Fresh Express Romaine Lettuce Recall: Possible E. Coli Contamination

Fresh Express romaine lettuce salad products shipped to 20 states are being recalled due to the risk of E. coli food poisoning. 

The FDA announced the Fresh Express romaine lettuce recall on July 13, after a testing laboratory working for the agency detected E. coli O157:H7 during random testing. Although there have been no illnesses reported in connection to the Romaine lettuce E. coli contamination, this could cause food poisoning, especially among young children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems.

The Fresh Express recall affects 23 different Romaine lettuce salad products. The recalled salads have use-by dates of July 8 through July 12 and have an “S” in the product code. A full list of the affected products is available in the FDA announcement. States affected by the recall include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, and Nevada.

E. coli O157:H7 is one of the more common causes of food poisoning in the United States. When left untreated, it can lead to dehydration and potentially life-threatening illness. While most healthy adults recover from food poisoning caused by E. coli within a few weeks, young children and the elderly could be at risk for more severe illness. If the toxin enters the blood stream, E. coli could also lead to kidney failure known as Hemolytic-Urenia Syndrome (HUS).

This is the second salad recall due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination bacteria this month. On July 7, the FDA announced a recall of about 4,200 bags of Spinach Temptations baby spinach salads.

The FDA believes the Fresh Express bags, which are expired, are no longer on store shelves, but consumers may have bags of expired salad in their homes. The FDA recommends that consumers immediately discard any bags of recalled Fresh Express salad.