MoH warns against eating romaine lettuce

THE Ministry of Health on Thursday warned the public against eating packaged, single-head romaine lettuce, which is possibly contaminated with E Coli 0157:H7.

A release from the ministry said, the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), advised on their website that Tanimura & Antle Inc voluntarily recalled the lettuce under its brand, labelled with the packed-on date 10/15/2020 or 10/16/2020.

E Coli 0157:H7 may cause a diarrhoeal illness. As such, the ministry advised people who are experiencing diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain or bloody stools after eating the lettuce to visit the nearest health institution.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, collected, tested and analysed a random sample of the lettuce, as part of a routine sampling programme, which led to the recall, the ministry revealed.

The release said local consumers should not eat lettuce under the Tanimura & Antle brand with the packed-on date of 10/15/2020 or 10/16/2020 and advised supermarkets, restaurants and wholesalers not to sell romaine lettuce from the brand with those dates.

The release also said consumers should discard or return the lettuce to the place of purchase if it is not labelled or if they are unsure if the lettuce is romaine or whether a salad mix or wrap contains romaine.

The ministry also advised the public to wash and sanitise drawers or shelves in refrigerators where romaine lettuce was stored.

The release said there are no reported Trinidad and Tobago cases of people who ate romaine lettuce becoming ill.

For further information contact the Chemistry Food and Drugs Division of the Ministry of Health at 868-623-5242/ 623-CFDD or e-mail atcfdd@health.gov.tt.