NY E.coli Outbreak: Avoid Romaine Lettuce, Says Consumer Reports

Hudson Valley residents should stop eating romaine lettuce until the cause of an E. coli outbreak is identified and the offending product is removed from store shelves, consumer advocacy group Consumer Reports says. The announcement was made this week following an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 58 people in the United States and Canada, with the source of the tainted product still undetermined.

People in 13 states, including New York, were infected between Nov. 15 and Dec. 8. One New York case was reported to the CDC. The outbreak has led to five hospitalizations and one death, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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.

Two other outbreak victims have developed kidney failure, according to Food Safety News. There are 41 confirmed victims in Canada, 17 of which had to be hospitalized. One Canadian victim died.

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."

Image via Janice Haney Carr/CDC

Reporting by Kara Seymour, Patch National Staff