The FDA has again refused to provide information about the deadly 2024 E. coli O157 outbreak traced to romaine lettuce. Although the Food and Drug Administration knew what grower and distributor were involved, it did not name them in its investigation summaries released in December 2024 and again earlier this… Continue Reading Foodborne Illness Investigations, Foodborne Illness Outbreaks, 2024 outbreaks, FDA, Freedom of Information Act, romaine Food Safety News
The FDA has again refused to provide information about the deadly 2024 E. coli O157 outbreak traced to romaine lettuce.
Although the Food and Drug Administration knew what grower and distributor were involved, it did not name them in its investigation summaries released in December 2024 and again earlier this year, saying the romaine lettuce was no longer on the market.
The outbreak in November and December 2024 sickened 89 people across 15 states. One person died and 36 were hospitalized. The sick people reported eating romaine lettuce before becoming ill. Some of them consumed the lettuce at restaurants and the rest of them ate romaine lettuce served at catered events.
The FDA has again declined to name those responsible for the outbreak in response to a Freedom of Information request filed by eFoodAlert.
In a heavily redacted response, the FDA laid out how its investigation found out what grower, processors, broker and distribution centers handled the romaine that was linked to the outbreak, but it did not reveal any of the business names.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention never posted information about the outbreak. This is the routine practice of the agency when the FDA does not name the source of a pathogen in any given outbreak.
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