CDC Issues Massive Recall: Seriously, Stop Eating Romaine Lettuce

If a super-huge major romaine lettuce recall sounds kind of familiar, well it is. Back in April, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers to stop eating all romaine lettuce following an E. coli outbreak that sickened people in at least 16 states. Well, it looks like history is repeating itself—because the CDC has yet again issued a warning against eating any of this leafy green for the foreseeable future.

The CDC issued a Food Safety Alert on Nov. 20, 2018, citing another potential E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce. Similar to this past April’s recall, the CDC is advising U.S. consumers to throw away all romaine lettuce or romaine-containing products.

Photo: Keiko Zoll

Not only should you toss the romaine in your fridge, but you should also check any bagged mixed salads you may have; it’s possible your mixed salad could contain the romaine in the mix. If you do have romaine or a romaine-containing product, thoroughly wash and sanitize anything that has come in contact with the lettuce. This includes your fridge, plastic-ware containers or absolutely anything else that the lettuce has touched. You can get more info on thoroughly cleaning your fridge from the CDC’s website here.

Along with consumers avoiding the popular leafy green, the CDC has also advised retailers and restaurants to stop serving romaine immediately.

Outbreak Alert: Do not eat any romaine lettuce, including whole heads and hearts, chopped, organic and salad mixes with romaine until we learn more. If you don’t know if it’s romaine or can’t confirm the source, don’t eat it. https://t.co/NrFOIxG8hx pic.twitter.com/FuzkHv4bd3

— CDC (@CDCgov) November 20, 2018

The CDC has confirmed 32 cases related to a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 strain between Oct. 8 and Oct. 31 in 11 states. Of these cases, 13 people have required hospitalization. E. coli can cause stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting or kidney failure. Children, older adults and people with compromised or weakened immune systems are among the highest risk groups for E. coli, according to the CDC.

As of now, the CDC is still investigating the outbreak and hasn’t found one common supplier. So when it comes to your Thanksgiving menu, skip the romaine salad entirely. Seriously.

—Erica Loop

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