UPDATED APRIL 14, 2:30 P.M.
As companies wait for more information from federal agencies on the E. coli outbreak that has been ascribed to romaine in general and not a specific supplier, fresh produce industry associations are communicating what is currently known about the situation.
The United Fresh Produce Association, through Jennifer McEntire, vice president of food safety and technology, issued a Q&A-style update to members on the topic. The Packer also contacted Bob Whitaker, chief science and technology officer for the Produce Marketing Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Below are the latest updates on areas of interest related to the outbreak.
Why the CDC and the FDA issued an alert before determining the specific source of the illnesses
The agencies informed produce groups about the alerts shortly before posting them, and listened to industry concerns about a broad warning rather than a targeted one, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CDC believed they had to act on the information available, according to McEntire.
“FDA and CDC noted their concern with the high number of illnesses in a short time frame (the most they have seen in a long time) and the severity of illness and their concern that product could still be out there,” McEntire said in the April 17 update.
The high hospitalization rate was also a factor.
“They did not want to risk people continuing to eat affected product and becoming severely ill while the investigation continued,” McEntire said. “This is a devastating illness and they did what they felt was in the interest of public health.”
The CDC and FDA emphasized that only chopped romaine from the Yuma, Ariz., growing region is suspected in the outbreak, and they made it clear that whole head romaine and romaine hearts have not been implicated, nor has any romaine from other growing regions.
Why the word “recall” has been used, even though a specific source of the outbreak has not been announced
In the wake of the CDC alert, some suppliers — and subsequently retailers — voluntarily withdrew product from the marketplace, even though their specific product has not been connected to the outbreak.
In some cases, these moves have been described by those companies as recalls.
McEntire said that the produce industry is asking members of the supply chain to refrain from using “recall” because consumers may assume when they hear the word that the specific product in question has been definitively linked to illnesses.
When more information will be available
The CDC plans to issue an update at some point this week, a spokeswoman for the agency told The Packer.
The number of cases is likely to increase, because health departments in Montana and Arizona have reported that cases of E. coli infection have been linked to the outbreak. Montana had three confirmed cases and four more pending, while Arizona reported three confirmed cases.
For now, the official total remains at 35 cases across 11 states, with 22 people hospitalized and three people experiencing kidney failure.
How retailers can communicate with consumers about the situation
Whitaker recommends referring shoppers to the authority on the outbreak, because the CDC has been clear that only chopped romaine from Arizona is suspected as the source of the illnesses. Once stores verify with suppliers that their romaine is coming from a region other than Yuma, they can communicate that information to consumers via signage and through employees, who should have a quick training on how to accurately answer questions shoppers might ask.
As of April 15, no romaine is shipping from Yuma, McEntire said, citing the Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, which represents growers.
Whitaker noted that numerous large romaine growers transitioned out of Yuma weeks ago because they had already scheduled to do so, while others that were still transitioning spent the weekend making sure that any product shipped from that point forward was grown in regions other than Yuma.
Why you might see consumers avoiding all romaine regardless of origin
Consumer Reports has told people not to eat any romaine from any region, stating that consumers should not be expected to figure out where the chopped romaine comes from.
According to Consumer Reports’ website, the CDC and FDA should warn against consumption of all romaine.
The produce industry was disappointed to see such a broad warning, Whitaker said.
McEntire said industry groups have contacted Consumer Reports to urge it to issue corrections on certain statements.
PREVIOUS EDITION:
Health officials in Montana and Arizona have attributed cases of E. coli infection to the multistate outbreak linked to chopped romaine from Arizona.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already linked 35 illnesses in 11 states to the outbreak, but cases in two more states could bring the total to 45.
According to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, laboratory testing has confirmed three cases in that state as also connected to the outbreak, with another four cases suspected to be related. Three cases in Arizona are also linked to the outbreak, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Other cases are in Pennsylvania (9), Idaho (8), New Jersey (7), Connecticut (2), New York (2), Ohio (2), Illinois (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (1), Virginia (1) and Washington (1). The CDC pegged chopped romaine from Arizona as connected to the illnesses because 26 of 28 people interviewed said they ate romaine in the week before they became sick. Romaine from other regions has not been implicated, and produce industry groups state that most romaine is now coming from California.
The Food and Drug Administration has not named a specific company as the source of contaminated product.
Even so, numerous retailers have pulled items with romaine off their shelves.
Giant Eagle and Schnucks removed products after receiving a recall notice from Freshway Foods/US Foods. Spokeswoman Sara Matheu said the company issued the notice voluntarily out of an abundance of caution because of the CDC alert regarding romaine from Yuma.
Giant Food Stores also recalled products with romaine, citing the warning from the CDC.
The company listed salads from Westlake Village, Calif.-based Dole and Irwindale, Calif.-based Ready Pac Foods among the products it removed, but neither supplier has issued a recall and neither is aware of any connection between the outbreak and their respective products, spokesmen for the organizations said.
Consumer Reports has warned people not to eat romaine lettuce at all, despite the fact the CDC focused its investigation on chopped romaine from Arizona.
The FDA and CDC advised retailers, restaurants and consumers to avoid chopped romaine from Arizona specifically.