Do Not Eat Romaine Lettuce. Here’s What It Could Lead To.
By CBS News. The FDA is looking at California as a potential source of romaine lettuce tainted with a potentially deadly strain E. coli. Health officials said romaine lettuce should be removed from all supermarket shelves and restaurant menus until they can determine the source of the new outbreak. But, as Anna Werner reports, tracking down the source of the contaminated produce is quite difficult.
The potentially deadly strain of the bacteria has sickened 32 people in 11 states since October. Nearly a third of the cases are in Los Angeles County.
Scott Horsfall, the CEO of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, said most of the romaine on the market when the outbreak began was grown in his state.
“Given the harvest cycle at that time, I think there’s a good possibility that it came from California, yes,” Horsfall said.
But he also said finding the exact farm will be difficult because it takes about two to three weeks for investigators to confirm an E.coli outbreak is underway. (Read more from “Do Not Eat Romaine Lettuce. Here’s What It Could Lead To.” HERE)
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Romaine Lettuce: Why It’s Hard to Keep It Safe From E. Coli and Other Bacteria
By USA Today. America tries to eat its vegetables, so the current E. coli outbreak likely linked to romaine lettuce has put everyone from Caesar salad fans to those who barely tolerate a splash of greens in a taco on high alert.
But how did these seemingly innocent little leaves turn deadly? . . .
Thanks to the national wellness trend embraced by healthy Millennials and aging Baby Boomers, the consumption of fresh vegetables, as opposed to frozen or shelf-stable varieties, is on the rise. Adding to that is the growing popularity of salad-centric restaurants, like Tender Greens and Sweetgreen, and the increasing inclusion of salads on the menus of fast-food chains. . .
Fields where produce is grown are subject to the whims of Mother Nature and her animals. Fruits and veggies grow in dirt and can be fertilized with manure. Bugs and birds fly around. Animals may run wild through even fenced fields — or defecate in rivers and lakes used to irrigate nearby farms. Growing out in the open means lots of opportunities for bacteria to enter the picture. (Read more from “Romaine Lettuce: Why It’s Hard to Keep It Safe From E. Coli and Other Bacteria” HERE)
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