CALIFORNIA—The Center for Disease Control and Prevention placed an alert on romaine lettuce from the Salinas area of California. The recall is due to an E. Coli outbreak that has already caused several people to become ill.
Many food distributors have pulled inventory containing romaine lettuce. “A total of 40 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 16 states,” the CDC reported.
The CDC added, “A total of 28 hospitalizations have been reported. Five people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.”
The CDC recommended that consumers check where the lettuce came from before consuming the product. If any products from the Salinas, California area are found the CDC is asking consumers to dispose of it.
“Over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California. California is the leading US state for cash farm receipts, accounting for over 13 percent of the nation’s total agricultural value,” stated the California Department for Food and Agriculture. The CDFA’s website lists lettuce as one of California’s highest-grossing cash crops.
This will be the second recall issued for produce coming from the state of California.
