When will romaine lettuce be safe again? For many, the recall on romaine lettuce is a crushing blow. The beloved Caesar salad crowd is taking a hard hit. Sadly, the recent multi-state outbreak of E. coli infections has grown. It started with the belief that it was only bagged lettuce from Yuma, Arizona being linked to the illnesses. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now warning that
all types of romaine lettuce (whole heads, hearts, salad mixes) should be avoided if you're unsure of the source. It could be difficult to even identify where the lettuce came from, as most chopped and bagged lettuce doesn't list exactly where it was grown.
The CDC says you may not experience symptoms for three of fours days after coming in contact with E. coli. At the moment, about 31 of the 64 people that have been infected with the same E. coli strain have been hospitalized. Luckily, there have been no deaths. The symptoms appear like a stomach bug and include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. Most people will recover from their symptoms in about a week, but unfortunately five people so far have suffered kidney failure.
Consumer Reports is urging people to avoid all romaine lettuce until the contamination is definitively traced to the exact source. It's possibly it came from the irrigated water on the farm where it was grown, fertilizers or the processing facility where it was washed and bagged. The CDC says that
all romaine shipped from the Yuma, Arizona region has halted.
Visit the
CDC's website to stay up-to-date on the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce.