E-coli Tainted Lettuce Recalled

An outbreak of 19 E-coli related illnesses in Michigan, Ohio and New York may be linked to shredded romaine lettuce sold to grocery stores for use in salad bars and delis, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Yesterday, the FDA announced a recall of the potentially dangerous produce.
Escherichia coli (abbreviated as E. coli) are a large and diverse group of bacteria. Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, others can be extremely harmful. Strains of E. coli can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other illnesses.
The lettuce has been recalled by Freshway Foods, a closely held company based in Sidney, Ohio, according to the FDA press release. Twelve of the 19 people with confirmed cases of E. coli have been hospitalized, including three with potentially life-threatening complications.
The recalled lettuce was sold to wholesalers and food- service outlets in 23 states and Washington, D.C., the FDA said. The lettuce also was sold for use in salad bars and delis in supermarkets owned by Kroger, Ingles, Marsh Supermarkets Inc., and Giant Eagle Inc. The states involved are: Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The illnesses in the three states were linked to lettuce produced by one processing plant and a New York public health laboratory confirmed E. coli in an unopened bag of lettuce from the same facility, the FDA said in its release