Two grocery stores with a large presence in metro Detroit say they have romaine lettuce that is safe to eat despite an E. coli outbreak despite the CDC expanding a recall to all romaine lettuce.
- Latest E. coli outbreak warning expands to all romaine lettuce: 'Throw it away,' CDC says
- Michigan 1 of 11 states included in E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce
Both Meijer and Kroger say they have safe romaine lettuce.
A spokesperson for Meijer tells 7 Action News that last week, they pulled all romaine lettuce off the shelves, including whole heads and chopped packaged romaine.
Now, he confirms that the stores have fresh, non-contaminated romaine on the shelves. That lettuce comes from regions not affected.
A spokesperson for Kroger also said their stores in Michigan are not affected, as all romaine lettuce products are fully stocked and safe to consume.
Romaine lettuce has been linked to the growing number of people hospitalized due to a multistate E. coli outbreak. 53 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli in 16 states since March 13, the CDC said. Thirty-one of those ill have been hospitalized. Five of them developed a type of kidney failure associated with an E. coli illness called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can be life-threatening. No deaths have been reported.
