CDC: No Romaine Lettuce Is Safe To Eat

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Mere days before Thanksgiving banquets are set to be set out on tables across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are issuing another E. coli alert centered around romaine lettuce.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging Americans "not to eat" romaine lettuce and restaurants "not to serve or sell any" until more information is gathered on a new outbreak. The warning comes just months after romaine lettuce was linked to E.coli which sickened dozens across the country, and even led to five deaths.

The CDC says consumers who have any type of romaine lettuce in their home should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick. This includes all types or uses of romaine lettuce, such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, and bags and boxes of precut lettuce and salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad.

"If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine or whether a salad mix contains romaine, do not eat it and throw it away," the CDC says.

Officials say 32 people have been infected due to the outbreak linked to E.Coli which has been reported in 11 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Oct. 8 to Oct. 31. No deaths have been reported.

Of the 11 states, three cases have been reported in New Jersey.

None of the known cases are in Minnesota, but there is one in Wisconsin.

This investigation is ongoing, and the CDC will provide more information as it becomes available.