The investigations continue to pinpoint the source of the contaminated romaine lettuce that is responsible for 24 cases of E. coli in Eastern Canada. Although a public health notice has been issued, no formal recall has been made as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in conjunction with the U.S. food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not been able to trace the contaminated lettuce back to a specific brand.

As of November 29, 2018, investigations reveal that the romaine in question was harvested in a specific region of California. The specific strain of E. coli that has been identified recently is E. coli O157, which is the same strain that was responsible for illness last year, however, that romaine was traced back to Arizona, which makes finding the cause even more difficult.

With no recall being present, a public health notice was issued and is being updated by the federal government. The notice resulted in many grocery stores pulling romaine from their shelves, which has now resulted in a shortage as suppliers try to restock retailers.

24 cases of E. coli have been linked to the contaminated romaine lettuce, with all of them being in Eastern Canada with the exception of two people from British Columbia, however those were related to travel to Quebec, Ontario and the United States.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said they have not had any cases reported in Western Canada however their responsibility is to make sure all Canadians know the risks and have the information available to make informed decisions for themselves.

Although our region has not reported any cases, it is recommended to be aware of the symptoms and take the necessary precautions and protocols associated with the illness.

Individuals can harbour the infection without having symptoms themselves, but are still able to pass the infection on to others. If symptoms do appear, they lasts five to 10 days, some common symptoms include:
• headache
• fever
• nausea
• vomiting
• stomach cramps
• watery or bloody diarrhea

Until a brand or source is determined, no official recall will be issued, however it has been stated that it is always advised to practice safe food handling procedures including washing your produce and your reusable shopping bags and always keeping your produce separate from meat, seafood and poultry while shopping and storing in your fridge at home.