Lettuce Recalled Over E. Coli Concerns
By
Rachel Konrad, Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A popular
brand of lettuce grown in California's Salinas
Valley, the region at the center of a nationwide
spinach scare, has been recalled over concerns
about E. coli contamination.
The lettuce does not appear to have caused any
illnesses, according to the president of Salinas-based
Nunes Co. Inc.
Executives ordered the recall Sunday after learning
that irrigation water may have been contaminated
with E. coli, Tom Nunes Jr. said.
So far, company investigators have not found E.
coli bacteria in the lettuce itself, Nunes said.
"We're just reacting to a water test only.
We know there's generic E. coli on it, but we're
not sure what that means,'' he said. "We're
being extra careful. This is precautionary.''
The recall comes amid other federal warnings that
some brands of spinach, bottled carrot juice and
recent shipments of beef could cause grave health
risks - including paralysis, respiratory failure
and death.
It covers green leaf lettuce under the Foxy brand
that was purchased in grocery stores Oct. 3-6
in Arizona, California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon,
Idaho and Montana. It was also sold to distributors
in those states who may have sold it to restaurants
or institutions.
The recalled lettuce was packaged as "Green
Leaf 24 Count, waxed carton,'' and "Green
Leaf 18 Count, cellophane sleeve, returnable carton.''
Packaging is stamped with lot code 6SL0024.
FDA spokeswoman Julie Zawisza said the agency
was aware of the voluntary recall but had no details.
"As a standard course of action, we would
expect the firm to identify the source of the
contamination and take steps to ... ensure that
it doesn't happen again,'' Zawisza said in an
e-mail.
It's unlikely that the bacteria in the lettuce
fields share the source of the E. coli found in
spinach that has sickened nearly 200 people and
has been linked to three deaths nationwide, Nunes
said.
Pathogenic Escherichia coli bacteria, or E. coli,
can proliferate in uncooked produce, raw milk,
unpasteurized juice, contaminated water and meat.
When consumed, it may cause diarrhea and bloody
stools.
Although most healthy adults recover within a
week without long-term side effects, some people
may develop a form of kidney failure. Children
and the elderly are especially vulnerable to illness.
The recall at Nunes Co., a family-owned business
with more than 20,000 acres of cropland in Arizona
and California, comes days after federal agents
searched two Salinas Valley produce companies
connected to the spinach scare.
Epidemiologists warned consumers last week to
stay away from some bottled carrot juice after
a Florida woman was paralyzed and three people
in Georgia experienced respiratory failure, apparently
due to botulism poisoning.
On Friday, an Iowa company announced that it was
recalling 5,200 pounds of ground beef suspected
of having E. coli. The government said no illnesses
have been reported from consumption of the beef.
The outbreaks have sparked demands to create a
new federal agency in charge of food safety. Sens.
Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, both
New York Democrats, are sponsoring legislation
authored by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., to create
the unified Food Safety Agency.
"There's a high level of urgency in our industry,
and we're being very proactive,'' Nunes said.
"It's obviously based upon recent events
in the produce industry and concern for customers.
We just don't want anything to happen.''