Contaminated romaine lettuce harvested in California
Romaine lettuce contaminated with e. coli has now sickened 43 people in 12 states, hospitalizing 16. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have conducted traceback investigations and have determined the contaminated romaine lettuce was harvested in the Central Coast growing regions of northern and central California.
FDA has identified several counties that are included in the growing region: Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura. Additional counties may be added as the FDA traceback develops.
The states affected by the e. coli contamination causing food poisoning in consumers include: California (11), Connecticut (1), Illinois (2), Massachusetts (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (7), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (9), New York (5), Ohio (1), Rhode Island (1), and Wisconsin (1).
Going forward, romaine lettuce will be labeled with its harvest location to inform consumers about whether the lettuce is safe to eat. Lettuce harvested in other parts of the country have not been found to have e. coli or to be the source of any food poisoning. If the harvest location cannot be identified on the lettuce packaging, consumers should not eat it.
The current e. coli outbreak is not related to the Yuma-based contaminated lettuce that caused a number of illnesses in early 2018. The particular strain of e. coli that caused these illnesses, however, is similar to that found in an outbreak in the fall of 2017.
If you have consumed contaminated romaine lettuce, please contact the food poisoning lawyers at 1-888-335-4901 to learn more about your legal options.
