On the day before Thanksgiving, you hadn’t heard about any reported foodborne outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce that week. You hadn’t seen any recalls of romaine lettuce in the news. And you hadn’t heard of any widespread or sweeping advisories by the FDA or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advising consumers to avoid eating any romaine lettuce, regardless of where it’s grown.
Between 2009 and 2018, the FDA and CDC identified 40 foodborne outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections in the U.S. with a confirmed or suspected link to leafy greens. Many of these outbreaks occurred year after year around this time.
In fact, right before the Thanksgiving holiday of 2018, a large outbreak resulted in a nationwide advisory to avoid all romaine lettuce. This at a time when Americans were sitting down around the dinner table to give thanks in a celebration largely centered around food.
So, why is it that during these past three Thanksgiving holidays romaine lettuce has not been in the news? Well, I call it the anonymity of prevention. And, importantly, I don’t think it has happened by chance.
I personally think it’s a result of collaborative action by stakeholders to implement measures outlined in the Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan. That plan rallied the industry, academia and regulators to work together.
At that time, as deputy commissioner, I also asked the FDA to declare as a “reasonably foreseeable hazard” a recurring, persistent strain of E. coli (O157:H7) from a region in California, which got everyone’s attention and work more focused.
So, today I want to give a big “thank you” to everyone involved — especially growers and food processors that have had made food safety enhancements over the years — for the significant achievement: three years in a row with romaine lettuce remaining on the menu at Thanksgiving.
Don’t worry. I get it. When it comes to producing safe food, past success is no guarantee of future success. Food safety has to be done the right way, each and every day. Therefore, let's all stay laser focused on continual improvement and prevention.
However, today I want to celebrate this accomplishment and say, “thank you.”
Together, we can bend the curve of foodborne illness so that consumers can live better lives.
Frank Yiannas is a former FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, with 30 years' experience in food safety leadership roles at Walmart and The Walt Disney Co. He led the design and implementation of initiatives such as the FDA’s Fresh Leafy Greens Action Plan, Final Food Traceability Rule, Proposed Agricultural Water Standard and the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative.