Check your fridge! Romaine Lettuce Recall

[Ballstater98]

Several reported ill, and one death from E. Coli. Indiana is on the list.

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/EColi-Romaine-Lettuce-Consumer-Reports--468040763.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_CHBrand

 

[Bapak2ja]

Just soak it in bleach water for an hour before eating it. No big deal. We did it regularly while living in Borneo.

 

[Gaffer]

Just had some two nights ago.. So far so good..

Ron

 

[SMiller]

Iceburg lettuce FTW

 

[avboiler11]

Isn't romaine lettuce what food eats?

 

[indiucky]

Isn't romaine lettuce what food eats?

Yes....

 

[Bapak2ja]

Iceburg lettuce FTW

I prefer iceberg.

 

[nra4ever]

I have a few heads in the fridge. 2 already eaten and 4 to go. If it has not killed me yet I think I'll be ok. Got mine from Costco.

 

[Leadeye]

Stuff has to be coming from cali or fla, where else could you grow it this time of year?

 

[KMaC]

Stuff has to be coming from cali or fla, where else could you grow it this time of year?

Mexico.

 

[nra4ever]

Mine says product of USA from California.

 

[bwframe]

Two heads in my cooler drawer now from Kroger. Though I'd try romaine for a change.

 

[Jeepster48439]

Neither the FDA nor the CDC have called for a recall. As of right now, it is fake news.

Just soak it in bleach water for an hour before eating it. No big deal.

Did the same when stationed in Spain.

 

[Ballstater98]

Well, it's expanding to "leafy greens."
https://www.consumerreports.org/e-coli/new-cases-ecoli-outbreak/

 

[bwframe]

Is spinach considered "leafy greens?"

 

[Ballstater98]

Is spinach considered "leafy greens?"

Yep. Here is a list: https://www.gardeningchannel.com/list-of-green-leafy-vegetables/

 

[Ballstater98]

Here is a more complete list with pictures: Leafy Vegetables

 

[Ballstater98]

This is still going on? Looks like I have been rolling the dice.
E. coli outbreak now in 11 states - Story | WFLD

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Ref: bleach soaks

I wondered if vinegar might be an option, as I'd rather not bleach my food and vinegar goes with veggies anyway. This certainly isn't my wheelhouse, but I found this info:

“If these E. coli bacteria were just floating around in a bucket of water, a little bleach or even some vinegar would kill them right away,” Dr. Brackett explains. “But once the bacteria have attached themselves to the surface of a vegetable, they become much harder to kill.”

When these bacteria attach to a surface, they produce a substance called “biofilm,” which encases the bacteria in a sort of shell and helps them stick to whatever they’ve latched onto. This coating keeps them from being washed away and also protects them from chemicals that could otherwise disable them. In other words, adding a few drops of bleach to the water you use to wash vegetables will kill any bacteria in the water but won’t do much to the bacteria on the vegetables.

E. coli doesn’t just sit around on the surface of vegetables, either. The bacteria can also penetrate into the interior tissues of the plant, where no sanitizer can reach them. And here's another reason that chemical sanitization can’t guarantee your safety: Even if a sanitizer succeeded in killing 99.9% of the bacteria present, that could still leave thousands of viable cells--and it only takes one to make you sick.

The guy is a professor in food science and does research on microbiological food safety, so I figure he knows. https://appliedtech.iit.edu/people/robert-e-brackett-phd

So it doesn't look like a bleach/vinegar soak is really reducing your risk.

 

[Ballstater98]

53 people in 16 states now...Yuma, has a serious problem.