CDC: Avoid romaine lettuce
ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control is expanding a previous warning to consumers to cover all types of romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region, according to information released by the CDC.
This warning now includes whole heads and hearts of romaine lettuce, in addition to chopped romaine and salads and salad mixes containing romaine.
Do not buy or eat romaine lettuce at a grocery store or restaurant unless you can confirm it is not from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region, the release states.
Unless the source of the product is known, consumers anywhere in the United States who have any store-bought romaine lettuce at home should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick, the CDC states.
Product labels often do not identify growing regions; so, throw out any romaine lettuce if you’re uncertain about where it was grown, according to the CDC. This includes whole heads and hearts of romaine, chopped romaine, and salads and salad mixes containing romaine lettuce. If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine, do not eat it and throw it away.
Restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell any romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region.
The expanded warning is based on information from newly reported illnesses in Alaska. Ill people in Alaska reported eating lettuce from whole heads of romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region.