But I did not grow some bad lettuce.

Bob Marley and the Wailers, 1973.

Eric Clapton, 1974.

Yuma, Arizona, 2018.

We are in a growing E coli O157:H7 outbreak that at last count has documented 59 ill people in 16 states with 31 hospitalized. That is over 50 percent sick enough to be on IVs, and that is way higher than normal for this bug. It must be particularly virulent.

So one would think our federal agencies charged with protecting our health could do better than:

First telling us is it precut, packaged romaine lettuce, so throw it all away if you have any.
Then telling us it was grown in Arizona, so too bad about the California romaine lettuce you threw out.
Then telling us it was grown in the Yuma, Arizona, region and guess what? It now included whole heads and hearts of romaine lettuce. So too bad about those folks who ate their whole romaine lettuce for dinner last night thinking they were safe.

This latest (#3) disclosure came after six inmates in an Alaskan penitentiary fell ill after eating whole, intact romaine lettuce.

So if the investigators, who just had six people who dined together fall into their epidemiological laps, now know where it was grown, surely they know who the grower is and what grocery stores were supplied with and then sold the dirty leafy greens.

But why won’t they tell us instead of just throwing out big safety nets, like get rid of all of your romaine lettuce?

Are they afraid of a law suit for disclosing what they term proprietary information?

How about a lawsuit from someone who fell ill after eating intact romaine after being told it was just precut that we had to worry about?

The USDA started listing retail establishments who were linked to foodborne illnesses in 2008. Ten years later the FDA still refuses to make food safer for consumption by following suit.

The FDA’s top green leafy vegetable authority even went so far as to say; no worries, the growing season in Arizona is about to end anyway and precut lettuce starts to turn brown after just one week. Talk about a cavalier attitude.

I wonder what he is thinking now that we know it also involves intact, whole heads of romaine that do not turn brown after one week?

And I realize this is Meatingplace, not the green leafy place, but it does involve E coli O157:H7 and I have chosen this venue to remind others of two things:

1. Ground beef is not the #1 cause of E coli O157:H7 . Green leafies are.
1. 2. FDA really must better inform us consumers of what is placing us at risk, and not be changing their story nearly every day as an outbreak unfolds that is sending more than normal numbers of victims to the hospital.

As John Munsell would say: FORCE THE SOURCE.

I shot the sheriff

Join for free* to continue reading.