WASHINGTON — It’s safe to eat romaine. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said a multistate outbreak of a E-coli appears to be over.
An outbreak that sickened people in 15 states, including three cases in Maryland and one in Virginia, started in early November and continued until Dec. 12. No new illnesses were reported after Dec. 12.
Nine people ended up in hospitals. One person in California died and two others across the nation developed kidney failure, the CDC and FDA said.
The source was linked to a Canadian outbreak, but the federal investigation was not able to identify a specific type of leafy green as the culprit.
Consumer Reports, which in early January began recommending that people avoid eating romaine, now says it’s acceptable to do so.
“Given that there don’t seem to be any new cases for the past few weeks, the Canadian government declared the outbreak over earlier this month, and the FDA and CDC have now followed suit, we [Consumer Reports] are no longer recommending that consumers avoid romaine lettuce,” said James E. Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports.
