No Texans Have Gotten Sick Yet in Romaine Lettuce Recall
Pre-chopped romaine lettuce is part of a huge recall right now over fears about E.coli, and some people have had to be hospitalized and a few even have kidney failure. But no Texans have fallen ill yet after eating it.
The package in your fridge will list one specific growing area that's the big concern.
I was in my neighborhood grocery store on Sunday, and there was NO romaine lettuce left on the shelf at all. None. The store removed every package and put up a sign with notice of the recall, and said they were doing it out of an abundance of caution. That may be the best move, since the romaine that's out there has already made a few people very sick.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the recall affects pre-chopped romaine lettuce that came from the Yuma, Arizona growing area.
The growing region is usually easy to find on the back of the package, but if we're getting the romaine from a restaurant the CDC wants us to ask for the growing source to be sure it's not Yuma. It can get serious.
The Dallas Morning News said this E. coli outbreak has sickened 35 people in 11 states, and three have suffered kidney failure because of it. We're wondering if there are more cases and if some who get sick think they just have a stomach bug and they don't bother to trace it to what they ate, and those cases don't get reported or added to the total.
The Mayo Clinic says signs and symptoms of E. coli infection typically begin three or four days after exposure to the bacteria, but it could be as soon as one day after to more than a week later. All of the people who got sick from the bad lettuce developed the symptoms between March 22 and 31. Signs and symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting.
Spinach, kale, spring mix, and other healthy greens are unaffected by the recall so we're in the clear with most of the produce section. Just avoid the pre-chopped romaine from Yuma at the grocery store, ask restaurants for the growing source, and send some love to the ones whose lives have changed from eating that bad lettuce. They're were just tryin' to be healthy.