The Food and Drug Administration announced Monday it is now safe to eat some romaine lettuce, as long as it was not grown in a specific part of the country; California’s central coast. Health officials said lettuce entering the market will now also have labels informing consumers of when and where it was harvested.
The E. Coli contamination was announced just before Thanksgiving. Investigators said they were able to track the tainted lettuce that has so far sickened 43 people in 12 states, back to the region in California.
The FDA warning people not to consume any romaine lettuce until they could figure out where it came from.
Health officials said romaine lettuce production has shifted to winter growing regions outside of the affected area and that particular lettuce is safe to eat.
The six North Texas locations of Bread Zeppelin took romaine lettuce off their menu immediately following the warning, but the assistant manager Clay Cuckler said Thursday the absence of romaine really hasn’t hurt their business.
“I was actually really surprised by how many people came out to get salads. It didn’t really hurt us that much,” said Cuckler. "The CDC talks to all the suppliers and as soon as they find where the initial outbreak happened, they can nip that in the bud, that’s when they let us know from the CDC when it’s safe to use again."
Even though the FDA knows the general origin of the contamination, investigators are still trying to pinpoint the exact cause.
