E. coli in romaine lettuce

[AnnE-girl]

There’s no recall yet, but apparently romaine lettuce is the common denominator in an E. coli outbreak https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/EColi-Romaine-Lettuce-Consumer-Reports--468040763.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_CHBrand

We go through a couple packages of romaine hearts every week. I’m going to have to change up our salad routine for a while.

[EMS83]

Thanks for the heads up!

[73349]

Yikes, right as so many people are eating a leafier diet. :(  Thanks for sharing.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Oh damn I just bought some.

[Lady Marmalade]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

:lol:   :lol:

 

I don't know if you intended the pun or not, but this cracked me up!  Toss those heads of romaine ladies and gents!

[Ann.without.an.e]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

 

:lol:   :lol:

 

I don't know if you intended the pun or not, but this cracked me up!  Toss those heads of romaine ladies and gents!

 

 

 

 

I totally read it as a pun and it cracked me up.

[Selkie]

Yikes, thank you!   :ack2: I eat a salad made with romaine every single day. Guess I have to find something else for lunch now...

[J-rap]

I always wonder how much we need to rinse veggies in order to take care of this.  Does just a simple rinse under a hard spray of water for a minute do it, I wonder?

[prairiewindmomma]

I wouldn't think so, but I don't know. I mean, I've seen videos about Kangen water and how much junk is removed using a certain type of kangen water vs. tap. The bowl with tap didn't seem to do anything. Of course, those videos are concentrating more on pesticides probably. But still. My parents own a machine and I don't think they rewash their lettuce.

 

I have had e.coli before. One of my concerns with fruits is the skin... they say if like a cantalope has listeria on the outside and you cut through it, you are spreading it into the inside with the knife. How do we win? lol

 

We always wash the exterior of our melons before cutting.  With the tougher rind, one can really scrub.

[SparklyUnicorn]

You can't rinse out ecoli I don't think.

 

And now I don't know if I should eat my salad or not.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2018 by SparklyUnicorn

[creekland]

I literally just finished eating a Spring Mix salad for lunch (tasted really good!).  I was lazy and bought one of the premade mixes at the store instead of making my own.  Hopefully those aren't involved.

[AnnE-girl]

We’ve eaten 2/3 of the romaine hearts that I bought Saturday. So far everyone is fine. I can’t decide if we should finish or toss the rest.

[Catwoman]

Thank you for posting this!

 

I'm going to throw away the romaine lettuce I just bought. Better safe than sorry!

 

It seems like there are more and more recalls of the foods that are supposed to be the healthiest!  :glare:

[Ali in OR]

Bleah. Romaine hearts are a staple here too. We'll probably continue eating the package that hasn't made us sick yet. Then shop locally sourced? Harder this time of year.

[marbel]

I just bought a package the other day and was going to wash it for tonight's dinner to go alongside clam chowder.  It's very snowy so I don't want to go out today, but the only other vegetable I have right now is frozen green beans, which doesn't sound very good next to clam chowder!    (Well, I have celery, but I'm the only one who will eat it!)

 

Thanks for posting!

[Julie Smith]

I was told, it's fine if you really wash the lettuce. 

 

Mind you I was told this at the New years party I was at, and the person telling me likely was very drunk. 

 

[marbel]

I was told, it's fine if you really wash the lettuce. 

 

Mind you I was told this at the New years party I was at, and the person telling me likely was very drunk. 

 

Other than rinsing, how does one wash lettuce?  

[Julie Smith]

Other than rinsing, how does one wash lettuce?  

 

I don't know. But I can tell you, it was quite a new year's eve party. If any soap opera needed ideas they would have just had to attend the party. I think one sentence said was, "Your lover's wife's ex-lover just bet me 5 dollars that there will be a cat fight later this evening." 

 

So, in comparison the topic of washing lettuce wasn't very memorable. 

[marbel]

I don't know. But I can tell you, it was quite a new year's eve party. If any soap opera needed ideas they would have just had to attend the party. I think one sentence said was, "Your lover's wife's ex-lover just bet me 5 dollars that there will be a cat fight later this evening." 

 

So, in comparison the topic of washing lettuce wasn't very memorable. 

 

Sounds like fun!  :-)

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think I'll bring it back to the store.  Not now...currently in the middle of a snow storm.  grumble...

 

 

[JIN MOUSA]

The obvious lessons here are that lettuce is bad for you and you should avoid it in order to stay healthy. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

The obvious lessons here are that lettuce is bad for you and you should avoid it in order to stay healthy. 

 

Well yeah you never heard of anyone dropping dead from e-coli in Oreos or Lays BBQ chips. 

 

LOL

[Sandragood1]

In the 1960’s my folks lived in Africa and had to rinse all fresh produce in a bleach solution. I have no idea how much bleach or how long but it works. It might be worth researching or testing! Science experiment !

[Seasider]

Other than rinsing, how does one wash lettuce?

I rinse and tear it and soak it in a bowl of cold water with apple cider vinegar for a sort bit, then run it through the salad spinner.

 

I also wash melons before cutting, I use a scrub brush and actually a bit of diluted dish soap (for thick- skinned melons).

 

The states affected seem to be a weird distribution.

[Lady Marmalade]

I rinse and tear it and soak it in a bowl of cold water with apple cider vinegar for a sort bit, then run it through the salad spinner.

 

I also wash melons before cutting, I use a scrub brush and actually a bit of diluted dish soap (for thick- skinned melons).

 

The states affected seem to be a weird distribution.

 

That's why they're saying to just discard ALL romaine lettuce, because they're having a time pinpointing where the affected romaine is coming from.  Better to be safe than sorry.

[Laurie]

I never trust pre-washed produce.  I hope they can find the source of this problem.  

 

Years ago I read Ellen Sandbeck's book Organic Housekeeping.  I've followed her produce washing advice:  Prepare a spray bottle of white vinegar and a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide to use as a two-step produce wash.  She says you don't have to rinse after spraying, but I always do.  With melons, I spray, scrub, and rinse.   (The hydrogen peroxide must be kept in an opaque bottle, and fortunately I've been able to buy it in a spray bottle without having to find something opaque myself.)

[Arcadia]

From LATimes

 

“E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce leaves 2 dead in US and Canada.

..,

It is reported that five people in the U.S. have been hospitalized and one has died. There has also been one death in Canada.†http://www.latimes.com/food/sns-dailymeal-1865509-eat-fatal-e-coli-outbreak-romaine-lettuce-us-and-canada-010418-20180104-story.html

 

From Public Health Agency of Canada

 

“The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with provincial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada to investigate an outbreak of Escherichia coli O157, commonly called E. coli. The outbreak involves five eastern provinces. Based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to romaine lettuce has been identified as the source of the outbreak, but the cause of contamination has not been identified. The outbreak appears to be ongoing, as illnesses linked to romaine lettuce continue to be reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

..,

Because of the ongoing risk in eastern Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada is advising individuals in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador to consider consuming other types of lettuce, instead of romaine lettuce, until more is known about the outbreak and the cause of contamination.

 

The outbreak investigation is continuing, and this public health notice will be updated on a regular basis as the investigation evolves.“ https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/public-health-notices/2017/public-health-notice-outbreak-e-coli-infections-linked-romaine-lettuce.html

 

From CDC

 

“Whole genome sequencing is being performed on samples of bacteria making people sick in the United States to give us information about whether these illnesses are related to the illnesses in Canada. Preliminary results show that the type of E. coli making people sick in both countries is closely related genetically, meaning the ill people are more likely to share a common source of infection.

...

CDC is still collecting information to determine whether there is a food item in common among sick people, including leafy greens and romaine.

 

Because we have not identified a source of the infections, CDC is unable to recommend whether U.S. residents should avoid a particular food. This investigation is ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available.â€

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/s1228-e-coli-outbreak.html

[Ann.without.an.e]

I'm really confused about this whole thing.  I was just reading an article on it this morning and they basically say they don't know what is causing the problem but then say to avoid one specific thing - romaine lettuce.  The only reason they say romaine is because lettuce is eaten raw.  What about other types of lettuce?  Maybe I am missing something, maybe I need to find a better article  :confused1:

[creekland]

Do you know if there are new cases (vs new reports of older cases)?  NBC reported (TV) that the last new case (and all illnesses) were in mid Dec and with nothing more recent showing up it's likely the contaminated food is out of the system. They are still trying to find out what it was and are interviewing those affected, etc, but the food could have been consumed up to a week prior to the illness, so pinpointing anything is certainly not easy.

[Tap]

I'm really confused about this whole thing.  I was just reading an article on it this morning and they basically say they don't know what is causing the problem but then say to avoid one specific thing - romaine lettuce.  The only reason they say romaine is because lettuce is eaten raw.  What about other types of lettuce?  Maybe I am missing something, maybe I need to find a better article  :confused1:

My guess, is that because while they can't pinpoint the exact source of the outbreak (necessary for a recall), the people who have e coli ate romaine lettuce, not iceberg, mesclun etc.

[emmaluv+2more]

I read somewhere that Canada has been able to trace the source to romaine lettuce (but not the exact origin of the romaine), and because the E Coli in the Canadian cases is very similar genetically to the US cases they are assuming the US cases are also due to romaine lettuce.

 

It seems not much is known for certain.

[Tap]

Do you know if there are new cases (vs new reports of older cases)?  NBC reported (TV) that the last new case (and all illnesses) were in mid Dec and with nothing more recent showing up it's likely the contaminated food is out of the system. They are still trying to find out what it was and are interviewing those affected, etc, but the food could have been consumed up to a week prior to the illness, so pinpointing anything is certainly not easy.

I haven't heard anything more recent but quite often these cases aren't reported.

 

 

Ds and I had e-coli once and I didn't report it because it was after the recall and e-coli announcement I didn't figure there was a point to us reporting it and would only cost us time and effort to mess with it  We both had GI illness and had eaten a bag of salad mix the week before.  There was a recall on that brand with dates that made sense for our purchase., but I no longer had the bag, so no proof.  We aren't generally susceptible to GI bugs in our family, so it was almost certainly e-coli.  Only ds and I ate the salad, and only he and I got sick. We were better by the time the recall was announced.

 

 

My coworker told me she thought she had food poisoning in California right before Christmas.  They ate at a  steakhouse and she and her father both got sick 2 days apart. I seriously wonder if this outbreak was the true cause of her illness. 

[marbel]

I was just in a grocery store.  There was romaine for sale - bagged washed salads, bagged unwashed heads, unbagged unwashed heads.  Any kind of romaine you want.  No notices about a possible problem. 

[Lady Marmalade]

I was just in a grocery store.  There was romaine for sale - bagged washed salads, bagged unwashed heads, unbagged unwashed heads.  Any kind of romaine you want.  No notices about a possible problem. 

 

Yep.  I was just at Costco and there is romaine everywhere- including still in the deli case ready to eat.

 

There hasn't been an official recall issued yet, so I guess stores can do what they want yet.

[creekland]

I haven't heard anything more recent but quite often these cases aren't reported.

 

 

Ds and I had e-coli once and I didn't report it because it was after the recall and e-coli announcement I didn't figure there was a point to us reporting it and would only cost us time and effort to mess with it  We both had GI illness and had eaten a bag of salad mix the week before.  There was a recall on that brand with dates that made sense for our purchase., but I no longer had the bag, so no proof.  We aren't generally susceptible to GI bugs in our family, so it was almost certainly e-coli.  Only ds and I ate the salad, and only he and I got sick. We were better by the time the recall was announced.

 

 

My coworker told me she thought she had food poisoning in California right before Christmas.  They ate at a  steakhouse and she and her father both got sick 2 days apart. I seriously wonder if this outbreak was the true cause of her illness. 

 

This still matches the thought that there is likely no more problem.  They could easily get reports of folks like your co-worker having gotten sick, but if no one is getting sick now, then the offending food is likely out of the system and has been since at least the last reported illness dates (and up to a week before that).

 

There is no reason for a recall if there is nothing contaminated still out there, but of course they'd want to know what it was, who the supplier was, and double check their processing equipment (possible fines or whatever too).  If it was "a" field (or truck or whatever), that could still have contamination - or maybe not if whoever feels responsible has since done a thorough clean.

 

We have several food factories where I live.  Many I know about shut down between Christmas and New Years giving their regular employees off and during that time they do a super thorough cleaning - no contamination needed - just business as usual.  That could easily be the same elsewhere and have fixed the problem.  Who knows?

 

If they are no longer getting reports of new folks getting ill, I'm far less worried about what I consume.  It makes a big difference to me.

[Tap]

This still matches the thought that there is likely no more problem.  They could easily get reports of folks like your co-worker having gotten sick, but if no one is getting sick now, then the offending food is likely out of the system and has been since at least the last reported illness dates (and up to a week before that).

 

There is no reason for a recall if there is nothing contaminated still out there, but of course they'd want to know what it was, who the supplier was, and double check their processing equipment (possible fines or whatever too).  If it was "a" field (or truck or whatever), that could still have contamination - or maybe not if whoever feels responsible has since done a thorough clean.

 

We have several food factories where I live.  Many I know about shut down between Christmas and New Years giving their regular employees off and during that time they do a super thorough cleaning - no contamination needed - just business as usual.  That could easily be the same elsewhere and have fixed the problem.  Who knows?

 

If they are no longer getting reports of new folks getting ill, I'm far less worried about what I consume.  It makes a big difference to me.

I agree.

 

Although....I am meeting a friend for lunch at Chipotle this after noon....maybe having a salad at Chipotle is pushing the odds a bit in favor of e-coli >LOL :lol:

[SparklyUnicorn]

I ended up eating my romaine.  Nothing happened thankfully.

 

 

 

[creekland]

I haven't been concerned about it in my salad mixes (often a daily supper, esp if lunch is our larger meal).

 

Knowing there haven't been any new sicknesses reported makes all the difference to me.

 

It still amazes me with how many ways there are to leave this world (some, like this for the unfortunate two who died of their illness, completely out of our control) and only one way to come into it (conception).  Then I marvel at the world population.  Humans are a pretty tough species overall - then add in modern safety knowledge and modern medicine.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I haven't been concerned about it in my salad mixes (often a daily supper, esp if lunch is our larger meal).

 

Knowing there haven't been any new sicknesses reported makes all the difference to me.

 

It still amazes me with how many ways there are to leave this world (some, like this for the unfortunate two who died of their illness, completely out of our control) and only one way to come into it (conception).  Then I marvel at the world population.  Humans are a pretty tough species overall - then add in modern safety knowledge and modern medicine.

 

I washed it more carefully than usual.  Although I'm not convinced that would actually help, but anyhow it made me feel a little better.

 

My thinking was given what I know, my chances are still better I'd die in a car crash driving to the store for some other produce than eating this lettuce.  So...LOL 

 

(what a thought...)

[mellifera33]

I washed it more carefully than usual.  Although I'm not convinced that would actually help, but anyhow it made me feel a little better.

 

My thinking was given what I know, my chances are still better I'd die in a car crash driving to the store for some other produce than eating this lettuce.  So...LOL 

 

(what a thought...)

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this way. I feel so morbid when I do. lol

[marbel]

We ate some romaine recently.   Today I saw two conflicting headlines:

 

"Too soon to blame romaine lettuce for e. coli outbreak, CDC says" - NBC news

 

"E. coli deaths linked to romaine lettuce, officials say" - Atlanta Journal Constituion

 

I just skimmed the articles. Romaine does seem to be a common food among people sickened.  But I think romaine is a common food? We buy it a lot because it's one of the sturdiest of the salad greens; I imagine others do too.

 

Consumer Reports seems to be driving the "don't eat romaine" campaign right now.  

 

 

[creekland]

We ate salad again yesterday. No problems as of yet.

 

Unless I hear of new illnesses getting reported, I don't plan to change.  I might feel differently if anyone around me were immune compromised.

 

If anyone hears of new illnesses, definitely feel free to add that link on here!

[Catwoman]

Bumping this thread because I just read a new article about this topic:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/e-coli-outbreak-in-us-more-illnesses-reported/ar-BBIdPV4

[Seasider]

Bumping this thread because I just read a new article about this topic:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/e-coli-outbreak-in-us-more-illnesses-reported/ar-BBIdPV4

These dates seem to indicate that we are past the affected window of time.

[Pen]

What causes the e-coli contamination of the lettuce?  Would lettuce grown at home be likely to have it?

[Seasider]

I don't know what is the usual reason, but I would think that fecal matter on someone's hands that gets onto the lettuce during packaging or such would be one way.

 

Being too close to a feedlot or area where animal waste runoff is a problem. I think of commercial farming but I imagine under certain circumstances wildlife in an area could be a problem, as well as contamination at any part in the processing.

[Selkie]

Being too close to a feedlot or area where animal waste runoff is a problem. I think of commercial farming but I imagine under certain circumstances wildlife in an area could be a problem, as well as contamination at any part in the processing.

I've also read that human waste in the fields from farm workers sometimes contaminates crops. :ack2:

[Catwoman]

These dates seem to indicate that we are past the affected window of time.

I agree. But I can’t help but wonder if we’ve heard the end of it, particularly if they haven’t definitively determined what was causing the illnesses or where the mysterious “leafy greens†came from, because we have no way of knowing whether or not the sanitation issues have been addressed.

 

It’s such a nuisance to have to be concerned about eating raw foods that are supposed to be nutritious and healthy. :glare:

[kitten18]

I pulled up this thread while in the store yesterday, looking for an update.

I wasn’t comforted so I chickened out and bought butter lettuce. 😂

 

Maybe in a few more days I’ll go back to the Romaine.

[Seasider]

I've also read that human waste in the fields from farm workers sometimes contaminates crops. :ack2:

I didn't think about that. Ick.