Cauliflower And Lettuce Recalled Due to Potential E. Coli
Adam Bros. Farming, Inc., one of the farms that was linked to the earlier romaine lettuce recall, is also recalling their red and green leaf lettuce and cauliflower, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The additional veggies being recalled were harvested on November 27 through November 30, and may have been contaminated with E. coli.
Image courtesy of Adam Bros. Farming
None of the vegetables included in the recall have tested positive for E. coli, but the farm is voluntarily recalling them in an abundance of caution after sediment in a reservoir near where the veggies were grown tested positive for the same strain of E. coli that caused the romaine lettuce recall (E. coli O157: H7). Water from the reservoir is used to irrigate crops at the farm, but it’s filtered and treated before coming into contact with the veggies. None of the filtered water has tested positive for E. coli either.
Additionally, no illnesses have been reported yet in relation to the recalled lettuce or cauliflower. The cauliflower was distributed to wholesalers in Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The red and green leaf lettuce was distributed in California, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Also, packages of just red leaf lettuce were distributed to a wholesaler in Minnesota.
Image courtesy of Adam Bros. Farming
The recalled products can be identified by carton tag numbers and pallet numbers, so it’s likely that grocery stores and restaurants will toss out the lettuce and cauliflower in the new recall before it gets to consumers. However, the Adam Bros. recall has also prompted a sub-recall by Spokane Produce Inc. that used some of the recalled lettuce in its ready-to-eat sandwiches sold at grocery stores in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Oregon.
Though Adam Bros. Farming was one of the farms linked to the romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak, it’s likely not the only source. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are still investigating the romaine lettuce outbreak, and are advising consumers not to eat any romaine that was harvested from Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Barbara counties in California. As of December 13, 11 different distributors, nine growers, and eight farms had been identified as possible sources of contaminated lettuce.
So far, 59 people in 15 different states have gotten sick from eating romaine lettuce, and 23 have been hospitalized. In order to stay safe, the CDC recommends that consumers avoid buying, serving, selling, or eating romaine lettuce if it’s not labeled or if they’re not sure where it came from. Romaine lettuce being sold in stores should have a new label with the harvest location and harvest date, so you can double-check where your lettuce was grown before adding it to your cart.
