E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce from California declared over

Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, Jan. 24, 2012 | Associated Press file photo by Matthew Mead, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — While choosing the right dressing will always be something to think about, salad-eaters can now have some peace of mind thanks to a recent Food and Drug Administration announcement.

Romaine lettuce stock image | Photo by Wmaster890, iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

The FDA has officially declared that the recent outbreak of romaine lettuce contaminated with E. coli bacteria is over.

In November, the FDA recalled romaine lettuce products grown in Salinas, California, after it was determined infected lettuce grown there had led to three separate E. coli outbreaks in November and December.

The FDA credits the recall and public education with limiting nationwide hospitalizations to 85 with no reported deaths.

“There is no longer a need for consumers to avoid [romaine lettuce]. There is also no need to avoid other produce products from Salinas,” Frank Yiannas, FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, said. “It is important to remember that millions of servings of fresh leafy greens are safely eaten every day by consumers, although the repeat nature of these outbreaks linked to leafy greens – and more specifically to romaine lettuce – remains a concern.”

Utah was not among the states the lettuce was distributed in, or the 27 states where illnesses were reported, but many local businesses and markets still took precautions to remove romaine lettuce products from Salinas from their shelves and menus.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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