Avoid Romaine Lettuce After Indiana E. Coli Outbreak: Report

If you live in Indiana and eat romaine lettuce, you might want to stop until the cause of an E. Coli outbreak is identified and the product is taken off store shelves, Consumer Report says. The consumer advocacy organization announced this week following an E. Coli outbreak that sickened at least 58 people in 13 states and Canada, as the source of the tainted product is still undetermined. People in Indiana and 12 other states were infected between Nov. 15 and Dec. 8.

The Centers for Disease Control said this outbreak has led to five hospitalizations and one death. A second death was reported in Canada and two other people are "gravely ill," according to Food Safety News.

Canadian authorities have identified romaine lettuce as the culprit behind the deadly outbreak, but American health officials say they continue to investigate it. The CDC has not yet told consumers avoid romaine lettuce or any other food because no specific product has been recalled, the agency said.

"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," the CDC said on its website.

But Consumer Reports is warning Americans to exercise caution and avoid the product altogether.

"Even though we can't say with 100 percent certainty that romaine lettuce is the cause of the E. coli outbreak in the U.S., a greater degree of caution is appropriate given that lettuce is almost always consumed raw," said James Rogers, Ph.D., Director of Food Safety and Research at Consumer Reports.

The CDC says it continues to interview infected people to determine what they ate in the week before their illness started. "CDC is still collecting information to determine whether there is a food item in common among sick people, including leafy greens and romaine," the agency said on its website.

Researchers at Consumer Reports say they fear "people could eat a lot of potentially contaminated romaine while waiting for a company recall or for the CDC and FDA to identify the specific source of the outbreak."

Kara Seymour, Patch National Staff, contributed to this piece

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