CDC Warning: Romaine Lettuce Is NOT SAFE

Considering I ate a salad with romaine lettuce last night…yikes.

The CDC has issued a warning: Romaine lettuce is NOT safe. It’s been linked to a dangerous E. coli outbreak.

“CDC is advising that U.S. consumers not eat any romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any, until we learn more about the outbreak. This investigation is ongoing and the advice will be updated as more information is available,” the CDC warns.

“Consumers who have any type of romaine lettuce in their home should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick,” the CDC continues. “This advice includes all types or uses of romaine lettuce, such as whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, and bags and boxes of precut lettuce and salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad. If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine or whether a salad mix contains romaine, do not eat it and throw it away. Wash and sanitize drawers or shelves in refrigerators where romaine was stored. Follow these five steps to clean your refrigerator.”

The CDC alert, issued just two days before Americans sit down for their Thanksgiving dinners, reported that 32 people in 11 states have become sick from eating contaminated romaine. Of those, 13 have been hospitalized, with one patient suffering from a form of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

The origin of the outbreak is unknown and remains under investigation. The CDC did not limit the warning to romaine from any particular agricultural area.

I repeat, NO AMERICAN should eat romaine lettuce.

THANKSGIVING TABLE ALERT: Romaine lettuce is not safe to eat, CDC warns U.S. consumers https://t.co/b5LdnQIJUV

— Essex J. Porter (@EssexKIRO7) November 20, 2018

The CDC says romaine lettuce is unsafe to eat in any form, says to throw away any romaine lettuce you have, says don't buy it, sell it or eat it because of E. coli https://t.co/YxKWPoNjzc

— Mark Berman (@markberman) November 20, 2018

Do NOT eat romaine lettuce, CDC says. Another outbreak and they don't know where it's coming from. By @JoelAchenbach & @ByLenaSun https://t.co/HqsNgXKfz2

— Laura Helmuth (@laurahelmuth) November 20, 2018

DO NOT EAT the romaine lettuce. CDC has issued an alert about a multi-state E. coli outbreak. Please pass it on. HT @JoelAchenbach https://t.co/z6lrmTm4fd pic.twitter.com/l73eP95im0

— Tamar Haspel (@TamarHaspel) November 20, 2018

All the romaine lettuce in the US should be thrown away, CDC says in sweeping advisory. https://t.co/FAfXyZtEPv pic.twitter.com/HPJi9sBM6m

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) November 20, 2018

If you were planning on serving salad as a side o Thanksgiving, stick to a spring mix. (Or don’t make a salad at all, because salad on Thanksgiving is the most atrocious thing I’ve ever heard.)