U. S. and Canadian health officials are investigating whether contaminated romaine lettuce caused dozens of E. coli infections leading to one death.
Jan. 4 (UPI) — U. S. and Canadian health officials are investigating whether contaminated romaine lettuce caused dozens of E. coli infections leading to one death.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said it found enough evidence to link 41 cases of E. coli to the vegetable, though the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is still attempting to determine the cause.
« We strive to be fast and right…. We wish we knew more and we’re working hard to get there. But we don’t have enough evidence yet, » Dr. Ian Williams, chief of the CDC’s Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch, told the Chicago Tribune.
The CDC said it’s unable to recommend whether Americans should stop eating romaine lettuce, but Consumer Reports issued a warning Wednesday. It’s also advising that stores remove the item from store shelves.
« 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, director of food safety and research at Consumer Reports .
Canadian health officials said they continue to receive reports of illness linked to romaine lettuce and that contaminated product may still be on the market.
Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union, the non-profit policy arm of Consumer Reports, told the Tribune it’s unusual for the magazine to issue a warning if the CDC hasn’t.
« [The CDC and FDA are] being very conservative and cautious about this, but for consumers it’s a very simple thing to do to buy another kind of leafy green until more is known about the risk, » she said.
