The CDC expands Romaine recall

The  current Romaine lettuce recall  was expanded to include the state of Tennessee as the state confirms several cases of E.Coli exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michigan, Ohio, New York and Tennessee have a combined total of 23 confirmed cases of E.Coli. Another seven persons are listed as having probable exposure to the bacteria. Most of those affected are between the ages of 13 and 31 years of age. The recall includes lettuce sold to food service distributors and does not include lettuce sold on retail outlets.

Romaine Lettuce Recall

Ohio-based Freshway Foods issued a recall of romaine lettuce Thursday because of possible E-Coli contamination, according to a FDA.gov press release.

The lettuce, packaged under the brands Freshway and Imperial Sysco was distributed to wholesalers 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 lettuce was also sold to Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets, and Marsh for use in their in-store deli counters and salad bars.

The lettuce was not sold in retail pre-packaged bags or salad mixes and isn’t affected by the recall.  E-Coli is commonly found in the lower intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals and the organism is commonly an indicator of fecal contamination.

For more information, visit http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm211131.htm