If you see fresh romaine lettuce like this now, it must not be from Yuma, Ariz. (iStock)It's unlikely that anyone currently has edible romaine lettuce that is contaminated with the toxic strain of E. coli bacteria sickening people nationwide since March. Romaine lettuce has a shelf life of about 21 days. The current outbreak has been traced to the Yuma, Ariz., growing region, the source of virtually all lettuce sold in this country during the winter months. The CDC said Wednesday that April 16 was the last day romaine lettuce was harvested in the Yuma area. In scale, this outbreak is approaching that of the 2006 baby-spinach E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 200 people and killed five.

Source: Washington Post May 16, 2018 22:37 UTC