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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Romaine Lettuce Recall Details: E. Coli Linked To 23 States' Romaine Supply
  • Date: Thu, 06 May 2010 19:28:14 -0600


Romaine Lettuce Recall Details: E. Coli Linked To 23 States' Romaine Supply
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/06/lettuce-recall-e-coli-pos_n_566956.html
MARY CLARE JALONICK | 05/ 6/10 08:46 PM

WASHINGTON — An E. coli outbreak possibly linked to tainted lettuce has
sickened at least 19 people in Ohio, New York and Michigan, including
students on at least two college campuses, prompting a recall throughout much
of the country.

Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, said it was recalling romaine lettuce sold in
23 states and the District of Columbia because of a possible link to E. coli.

Twelve of those sickened were hospitalized and three reported
life-threatening symptoms, the Food and Drug Administration said. The federal
Centers for Disease Control said it was looking at 10 other cases probably
linked to the outbreak.

College students at Ohio State in Columbus and Daemen College in Amherst,
N.Y., are among those affected, according to local health departments in
those states. Nine of the 10 confirmed cases in Michigan were in Washtenaw
County, where the University of Michigan is located. It could not be
determined immediately, however, whether that school was affected.

The FDA is focusing its investigation on lettuce grown in Arizona as a
possible source for the outbreak, according to two people who have been
briefed by the agency. Donna Rosenbaum, director of the food safety advocacy
group Safe Tables Our Priority and one of those briefed, said the agency held
a phone call with public health advocates Thursday.

Rosenbaum and other public health advocates have long been pushing for
stronger food safety laws. The House passed a bill last year that would give
the agency much more authority to police food production, but the Senate has
not acted on it.

Eric Olsen, director of food and consumer product safety at the Pew Health
Group, says this recall shows the food safety system is broken and outdated.

"We are rushing around after people who have been sick to try and find out
what the cause was," he said.

The New York state Public Health Laboratory in Albany discovered the
contamination in a bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce on
Wednesday. The bag of lettuce came from a processing facility that was also
linked to the illnesses, the FDA said. The agency would not release the name
of that facility or its location but said an investigation was under way.

E. coli infection can cause mild diarrhea or more severe complications,
including kidney damage. The three patients with life-threatening symptoms
were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause bleeding in
the brain or kidneys.

Freshway Foods said the lettuce was sold to wholesalers, food service
outlets, in-store salad bars and delis in Alabama, Connecticut, District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West
Virginia and Wisconsin.

The affected lettuce has a "best if used by" date of May 12 or earlier. The
recall also affects "grab and go" salads sold at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles
Markets and Marsh grocery stores.








  • [Livingontheland] Romaine Lettuce Recall Details: E. Coli Linked To 23 States' Romaine Supply, Tradingpost, 05/06/2010

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