Following an outbreak of foodborne illness that sickened 40 people in 16 states, the FDA urged consumers to “not eat romaine lettuce harvested from Salinas, California.” Romaine from other regions is not implicated but if there is any doubt about the origin of lettuce, “throw it away or return it to the place of purchase,” said the agency on Friday.
In addition, the USDA warned against “consuming any wraps, sandwiches, prepackaged salad, salad kits, or other product containing romaine lettuce harvested” in the Salinas growing region in Monterey County, south of San Francisco and one of California’s top agricultural counties.
“The warning marks the second consecutive Thanksgiving surprise for consumers,” said the Los Angeles Times. “Last year, shoppers were steered away from lettuce linked to California’s Central Coast growing regions, after it was linked to an illness that sickened 43 people in 12 states around the holiday.
State and federal food-safety officials are investigating an outbreak of food illness caused by the E. coli bacteria. Some E. coli strains can cause mild to severe gastrointestinal illness. “Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback evidence indicates that romaine lettuce from the Salinas, California, growing region is a likely source of this outbreak,” said the FDA. After the 2018 outbreak, many growers began putting the origin of their lettuce on their packages.
Some 28 people were hospitalized out of the 40 cases linked to romaine lettuce. There have been no deaths. Illnesses have been reported across the nation. Wisconsin has the largest number, with 10.