Consumer Reports and Canadian Officials Warn: Don't Eat Romaine Lettuce

Consumer Reports' food safety experts and Canadian health officials 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. in 13 states (California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont and Washington) and Canada have become ill from the strain of E. coli O157: H7. One person in each country has died. Because of the current outbreak is known and the implicated food has not been removed from the supply chain, CR’s experts say consumers should avoid eating any romaine lettuce. Canadian health authorities identified romaine lettuce from various locations as the source of the outbreak and advise people in the country’s eastern provinces to consider eating other types of salad until further notice. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not yet made this recommendation pending investigation. Click here to read more about the romaine E. coli outbreak.