Update

December 7, 2018

The Food and Drug Administration has been continuing their investigations into an E. coli outbreak has identified numerous potential sources of the pathogen, suggesting no single farm, processor or distributor is involved. Investigators who have been inspecting California farms and lettuce facilities for almost two weeks have yet to find E. coli in sample testing.

According to the update, information collected up to Dec. 6 indicates the romaine likely came from an area that includes Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Ventura counties. The FDA is using shipping records and invoices to trace the romaine, aided by its Produce Safety Network, which includes personnel from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, who provide region-specific expertise on produce safety policy and science, along with others from the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs, who specialize in safety inspections and investigations.

“The investigation teams have been collecting romaine lettuce, soil, water, and scat samples,” according to the Dec 6 notice. “To date, E. coli O157:H7 has not been found in any of the lettuce, soil or scat samples. Results of water testing being conducted by CDC are pending.”

The FDA reiterated that romaine grown outside of the six California counties is safe to eat.

Foster’s IGA will have Romaine Lettuce back in stores on December 10, 2018. These batches of lettuce were grown and shipped from Yuma, Arizona.

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Update

December 4, 2018

Foster’s IGA would like to update our customers that Romaine Lettuce will be back in our stores by December 10, 2018.

Our Romaine Lettuce will be shipped from areas that have been unaffected and are deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

Please continue to follow up on updates as we will inform you when stocks have been fully replenished in our stores.

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Update

November 29, 2018

Foster’s IGA would like to update our customers that we are working to replenish our Romaine Lettuce in stores as soon as possible.

Our Romaine Lettuce will be shipped from areas that have been unaffected and are deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

Please continue to follow up on updates as we will inform you when stocks have been fully replenished in our stores.

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Update

November 27, 2018

The Food and Drug Administration has released an advisory for Romaine grown in Florida, Mexico and Desert Growing Regions. The advisory states the following:

“Preliminary traceback information indicates that ill people in several areas across the country were exposed to romaine lettuce harvested in the Central Coast growing regions of northern and central California. Romaine harvested from locations outside of the California regions identified by the traceback investigation do not appear to be related to the current E. coli outbreak.

There is no recommendation for consumers or retailers to avoid using romaine lettuce that is certain to have been harvested from areas outside of the Central Coast growing regions of northern and central California. For example, romaine lettuce harvested from areas that include, but are not limited to the desert growing region near Yuma, the California desert growing region near Imperial County and Riverside County, the state of Florida, and Mexico, does not appear to be related to the current outbreak. Additionally, there is no evidence hydroponically- and greenhouse-grown romaine is related to the current outbreak.”

For more from the FDA – click here.

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November 20th, 2018

Foster’s IGA would like to announce that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a recall on all Romaine Lettuce.

The CDC is advising that U.S. consumers not eat any romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any, until we learn more about the outbreak. This investigation is ongoing and the advice will be updated as more information is available.

• Consumers who have any type of romaine lettuce in their home should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick.
  • This advice includes all types or uses of romaine lettuce, such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, and bags and boxes of precut lettuce and salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad.
  • If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine or whether a salad mix contains romaine, do not eat it and throw it away.
  • Wash and sanitize drawers or shelves in refrigerators where romaine was stored. Follow these five steps to clean your refrigerator.

For more from the CDC – click here.

Escherichia coli 0157:H7. is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Although most strains are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, this strain produces a powerful toxin and can cause severe illness.

This infection often causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps while sometimes the infection causes non-bloody diarrhea or shows no symptoms. Little or no fever may be present and the illness resolves in 5 to 10 days.
In some persons, particularly children under 5 years of age and the elderly, the infection can also cause a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. About 2%-7% of infections lead to this complication.

If you believe you are experiencing symptoms or have questions regarding your health, please contact your physician immediately.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the recall, please do not hesitate to reach out by email
([email protected]) or by phone (345-945-7283).

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