc.). Trump has also cut back on both DoA and FDA inspection of food and drug processing facilities and has indicated its intent to rely upon self-inspection by the industry. But pleeeese, don’t let the facts get in the way of your pontification.