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At least one California farm has been identified as a source of the recent multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 from romaine lettuce. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention warned the American public of the outbreak just before Thanksgiving and advised against eating any romaine lettuce on the market at that time. Romaine lettuce was quickly stripped from supermarkets and restaurants, and consumers were urged to discard any romaine lettuce they had, as the FDA began a broad traceback investigation to determine the source of the outbreak.
The FDA reported earlier this week that their traceback investigation has uncovered at least one source for the current E. coli outbreak. The goal of the investigation is to rapidly find the cause of the contamination, what risks to consumers continue to persist, and how these potential hazards can be resolved.
The investigation has uncovered a positive sample result for the outbreak strain in the sediment of a local irrigation reservoir used by a single farm owned and operated by Adam Bros. Farms in Santa Barbara County. But the federal agency also cautioned that other farms are potentially involved in the outbreak. Specifically, a press release statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. and FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas noted that. “It’s important to note that although this is an important piece of information, the finding on this farm doesn’t explain all illnesses and our traceback investigation will continue as we narrow down what commonalities this farm may have with other farms that are part of our investigation.”
Within three days of the warning to the American people to not consume any romaine lettuce, the FDA Produce Safety Network, CDC, the California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Food and Agriculture had assembled and deployed teams to inspect locations in California that were identified as possible contamination sites through the traceback investigation.
In announcing the latest information on Adam Bros. Farms and the finding of a positive sample result for the outbreak strain in the sediment of the farms’ local irrigation reservoir, the FDA also announced that they would be sending investigators back to this farm for further sampling. The owners of Adam Bros. Farm are fully cooperating with the FDA.
However, the positive sample result does not explain all reported illnesses. The FDA traceback investigation will continue as they narrow down what commonalities this farm may have with other farms that are part of the investigation. This will continue to include soil, water and swab samples from surfaces and equipment.
The FDA’s statement also noted that “as of Dec. 13, our investigation yielded records from five restaurants in four different states that have identified 11 different distributors, nine different growers, and eight different farms as potential sources of contaminated romaine lettuce. Currently, no single establishment is in common across the investigated supply chains. This indicates that although we have identified a positive sample from one farm to date, the outbreak may not be explained by a single farm, grower, harvester, or distributor.”
Romaine lettuce that was harvested outside of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Barbara Counties in California after Nov. 23 doesn’t appear to be related to the current outbreak. Additionally, lettuce on the market at the peak of the outbreak should be beyond its shelf-life and the FDA has stated that they contend that there is no longer a reason for consumers to avoid romaine lettuce from San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz and Ventura Counties, in California, provided it was harvested after Nov. 23.
