A state agency has some advice for people who like romaine lettuce: if you can't prove it's safe, don't eat it.
The American Food Safety Council reports 11 states have been infected with the E. coli strand spread by romaine lettuce. The states already known by the CDC to have been infected includes Michigan...and states on both coasts, plus Ohio and Missouri. Romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona has been determined to be the corrupted product. However, the Centers for Disease Control is still unsure which specific supplier is the cause of the outbreak, having yet to tie it down to one common supplier.
Leeann Duwe of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has this word of caution...
"....at this time, consumers should not be consuming romaine lettuce unless they can confirm it is not from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. That also applies to restaurants and retailers. Consumers, restaurants and retailers should be confirming where there romain is coming from and if they can't, they shouldn't be consuming it...."
E coli bacteria causes severe digestive problems and can lead to death for some individuals. Duwe says make contact with your health care provider if you have symptoms. So far there have been 35 reported cases of illness from consumption of this tainted romaine lettuce.
Wisconsin is not officially listed as a state with problems, but Duwe says the state is meeting with federal officials each week....
"....be aware that packaging labels and product labels don't always identify what the growing region is that the lettuce comes from. So if consumers, restaurants and retailers cannot identify that information they should not be consuming romaine lettuce at this time..."
Duwe says there is information on the Centers For Disease Control website. We have a linkhere.
