Romaine Lettuce Warning In Texas After 40 Fall Ill From E.coli

After multiple illnesses connected to an E.coli outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling consumers not to eat any romaine lettuce that has been harvested from the growing region of Salinas, California.

In a warning issued a week before Thanksgiving and nearly a year after an almost identical warning in 2018, the agency is advising that “consumers not eat and retailers not sell any romaine lettuce harvested from the Salinas, California growing region.”

Most romaine lettuce products are now labeled with a harvest location showing where they were grown.

The advice is intended for all types of lettuce products: whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, packages of pre-cut lettuce, salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad.

Anyone who has romaine lettuce in their homes should check the packaging to see if “Salinas” is listed on the label. If it does, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says to throw away the products and not eat them.

If a salad does not have the harvesting region listed on it, the agency’s advice is to throw it away.

The same packaging advice applies to anyone shopping for romaine lettuce.

Texas grocery store chain HEB says it has removed all romaine lettuce products from its stores.

There have been no reports of illnesses from HEB customers, the company said.

"This is in response to the CDC and the FDA issuing a notice to retailers and suppliers to withdraw romaine lettuce harvested from Salinas, California due to a potential contamination of E. coli," the company said.

HEB customers can get a full refund for any romaine lettuce products and can call customer service at 1-855-432-4438 with any questions.

In connection with the E.coli outbreak, a number of salad products were previously recalled for possible contamination. The recalled products have "use by" dates ranging from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1. The recalled products were shipped to distribution locations in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

A total of 40 people have become sick in the outbreak in 16 states.

Illnesses have been reported in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of E.coli infection vary from person to person but often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting.

“Some people may have a fever, which usually is not very high (less than 101˚F/38.5˚C),” the agency writes. “ Most people get better within 5 to 7 days. Some infections are very mild, but others are severe or even life-threatening.”

You can find more information about symptoms of E.coli infection via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the 2018 outbreak, the tainted lettuce was ultimately traced back to California. After having to issue such a broad warning in 2018, the Food and Drug Administration said new lettuce products entering the market would be labeled with a harvest location and date moving forward.