Romaine Lettuce Outbreak: FDA Identifies Cattle Operation Near Contaminated Canal Water
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the newly formed Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force, met for 2 days to share preliminary hypotheses from the Environmental Assessment in the Yuma, AZ, growing region to facilitate conversations with state and local officials, industry and local growers on the hypotheses and associated actions necessary to prevent such an outbreak from occurring again.
It was previously reported that nearby canal water samples had tested positive for Escherichia coli O157:H7— the same strain linked to the ongoing romaine lettuce outbreak that has thus far sickened 210 people in 36 states. Ninety-six people have been hospitalized and five people have died. The canal water could have contaminated the lettuce via direct irrigation, or through other means.