Recall of the Week: Lettuce contaminated with E. coli

Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, has announced a voluntary recall of certain romaine lettuce products because of the possible connection between the recalled lettuce and an outbreak of foodborne illness.

The outbreak, which is under investigation, involves cases in Michigan, Ohio, and New York of illnesses due to infection with E. coli O145, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recalled shredded romaine lettuce was sold to wholesalers, food service outlets, and some in-store salad bars and delis in the following states: Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The recalled lettuce has a "best if used by" date of May 12 or earlier. The Freshway Foods advises restaurants, distributors, and retailers to throw out or refrain from using shredded romaine lettuce from Freshway Foods with these "use by" dates. In addition, Freshway Foods is advising consumers not to eat "grab and go" salads sold in-store salad bars and delis at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets, and Marsh stores.

Evidence has implicated shredded romaine lettuce from one processing facility as a source of infections in the multistate outbreak to which this recall may be related, reports the FDA.

Nineteen confirmed cases of E. coli O145 illnesses have been reported from Michigan, Ohio, and New York. These illnesses include 12 individuals who have been hospitalized, and three with a potentially life threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome or HUS. HUS is a serious condition in which the body’s blood-clotting mechanisms are altered, causing blocked circulation or bleeding in the brain or kidneys.

For more information on this recall, see www.cdc.gov/ecoli/.

For a listing of other recent recalls, see www.recalls.gov.