Investigations into outbreaks traced to lettuce and cucumbers continue

The Food and Drug Administration is continuing to investigate multiple foodborne outbreaks.

For an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak traced to a blend of iceberg and romaine chopped lettuce, the patient count has increased to 86, up from 75 a week ago. The sick people are spread across 12 states, and the Food and Drug Administration is not yet reporting which states are involved.

Illnesses began in mid-November, and the FDA first reported the outbreak on Dec. 4.

The FDA is not naming the lettuce supplier, even though they have identified it.

The FDA reports that the unnamed supplier sold a mix of iceberg and romaine lettuce to caterers, restaurants, and schools. Although the CDC is involved in the investigation, the agency has not yet added the situation to its outbreak list.

The FDA suggests that the supplier is not being named because all of the impacted lettuce should be off the market at this point. The agency has initiated an inspection of the supplier.

“FDA’s traceback investigation has identified an iceberg and romaine lettuce blend from a common supplier as the source of this outbreak; however, the impacted product identified to date appears to be past shelf life and no longer on the market. FDA is continuing to work with the supplier to determine if any additional product could be impacted,” according to a statement from the agency.

According to the FDA, there does not “appear” to be an ongoing risk to consumers. The agency does not recommend that consumers avoid iceberg or romaine lettuce.

In other outbreak news, the patient count in an E. coli O145:H28 outbreak has increased to 8, up from 7 a week ago. The FDA is not reporting where the patients live. The FDA first reported the outbreak on Dec. 11. The agency has begun traceback efforts but is not yet reporting what food is being traced.

For an outbreak of E. coli O121:H19 infections traced to organic carrots from Grimmway Farms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared the outbreak over. The FDA investigation has ended, but it is still consulting with Grimmway Farms to ensure that another outbreak does not occur. There were 48 patients confirmed across 19 states, 20 of whom required hospitalization. One patient died, and another developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can cause kidney failure and brain damage.

An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections traced to cucumbers from Mexico continues, having so far sickened 68 people with 18 of them requiring hospitalization. The numbers were distributed nationwide, and outbreak patients have been confirmed in 19 states from coast to coast. The FDA first reported the outbreak on Nov. 27. Importers SunFed Produce, Baloian Farms and Russ Davis distributed the cucumbers to other companies, including retailers. Several companies have initiated recalls about the outbreak. 

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