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Washington E. coli Scare is Latest Produce-Related Outbreak

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

The recent Washington State E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that left 10 people ill, several requiring brief hospitalization, was officially linked to commercial romaine lettuce and is the most recent scare that has left people uncertain about the safety of leafy greens. 

High-profile lettuce-associated outbreaks in the past few years have helped to draw attention to the impact a produce-related outbreak can have.  A large outbreak in September, 2006 linked to Dole Pre-Packaged Spinach resulted in 205 confirmed cases and three deaths. 

The late 2006 outbreak at Taco Bell restaurants in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania was linked by the FDA to shredded iceberg lettuce.  The Taco Bell outbreak left 71 people confirmed ill, 53 hospitalized and 8 who developed the severe complication of hemolytic uremic syndrome.

In November and December of 2006, another E. coli O157:H7 oubreak at Taco John's left 81 sick in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Twenty-six victims were hospitalized and two developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.  This outbreak was linked to iceberg lettuce grown on Wegis Ranch in Buttonwillow, California. 

As a consumer, the best thing to do to prevent produce related illness is to cook produce before it is consumed to ensure any pathogens are killed.  But as most people don't like cooked salad, all that can be done by the consumer is to thoroughly wash leafy greens with running water before they are consumed.  However, only 100-200 E. coli O157:H7 bacterium are required to cause infection, so it is highly unlikely that simple washing of produce can prevent the spread of infection.  For more information, please see our page on food poisoning prevention.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on June 09, 2008 (boomark / email).