There’s news with romaine lettuce.
Tracing the Infected Romaine Lettuce
According to the CDC’s romaine lettuce update, the E. coli 0157:H7 scare has been traced to a specific location – the Central Coastal growing regions of northern and central California.
This means that lettuce originating from other regions aren’t considered dangerous.
The specific regions to avoid include,
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Cruz
- Ventura
- San Benito
- San Luis Obispo
- Monterey
Other regions aren’t linked to the outbreak.
Romaine lettuce grown in greenhouses and hydroponically grown lettuce are also considered safe.
Romaine Lettuce Labeling
To ensure your safety, the FDA is working on a labeling solution, where the romaine lettuce’s origins will be clearly marked.
Without a label identifying where the romaine was grown and harvested, you shouldn’t buy, sell, eat, or serve it.
It may take some time until you start seeing these labels, though. So be patient. And make sure not to eat anything questionable if you’re not sure where it comes from.
E. Coli Romaine Lettuce Infections Statistics
To date, 43 people have been affected with E.coli since the outbreak of the illness. They live in 12 states across the U.S.
But not all states have an equal distribution. New Jersey, for example, reported 9 cases, making it the second highest state, just under California with 11 cases.
16 people have been hospitalized. And one has had hymolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure.
Thankfully, there haven’t been any reports of death.
The good news is you can eat romaine lettuce again. You just need to make sure that it’s safe. So have a look at the labels and store signs. If you don’t see anything, don’t eat it.