The source of the E. coli outbreak that has sickened people in Canada and across the U.S. is âlikelyâ from romaine lettuce grown in California, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
, Scott Gottlieb, the commission of the FDA, said the current outbreak likely came from California based on âgrowing and harvesting patterns.â He said the government agencyâs goal is to withdraw the product at risk of contamination from market and then âre-stockâ the market.
There has been one case of E. coli in New Brunswick, three in Ontario, and 15 in Quebec. In the U.S., there have been at least 32 reported illnesses across 11 states related to the outbreak.
In a follow-up tweet, Gottlieb said the FDA is working with growers and distributers on labelling produce with location and harvest dates in order to keep track of it and to inform consumers the product is being sold âpost purge.â
âWe want to help unaffected growers get back into production and enable stores and consumers to re-stock,â he wrote.
On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reiterated its to throw out all romaine lettuce âregardless of brand, type, or if it is in a mixture.â
The agency also said its investigators are working with federal regulatory partners to determine the source of contamination.
UPDATE ON OUTBREAK: The romaine implicated in the current outbreak is likely from California based on growing and harvesting patterns. The goal now is to withdraw the product thatâs at risk of being contaminated from the market, and then re-stock the market.....
â Scott Gottlieb, M.D. (@SGottliebFDA)
....New romaine from different growing regions, including Florida and Arizona, will soon be harvested. Weâre working with growers and distributors on labeling produce for location and harvest date and possibly other ways of informing consumers that the product is âpost-purgeâ....
â Scott Gottlieb, M.D. (@SGottliebFDA)
....We want to help unaffected growers get back into production and enable stores and consumers to re-stock. One goal weâre seeking is to make this type of labeling the new standard rather than a short-term fix; as a way to improve idenfitifaction and traceability in the system.
â Scott Gottlieb, M.D. (@SGottliebFDA)