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CDC Updates E. coli Outbreak Numbers
There are now 39 cases in the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, according to a CDC notice on Nov. 23. The previous number of ill people was 16, according to the CDC. Cases have been reported in 18 states; there have been no deaths
By CHRIS KOGER November 25, 2020
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added 16 more people to an E. coli outbreak investigation of unknown origin.
There are now 39 cases in the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, according to a CDC notice on Nov. 23. The previous number of ill people was 16, according to the CDC. Cases have been reported in 18 states; there have been no deaths.
The CDC and Food and Drug Administration are not advising people to avoid any particular food at this time.
“State and local public health officials are interviewing ill people to determine what they ate and other exposures in the week before they got sick,” according to the CDC’s Nov. 23 update. “Of the 22 ill people interviewed to date, all reported eating a variety of leafy greens, like spinach (16), romaine lettuce (15), iceberg lettuce (12), and mixed bag lettuce (8). No single type or brand of leafy greens or other food item has been identified as the source of this outbreak. CDC is not advising people to avoid any particular food at this time.
Is High-Risk Romaine Simply The New Normal?
We’re in the midst of the fifth E. coli outbreak from leafy greens in just two years. It’s also the second outbreak announcement in the last month
We’re in the midst of the fifth E. coli outbreak from leafy greens in just two years. It’s also the second outbreak announcement in the last month.
November 25th, 2019
by Jesse Hirsch
Update 11/26/2019, 5:22 p.m.: CDC updated the number of victims from 40 to 69 since this story published yesterday. The number of states involved has increased from 16 to 19, and hospitalizations increased from 28 to 39. We will continue to update this story.
You’re forgiven if you mixed up Friday’s announcement of an E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce with the other E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce announced earlier this month. Or, perhaps you’ve confused it with the E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce around Thanksgiving 2018, or that other one near Thanksgiving 2017.
“Our leafy green supply chain is simply not good,” says Angela Anandappa, supply chain expert and executive director of product safety watchdog Alliance for Advanced Sanitation. “What’s particularly bad is it’s starting to seem like we’re licked.”
The latest outbreak, unfortunately, timed to coincide with one of this country’s biggest food holidays, is a new strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli 0157:H7 that appears to be particularly virulent. Of the 40 victims across 16 states identified thus far, 28 have been hospitalized. Five of these victims have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a very dangerous type of kidney failure. Laura Whitlock, communications lead for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Outbreak Response and Prevention team, says the agency will likely announce more victims before Thanksgiving.
Related: What if we could detect E. coli in an hour?
“This is very much an ongoing investigation,” she says. “New data is coming in hourly, and we’re out there trying to tell restaurants and retailers what they should tell their customers.”
This particular E. coli outbreak seems to have roots in Salinas, California, one of the two main growing regions in the United States, also known as the country’s “salad bowl.” Past outbreaks have stemmed from Yuma, Arizona, where most of our lettuce is grown in the winter.
As with past outbreaks, CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates about 75 percent of our food supply, are trying to walk a line between overbroad recommendations (i.e,. “Avoid all romaine lettuce”) and hyper-specific information that could confuse the public. The agencies’ current advice—avoid any romaine lettuce with a label showing it’s grown in Salinas, or doesn’t say where it was grown, unless it’s hydroponic lettuce, which is probably okay—skews closer to the latter. Additionally, FDA advises: “Consumers ordering salad containing romaine at a restaurant or at a salad bar should ask the staff whether the romaine came from Salinas.” (FDA declined to provide comment for this story.)
“It’s an unfair burden to place on consumers!” says Bill Marler, a Seattle-based attorney who works on behalf of food poisoning victims and founded the industry publication Food Safety News in 2009. “I’m of the mind we should follow that lovely advice, ‘When in doubt, throw it out.’”
E. coli is a large group of bacteria that makes its home in human and animal digestive tracts. So whenever an outbreak turns up in vegetables, that’s not where it began. Often, there is an element of contaminated water, either used to irrigate or wash vegetables. In the first prominent case of E. coli poisoning in leafy greens—a 2006 outbreak in spinach that resulted in 199 victims and three deaths—the culprit was likely feces from wild pigs or contaminated irrigation water from a local livestock farm.
“It’s starting to approach the level where you need warning labels on romaine, calling it a high-risk food.”
Romaine surpassed iceberg years ago as America’s most popular lettuce; Marler believes its ubiquity is largely why it keeps popping up in E. coli outbreaks. “There’s more of it to contaminate,” he says. This, combined with its large surface area to absorb bacteria, nooks, and crannies that defy washing, and the fact that—unlike E. coli-tainted meat—lettuce is rarely cooked, makes romaine a particularly challenging conduit for foodborne pathogens.
Investigators say it is too soon to know what the specific root of this outbreak is, and have yet to pinpoint a common supplier or region in Salinas (one voluntary bagged salad recall was issued, though Whitlock says that particular product was not consumed by many of the victims). If the recent past is any indicator, water contaminated by livestock could be the likely culprit here.
After last fall’s E. coli outbreak, the industry groups United Fresh Produce Association and the Produce Marketing Association created a task force to identify root causes of the ongoing contamination. Improved water quality management and testing was the very first recommendation from their final report, as well as a suggestion that the proximity between lettuce farms and concentrated animal feeding operations—commonly called CAFOs—is strongly indicated as a risk factor.
The task force also pushed for improved origin labeling on lettuce packaging, so consumers and retailers can more readily identify if a particular item falls under an official product warning. Of course, this method only works if the consumer goes shopping armed with the knowledge that this outbreak started in Salinas, unlike the last one.
Related: Could Yuma, Arizona’s trained falcons prevent the next E. coli outbreak?
“It’s starting to approach the level where you need warning labels on romaine, calling it a high-risk food,” says Marler. “We aren’t there yet, but almost.” Though FDA will be publishing a list of “high-risk foods,” and has made recommendations against, say, alfalfa sprouts for vulnerable populations, there are not currently produce warning labels like the ones you’d find on a pack of cigarettes.
Whitlock says it’s possible CDC could recommend stronger advice in the coming days, such as avoiding all romaine lettuce, regardless of origin. “That is certainly not off the table,” she says.
People usually get sick anywhere between 2 and 8 days (average of 3 to 4 days) after exposure to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. If you have a high fever, bloody diarrhea, or severe vomiting, or if diarrhea lasts longer than 3 days, CDC recommends seeing a doctor immediately.
We will update this story as more information becomes available.
Before joining The New Food Economy as managing editor, Jesse Hirsch was an investigative food editor at Consumer Reports, where he tackled stories on food safety, health, and nutrition. Jesse was a founding editor at Modern Farmer magazine, and he was restaurant critic at The San Francisco Examiner and The East Bay Express in Oakland, California. His stories have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, The Guardian and more.
He can be reached via email at jesse.hirsch@newfoodeconomy.org or on Twitter at @jesse_hirsch.
FARM, HEALTH, HOME FEATURE, PLATE E.COLI FDA LABELING OUTBREAK ROMAINE LETTUCE
BREAKING NEWS: CDC Warns Against Papayas From Mexico Amidst New Outbreak
More than 60 people are confirmed sick with Salmonella infections in a multistate outbreak linked to fresh papayas from Mexico, according to a public alert issued on Friday.
More than 60 people are confirmed sick with Salmonella infections in a multistate outbreak linked to fresh papayas from Mexico, according to a public alert issued on Friday.
Federal officials are advising that consumers in certain states not eat any fresh papayas from Mexico until further notice. Those states are Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, according to the public alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Consumers in those six states are urged to check their homes for papayas imported from Mexico and dispose of them. “Throw the papayas away, even if some of them were eaten and no one has gotten sick. Do not eat fruit salads or other mixes that include papayas from Mexico,” the CDC’s alert says. “If you aren’t sure the papaya you bought is from Mexico, you can ask the place of purchase. When in doubt, don’t eat the papaya. Throw it out.”
HLB Specialties not impacted
HLB Specialties, an importer of tropical fruits with offices in the United States and Europe, has issued a letter to its customers, letting them know that HLB papayas have not been implicated by the outbreak.
"We source papayas from Brazil, Guatemala, and Mexico and our fruit has not in any way been implicated in the outbreak," says Melissa Hartmann de Barros with HLB Specialties. "Our Mexican papayas are grown organically and exclusively by our partner-grower in the state of Michoacán. They adhere to strict organic protocols and we have never had any type of recall due to bacteria or disease-causing agents," she added.
"Our papayas are grown and packed in certified fields and packing houses and we are therefore confident that all our papayas, including our Mexican-grown fruits, are safe for consumption. We caution retailers and wholesalers to make a distinction between the different countries of origin. For now the alert refers to Mexican papayas, and we await the development of the investigation and will keep our customers informed about any developments as they narrow it down to a specific grower and label." HLB Specialties has a dedicated person on staff to answer any questions. Please email FoodSafety@hlbspec.com with any concerns.
Salmonella is a bacteria found in raw foods that have been handled with poor hygiene. It is not a problem linked to a specific kind of food, but with incorrect handling, most likely in post-production with the use of unsanitary water or an unclean packing house.
For more information:
Melissa Hartmann de Barros
HLB Specialties
Ph: +1 (954) 475-8808
melissa@hlbspec.com
www.hlbinfo.com
Publication date: 7/1/2019