The Centers for Disease Control issued a food safety alert on Tuesday warning consumers to avoid all romaine lettuce due to another multi-state E. coli outbreak in the U.S. and Canada.
Are there any Washington cases?
Not yet. The CDC food safety alert website shows 32 reported E. coli cases in 11 states. None of them are in Washington.
How long will this last?
Bill Marler, a food safety attorney with Marler Clark in Seattle, expects the alert to last a few more weeks. The shelf life of romaine lettuce is 3-4 weeks, Marler said, so it would likely be mid-December once the threat has cleared.
Why do I have to clean out my refrigerator if I had romaine in it?
E. coli can spread simply by touching a surface or another food product, so the CDC advises throwing away any food that has come into contact with romaine, and thoroughly washing surfaces the lettuce touched. Also, washing the lettuce won’t guarantee your safety, because bacteria can lurk in microscopic crevices on the leaves.
How does lettuce get contaminated?
Water and dust are often the culprits. Winds can blow contaminated dust and dirt from livestock operations across several acres, covering crops of lettuce. Water, either in the form of irrigation or floods, can become contaminated by livestock waste runoff. There are no U.S. standards for irrigation water testing or safety, Marler said, and the primary reason for contamination is that crops are grown too close to livestock.
