Hot on the heels of the E.coli 0157 outbreak in spinach comes a concern with lettuce feared to be contaminated with the same organism.
Today's edition of the N.Y. Times reported a recall on fresh green-leaf lettuce sold between October 3 and October 6, 2006 under the brand name Foxy (NY Times). The lettuce was distributed by the Nunes Company, family-owned business with 20,000 acreas of cropland in Arizona and California. Potentially affected lettuce was sold to stores in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, and to distributers in those states who may have sold it to other restaurants and other businesses.
Reportedly, was found in water tests, but not in the lettuce itself. Assumedly, the water was used in irrigation of crops; however, further information on the water source was not provided in the article, and the FDA website has not provided information on the recall or the source of contamination to date. It is also not known at this point whether the E. coli represents the strain that caused foodborne illness associated with spinach - E. coli 0157. The presence of the organism does suggest fecal contamination. If the fecal contamination is related to runoff from fields where livestock such as cattle and pigs are grazing, there is a good chance that the strain is E. coli 0157, as the organism is often found in the intestinal tract of livestock and is excreted in their feces. Contamination could also be caused by the use of manure that was not fully treated, or contaminated irrigation water.
Consumers should be aware that fresh greens of any type 'could' be contaminated with bacteria that result in illness. My advice? Wash your greens well before eating, even if the package indicates that the product has been pre-washed prior to sale.
For more information on E. coli 0157 and fresh produce, check out my article on Foodborne Illness , and the previous blogs related the spinach and E. coli 0157
