UPDATE 11/27/18: After warning Americans last week to abstain from eating any romaine lettuce after a widespread E.coli outbreak, federal health officials said late Monday that some romaine is safe again.
According to ABC News, The Food and Drug Administration determined that the romaine tied to the outbreak comes from "end of season" lettuce harvested California's Central Coast regions of central and northern California.
"Based on further discussions with the leafy greens industry and with agricultural authorities, we have begun to narrow the location in which we believe the contaminated romaine in the current outbreak was grown. At the time of the outbreak, the vast majority of the romaine on the market was being grown in the Central Coast region of California. Since, then harvesting of romaine lettuce from this region has ended for the year," FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said.
In short, if you don't know where your lettuce was grown, still best to stay away.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new romaine lettuce recall Tuesday—just in time to throw off your Thanksgiving dinner meal prep. Here's what you need to know to avoid turning your holiday into an outbreak.
The recall comes after reports of a multi-state outbreak of E. coli, which has so far sickened 32 people in 11 states, plus another 18 people in Canada. "CDC is advising that U.S. consumers not eat any romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any, until we learn more about the outbreak," the organization stated.
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The warnings indicate the romaine lettuce recall is widespread—unlike others that apply only to certain brands, states, or stores, the CDC is currently considering all romaine lettuce unsafe to eat. This means if you have whole, bagged, or boxed romaine in your fridge, throw it out. If you have a salad mix that contains romaine lettuce, throw it out. Even if you have romaine that you've eaten and haven't gotten sick from, throw it out. The CDC is even suggesting washing your fridge shelf or drawer where the romaine was kept. Avoid ordering it at restaurants or buying it at retailers.
Why the all the precautions? E. coli is nothing to mess around with—standard outbreak symptoms include cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting—but this particular strain, called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, can be especially severe. So far, 13 people have been hospitalized from the outbreak in the U.S., including one person who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, though no deaths have been reported, according to the CDC.
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If you did eat contaminated lettuce, you'll know pretty quickly. Symptoms can show up anywhere from one to 10 days after exposure, the CDC says. Most cases are mild, so don't panic. But if you're still feeling sick after three days, have a high fever or can't keep any liquids down, don't wait until after the holiday weekend to see a doctor.
And if romaine was anywhere on your Thanksgiving menu, make an emergency switch to spinach.
