Consumer alert: E. coli concern leads to recall of two more brands of romaine lettuce
Dole recalled cases of its Organic Romaine Lettuce Hearts 3pk and Wild Harvest Organic Romaine Hearts in 15 states after testing found E. coli in a bag of the Dole product randomly chosen from retail shelves.
The testing was done by Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the same agency that found E. coli in a randomly selected bag of romaine lettuce on sale at a Walmart. But Michigan found Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157:H7 there, but found non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing E. coli in the Dole product.
“As a whole, the non-O157 serogroups are less likely to cause severe illness than E. coli O157, though sometimes they can,” the CDC says.
“Severe illness” can be defined as hemolytic uremic syndrome or HUS, the kidney failure that can make E. coli a fatal illness. Usually, E. coli brings a few days of vomiting, stomachaches and bloody diarrhea.
Here’s what’s known — and not known — about the E. coli outbreak that has hit 6 states
And the relationship of the Dole recall to Tuesday’s Fresh Express romaine lettuce salad kit recall is unknown. That recall involved Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O26.
Also, the Fresh Express recall took product off the shelves in states in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. The Dole and Wild Harvest recall pulls product in states spread coast-to-coast: North Carolina, Arizona, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota and Virginia.
The Dole romaine lettuce has UPC No. 0-71430-90061-1 and combined English/French packaging. The Wild Harvest Organic Romaine Hearts has UPC No. 7-11535-50201-2. Each has a harvested on date of 10-23-20 or 10-26-20.
If you have this lettuce in your refrigerator or freezer, toss it out or return it to the store for a full refund. If you have any salads or dishes you made with this lettuce, toss it out and thoroughly sanitize the utensils and dishes you used.
Anyone with questions should call Dole at 800-356-3111, a 24-hour customer service line.
