FDA and CDC have posted updates for the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to romaine lettuce harvested in Salinas, California.
FDA and states continues to investigate the cause of this outbreak. FDA immediately sent investigators to three farms identified in the traceback investigation. Investigators have sampled soil, animal droppings, compost, water and other environmental sources. These samples along with other information collected during the farm investigations are currently being analyzed.
FDA continues to advise consumers not to eat romaine lettuce harvested in Salinas, CA and to not consume any recalled products announced by USDA on Nov. 21., 2019. Retailers/Restaurants should not sell/serve romaine lettuce harvested in Salinas, CA. Suppliers/Distributors and others in the supply chain should not ship/sell romaine lettuce harvested in Salinas, CA.
CDC reports that the case has increased. As of December 2, 2019, 102 illnesses have been reported from 23 states. The illness onset date ranges from September 24 to November 18. Currently, the onset dates for illnesses reported to date are prior to the public warning issued on November 22.
Links to Investigation Reports from December 4, 2019:
CDA: https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2019/o157h7-11-19/index.html
As a reminder, FMI Strongly Recommends implementing the FMI Recommended Food Safety Practices for Leafy Greens and purchasing from suppliers with food safety practices outlined in the document. FMI also recommends reviewing the memos linked below on supply chain agreements.
Leafy Greens Best Practices Document: https://www.fmi.org/docs/default-source/food-safety/leafy-greens-guide19_aug19.pdf
McGuire Woods memo on Best Practices in Supply Chain Agreements:
Supply Chain Best Practices from Alston & Bird:
