Federal and state health authorities said Friday they are investigating an outbreak of E. coli infections stemming from romaine lettuce harvested in the Salinas Valley.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued a food safety alert advising restaurants, retailers and consumers to throw out any romaine from Salinas, including whole heads, hearts of romaine, and packages of precut romaine lettuce and salad mixes with romaine.
As of Thursday, 40 people in 16 states have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli, according to the CDC. There have been 28 hospitalizations related to the outbreak, including five people who have developed kidney failure.
Most romaine lettuce is labeled with a harvest location that shows where it was grown. If there is no growing region label on any romaine lettuce, authorities advise throwing it out.
Consumers and retailers should wash and sanitize drawers or shelves in refrigerators where romaine lettuce from Salinas was stored, according to the CDC.
In addition, suppliers, distributors, and others in the supply chain should not ship or sell romaine harvested in Salinas, the CDC said.
The outbreak stems from the same strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7 that caused outbreaks linked to leafy greens in 2017 and to romaine lettuce in 2018, according to the CDC.
More information on the outbreak is available on the CDC website, https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2019/o157h7-11-19/index.html
24 comments
This seems to be a reoccurring problem. Was this organically-grown produce, because I know that they have a problem with improperly handled manure. Or are people in the fields and packing houses failing to wash their hands after a trip to the toilet? Or is the packing house itself contaminated?
You hit the nail on the head Dr No. I’ve been saying this for some time now.
And some of us who have grown up in the farmlands don’t even have a problem eating contaminated produce. Apparently our stomach acid is so strong any bacteria gets killed that way. Some think we’re getting “too sterile” thus reducing our immunity to such things.
The small number of people affected suggests to me that the people affected by this breakout had weak or compromised immune systems, or other health problems.
Yeah, don’t worry about any of that “science”.
Actually that piece of information came from an MD.
I ate from a romaine lettuce kit from Salinas on Friday I have no symptoms.
I read elsewhere that the suspect lettuce contained a species of E- coli found in cattle and that there was a pasture adjacent to the lettuce field.
The CDC article says that the E. coli stems from the strain O157:H7.
This strain is found in the “intestinal contents of some cattle, goats, and even sheep”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli_O157:H7
So yes you can put porta potties next to the roads at the fields growing vegetable, but how do you make sure these cattle, goats or sheep are using them?
@JWB… as far as I remember cattle, goats, and sheep don’t graze the fields where produce is grown. Many humans do however traverse these fields. Or am I missing something?
@JWB…btw, didn’t this exact same thing happen last year with Romaine from the same area? I seem to remember that.
Wild pigs have been responsible for some past episodes.
You know what doesn’t get recalled? Cake!
LOVE the cake comment! Just make sure the eggs are edible and I’m good to go! YUM!!!
The FDA is investigating the manufacturing facility that made recalled Duncan Hines cake mixes. The FDA and the CDC informed Conagra Brands that a sample of Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix that contained Salmonella Agbeni matched the Salmonella collected from ill persons reported to the CDC.Feb 1, 2019
Sorry…….
@ Dennis
Yes, you’re missing something. It takes water to grow produce and generally that water comes from irrigation ponds and irrigation canals.
That water may be contaminated from cattle operations upstream.
Good thinking. Beef never gets recalled…..
JWB, please get a clue. Check out how much beef was recalled from the Central Valley Meat company this year. Or just keep spouting off because it feels good. And means nothing. Thanks.
Pretty sure I got some of this lettuce. I only buy Romaine and I noticed it was from Salinas. I thought, “Oh, local, that’s good. The bag had two small heads which I thoroughly washed. Had eaten about half of it when I heard the warning. I was in the store where I bought it, so I thought I’d check, again, to make sure it was from Salinas. It was nowhere to be found. Not a head of Romaine, anywhere. I asked a clerk and she confirmed it was recalled. Not that I’ve noticed any unusual symptoms, but just to be on the safe side I bought a head of butter lettuce in a plastic container. I thought, “Oh, plastic container. That should be clean.” I came home and threw out the Romaine and, since they advised cleaning the refrigerator where the Romaine was stored, I pulled the bin out to wash, too. This morning I got the container of butter lettuce out to wash it, and there is a winged bug of some sort trapped in the container!
The husband felt nauseated a few days ago, before the warning was out. He cuts off the butt and washes Romaine as soon as I bring it home so, I don’t worry too much about contamination. I guess it could have been the lettuce. He wasn’t right for about 24 hours. No vomiting or stomach pains though.
A few days before that, I felt nauseated for about 2 hours. No vomiting but I felt a prickly heat in the upper part of my body, then it subsided a half hour later. I am fine now.
We take probotics periodically and drink Kombutcha occasionally too. Supposedly gut health will enable the body to shake off illness, etc.
Who knows.
@JL They never tell you what symptoms to look out for, but I’m glad your, and you husband’s, symptoms didn’t last long. I’ve often wondered how much of that contamination happens in the field vs. in the supermarket produce isle. Or, somewhere in between.
The bug in my butter lettuce container was dead, so I washed the lettuce and container and had some on a sandwich. We’ll see. It couldn’t be any worse than that lacquered, Plaster-of-Paris macrame bead I accidentally ate during the run up to the first PGE power shutoff..
@Jojo
Calm down …. specially for you my post was being sarcastic. Obviously everybody knows that beef gets recalled all the time.
yes, but only after eating the contaminated romaine.
Sure wish this issue could be resolved; happens too often. There are certain dishes I cook that needs romaine; just doesn’t hit the spot without it.
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