The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reporting that the company Tanimura & Antle has recalled some bags of single-head romaine lettuce due to possible E. coli contamination, KTLA sister station WJW in Cleveland reported.
The recall, which is voluntary, affects states across the country and involves 3,396 cartons of the bagged romaine were distributed, the FDA said.
People who may have purchased the romaine bags from Oct. 15-16 are asked to toss them, out of an abundance of caution. According to the FDA, no one has reported getting sick after eating the romaine at this time.
The Salinas-based company was alerted to the potential contamination following the results of a random test sample conducted at a store in Michigan, according to the FDA.
The lettuce under recall was distributed to Alaska, Arkansas, Oregon, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Nebraska, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, New Mexico, South Carolina, Washington, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Massachusetts, Illinois and Puerto Rico.
The impacted products have a Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) sticker attached to the exterior of the cases, with the codes 571280289SRS1 and 571280290SRS1, according to the FDA.
E. coli “causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools,” according to the FDA, and those who are exhibiting symptoms are asked to call their doctor. While most people recover from E. coli, the bacteria can cause a form of kidney failure in young children and the elderly.
“At Tanimura & Antle, food safety is a number one priority and the company prides itself on its preventative measures,” the company said in a statement. “It is unlikely that this product remains at retail establishments due to the shelf life of lettuce and the number of days that have passed. We are asking that if any of the packaged single head romaine described above is in the possession of consumers, retailers or distributors, the product be disposed of and not consumed.”