So apparently, the Centers For Disease Control is advising that no one consume any Romaine lettuce at all.
What I don't understand: what's different about Romaine? Why not green or red leaf lettuce, or iceberg?
Is it something biologic in Romaine, or is all Romaine produced in one infected area, or is Romaine grown or harvested differently from other lettuces?
This is bugging me!
A man goes to the doctor with a piece of lettuce hanging out of his ear.
The doctor says: "That looks bad!"
The man replies: "Bad?! That's just the tip of the iceberg!"
i think it's too difficult to track exactly where the contaminated romaine is centered so they're just recalling it all.
buy from local producers!
Personal experience here. . . we had been buying romaine and mixed salads in a plastic container with a lid, and started have loose bowel problems. Suspicious of the source I did some research and found that the irrigation sprayers com from deep wells that are obviously contaminated and haven't been tested. We found the same type of lettuce in bags, and had the same problem. I hope this helps. I'm glad to find out that they are finally recalling it. But now where do get lettuce that is safe?
Somehow Romaine lettuce has been contaminated by E-coli bacteria. E-coli comes from fecal matter better known as poop or manure. If the manure is not seasoned well the E-coli remains in the poop and contaminates the food grown in the field. It can also come from food handlers not having proper hygiene and not properly washing their hands after using the bathroom.
I read an article from the CDC that the source has been traced to California was the early findings but they are still not sure, so the best advice is to get rid of all Romaine lettuce. They are also advising everyone to sanitize the area of your fridge where the lettuce was stored.
I worked in a deli about 20 yrs ago and we sanitized all fresh fruits and veggies before cutting and using in salads. We used about a tablespoon of bleach to a quart of water and let them air dry, the chlorine evaporates as it dries. We never had any food borne illness from our deli. I called my local health department today and asked if this was possible to do in this case and they said no the CDC is saying not to take chances and throw it out.
It nearly kills me to throw out food.
The problem they ran into is that its difficult to figure out exactly where produce is coming from once it hit the food chain. So to err on the side of safety they advised not to eat any romaine. I'm pretty sure if they ran into the same issue with another type of lettuce they'd do the same.
The recall is for romaine because only romaine is common to all the people who became sick. ie. All the sick people ate romaine. Not all of the sick people ate other lettuces/greens.
