October 10, 2008: E. coli Outbreak Linked To California Lettuce

October 10th, 2008

Michigan agriculture officials announced that California grown iceberg lettuce has been linked to the recent E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that has sickened approximately 40 plus people in five states.

“Illness dates, ship dates and delivery dates narrow the origin to California,” said Jennifer Holton, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

The first E. coli outbreak cases were reported in Michigan on September 8, and in Illinois sometime in late August.  Most recently, illnesses were reported in Oregon, New York, and Ohio.

Harvested in a still unidentified region of California, the tainted iceberg lettuce was packaged in industrial-sized bags and distributed to restaurants and institutions, by Aunt Mid’s Produce of Detroit.

Agricultural regions such as the Salinas Valley are at the height of their growing season.  This means that California lettuce will be harvested and shipped nationwide to consumers.  So quick, before anymore E. coli tainted lettuce reaches consumers, industry needs to determine where, (or own up to where) the tainted lettuce originated.

The Law Firm of Eric H. Weinberg represents victims of food poisoning outbreaks nationwide. Please call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274, or click on Free Case Evaluation if you have a question regarding a food poisoning legal matter. To learn more about our practice, please see E. coli Attorney.

To learn more about recent food recalls, outbreaks, and legal news, please see Illinois E. coli Lettuce, Michigan E. coli Lettuce, E. coli Vermont, and Salmonella IHOP.

Entry Filed under: Food Poisoning Outbreaks and Recall News