Romaine lettuce in the News Again: CSPI Advises Consumers to Avoid it until FDA Discloses Retailers

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is demanding that the Food and Drug Administration publish the names of retailers who received romaine lettuce from the recent Fresh Express recall. The romaine was implicated in a Cyclospora outbreak traced to McDonald’s salads. So far, according to the CDC, 286 people in 15 states have become ill in the outbreak and 11 people were hospitalized. Cyclospora was confirmed by FDA in a sample of Fresh Express salad mix distributed to McDonald’s. The mix contained carrots and romaine lettuce. The USDA confirmed that chopped romaine from the same lot as the positive sample had also been distributed to other stores, including Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and Walgreens. Neither Fresh Express nor the FDA has published the names of retailers other than McDonald’s who may have received lettuce from the affected lot and sold it to consumers under different brand names. Until the retailers’ names are published, CSPI is advising people to avoid eating romaine lettuce unless they can confirm with the retailer that it was not included in the Fresh Express recall. @ https://cspinet.org/news/cspi-advises-consumers-avoid-romaine-lettuce-until-fda-discloses-retailers-20180801