Consumer Reports Warns Against Eating Any Romaine Lettuce

Food safety experts at Consumer Reports are advising people in the U.S. and Canada to stop eating romaine lettuce.

During the past seven weeks, 58 people in the U.S. and Canada have become ill from the strain of E. coli O157: H7. One person in each country has died. In the U.S., the infections have been confirmed in 13 states — California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont and Washington.

Until the cause of the current outbreak is known and the implicated food is removed from the supply chain, CR’s experts say consumers should avoid eating any romaine lettuce. It is a recommendation not yet made by either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The source of the E. coli food poisoning is being investigated by FDA and CDC, along with public health officials in Canada. Five people in the U.S. received hospital care, and one has died, according to CDC. There has also been one death reported in Canada.