Tanimura & Antle Recalls Packaged Romaine Lettuce
Out of what the company terms “an abundance of caution,” Tanimura & Antle Inc. is voluntarily recalling its packaged single-head romaine lettuce, labeled with a packed-on date of Oct. 15 or Oct 16, due to possible contamination with E. Coli 0157:H7. Packages subject to the recall contain a single head of romaine lettuce with the UPC number 0-27918-20314-9. No other products or pack dates are being recalled, and there have been no reported illnesses associated with the recalled product.
The recall is being conducted in consultation with FDA, based on the test result of a random sample collected and analyzed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as part of its routine sampling program. Some 3,396 cartons of potentially affected product were distributed in the United States to Alaska, Oregon, California, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Nebraska, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, New Mexico, South Carolina, Washington, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico and Illinois, with the potentially affected product shipped in cases packed with 12, 15, 18 or 24 heads per case. Retailers and distributors can identify the recalled products through the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) sticker attached to outside of the case: 571280289SRS1 and 571280290SRS1.
“At Tanimura & Antle, food safety is a No. 1 priority, and the company prides itself on its preventative measures,” the Salinas, California-based produce company said. “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.”
Despite the limited nature of the recall and the lack of reported cases of infection, the action can’t help but evoke memories of the FDA public advisory on eating any romaine lettuce in the wake of a multiregion E. coli outbreak that caused dozens of illnesses in the United States and Canada. At that time, consumers were advised to look for romaine lettuce voluntarily labeled with a harvest location and a harvest date, or as being hydroponically or greenhouse-grown. The ensuing FDA investigation traced the contaminated lettuce to a single farm in California’s Santa Barbara County.
