Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Office of Communications
404-656-3689
E. coli Outbreak Food Safety Memo
(Atlanta, GA) - On Nov. 20, government health agencies in the U.S. and Canada announced an E. coli O157:H7 illness outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, with 32 illnesses reported to date in the U.S. Currently, there are no Georgia illnesses reported. Several produce industry associations have immediately responded, saying they are relying on producers and retail/restaurant customers to support the investigation, and are urging an industry-wide voluntary withdrawal of all romaine currently in the marketplace. The advice to consumers, restaurants and retailers is to NOT eat, serve or sell romaine lettuce at this time. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers to throw away any romaine they may have in their homes, including lettuce mixes containing romaine.
See the full industry statement here, and read FDA and CDC's advisories.
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