Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio has recalled lettuce sold in 23 states and the District of Columbia because that product has been linked to an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 30 people — three with a life-threatening illness called hemolytic uremic syndrome. A farm located in Yuma, Ariz., may be the source the outbreak.
College students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Ohio State in Columbus and Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., are among those who were affected by the outbreak, according to health departments in those states.
Vice president Devon Beer said Freshway Foods worked with the Food and Drug Administration to trace the contaminated lettuce to a Yuma grower, whom he would not identify.
The recall only applies to romaine lettuce with “best if used by” date before or on May 12, when Freshway Foods stopped buying its romaine from Yuma, Beer said.
Laura Oxley, a spokeswoman for Arizona’s agriculture and health departments, said federal officials contacted them and told them they suspected the source of the E. coli outbreak was lettuce grown in the state. She said there were no additional shipments to stop because the winter lettuce season has mostly ended for the year. The Yuma area is the source of much of the nation’s winter lettuce crop, but farmers switch to other crops at the end of winter.
Freshway Foods’ recall includes romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands. New York state’s Public Health Laboratory discovered the contamination in a bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce after local authorities had been investigating an outbreak for several weeks.
Although the most common strain of E. coli found in U.S. patients is E. coli O157, the CDC said the strain linked to the lettuce, E. coli 0145, is more difficult to identify and often goes unreported.
Freshway Foods said the lettuce was sold to wholesalers, food service outlets, in-store salad bars and delis. The recall also affects “grab and go” salads sold at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh grocery stores.
The recalled lettuce was sold primarily in states east of the Mississippi River. It was sold in Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
I contracted E. coli O145 after eating lettuce – Do I have a case?
Persons who tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli O145 have been or will
be contacted by their county or state health departments and questioned about the foods they ate prior to becoming ill.
If you tested positive for E. coli O145, and were contacted by your county or state health department and questioned, then it is highly likely that you are one of persons sickened in this national outbreak. If so, you are entitled to an E. coli O145 settlement – i.e. full compensation for all of your medical bills, lost wages, and suffering you endured and will endure in the future.
Even if you have since recovered from your illness – you are still entitled to significant compensation from the lettuce manufacturer.
Simon & Luke Can Help
The E. coli lawyers at Simon & Luke have represented over 2000 victims of food poisoning across the United States, filing hundreds of lawsuits and recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients. Call us toll free at 1-888-335-4901 or contact us by email at ron@simonluke.com – we are happy to answer your questions free of charge.
