The Center for Disease Control issued an unusually strong alert for consumers to avoid eating romaine lettuce. The warning also included retailers and restaurants not selling or serving it. The reason is an E. coli outbreak in the U.S. and Canada that’s sickened at least 32 people. No deaths have been attributed to the outbreak. Politico notes the CDC action says officials have pinned the cause of the outbreak on romaine lettuce. However, the action doesn’t pinpoint the region where the outbreak began. Federal health officials don’t normally take this kind of action until they have more specific information on the source of the outbreak. Officials are stepping up their efforts to prevent future illnesses. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb (GOT-leeb) says his agency believes the source of the outbreak likely is California. He also said the industry needs to improve its tracking system in order to find the source when problems arise. “Our first mandate is to protect public health,” Gottlieb says, “all while we fully recognize that this will cause extreme hardship for growers and consumers.” Major produce industry groups say they’re following the FDA direction to pull the product.
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