E. Coli Outbreak Forces Food Company To Issue Lettuce Recall, 19 Fall Ill
A food company, Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio,yesterday announced the recall of lettuce sold in 23 states and the District of Columbia because of an E.coli outbreak that has caused sickness to 19 people.
Three of the sick persons are admitted to hospital with life-threatening symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday said that federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was looking at other cases, which might be linked to the E.coli outbreak.
Menahwile, the Ohio-based food company announced that it was recalling romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands. According to local health officials of the affected states, the outbreak has affected the students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Ohio State in Columbus and Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y.
According to the AFP, the FDA officials are focusing their investigation on lettuce grown in Arizona as a likely source for the outbreak. Donna Rosenbaum, director of the food safety advocacy group Safe Tables Our Priority added that they are in touch with the public health advocates over the issue.
Notably, Rosenbaum and other public health advocates have always asked the federal government to implement tougher food safety laws. Last year, the House had passed a bill that would give the FDA more authority to keep a close tab on the food production, but the Senate did not take the bill forward.
