“Who grew the Salad?”

I think that may have been a commercial jingle from the 60’s?

Last night I talked about the eight people locked up together eating the same romaine lettuce at the same time being an epidemiologist’s dream – especially when those eight people are linked to some 50 illnesses linked to romaine lettuce in the “lower 48.”  You can be assured that the purchasing office will know who supplied the romaine and that supplier will most assuredly know who processed the romaine and that processor likely knows who grew it in Yuma, Arizona – case closed.

According to a press release, Alaska state officials are responding to an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis caused by Escherichia coli (E.coli) O157:H7 bacteria in the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center in Nome. Eight confirmed cases have been identified to date. The recently discovered cases appear to be connected to a nationwide E. coli outbreak affecting at least 53 persons in 16 states and linked to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona.

The FDA has warned retailers, restaurants, and other food service operators should not sell or serve any chopped romaine lettuce from the winter growing areas in Yuma, Arizona.

For consumers the FDA suggested that they should ask retailers where their romaine lettuce was sourced from and not eat or buy chopped romaine lettuce from Yuma, Arizona, and if you have already bought products containing chopped romaine lettuce, such as bagged salads, salad mixes or prepared salads, throw them away and do not eat them.

However as of yesterday , the FDA did not have information to indicate that whole-head romaine lettuce or hearts of romaine have contributed to this outbreak.

Now, apparently the Alaska department of corrections purchasing office know not only who supplied the romaine, but also who grew it and in what form.  So, as I said, “Who grew the Salad?”  And, was it just “chopped romaine lettuce” or was the lettuce to Alaska “whole-head romaine lettuce?”

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.