An outbreak of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce has spread to four more states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced yesterday (May 9th), bringing the total to 29. The CDC also reported another 28 cases of the illness, for a total of 149 since the outbreak began in March. So far, one person has died.
The affected romaine lettuce comes from the Yuma, Arizona, area, and although it’s no longer being grown or shipped from there because of the outbreak, there is a 21-day shelf life for romaine, so it still might be in the supply chain. The CDC is continuing to warn consumers not to buy romaine unless they can verify the region where it came from wasn’t Yuma.