November 20, 2018
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Bagged mixes, heads and all other forms of romaine lettuce has been recalled due to a potential E.Coli outbreak.
Good thing Thanksgiving isn't much of a salad holiday, because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a statement warning consumers "not to eat" romaine lettuce as a result of a developing E.coli outbreak.
This is not the first or second time the CDC has issued a recall of romaine this year.
Outbreak Alert: Do not eat any romaine lettuce, including whole heads and hearts, chopped, organic and salad mixes with romaine until we learn more. If you don’t know if it’s romaine or can’t confirm the source, don’t eat it. https://t.co/NrFOIxG8hx pic.twitter.com/FuzkHv4bd3
— CDC (@CDCgov) November 20, 2018
Nevertheless, the CDC told all consumers who have romaine lettuce in their home — be it chopped, whole heads, bags or boxes — to throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick. The CDC also warned restaurants and retailers to not serve or sell any romaine lettuce, including salads and salad mixes containing the lettuce.
After getting rid of the romaine, the CDC encouraged the washing and sanitizing of drawers and/or shelves in refrigerators where romaine was stored, in an effort to limit the spread of the outbreak.
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Thirty-two cases have been reported in 11 states. While Pennsylvania is currently not on the list, New Jersey, New York and Maryland have been affected. The illnesses from this outbreak have been reportedly onset between October 11-31, 2018.
Interestingly, there have been 18 reported cases of the same strain of E.coli in Canada.
As a refresher, people being to show symptoms of E.coli two to eight days after swallowing the germ. Symptoms tend to vary, but often range from stomach cramps to diarrhea and vomiting.
At this time, no common grower, supplier, distributor, or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified, which is why the CDC is encouraging consumers to avoid all forms of romaine lettuce. Keep up to date with the CDC's investigation here.
