No ban on romaine lettuce

Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram said the Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the import of romaine lettuce after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a food safety alert.

On Tuesday the CDC warned against selling and consuming romaine lettuce in several US states. It said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a multistate outbreak of E coli infections linked to produce harvested California.

Parasram said there is no need to be alarmed at present. He said the ministry was in constant communication with the Ministry of Agriculture on the matter.

"We are monitoring the import of romaine lettuce and are verifying the sources of import," he said.

"If we find lettuce is coming in from that particular area, then we will communicate with the population about the actions to be taken."