UNITED STATES - Unfortunately, the E. coli O157:H7 investigation recently linked to romaine lettuce is not yet in hindsight, with new information giving the CDC reason to maintain its current advisory that consumers not eat romaine lettuce that was grown in the Salinas, California, region.

The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) is continuously monitoring the ongoing investigation, sharing that the last illness onset date has been extended to November 14, 2019.

“At this time, the outbreak has not been declared over. The investigation is ongoing to determine the source of contamination and identify any additional products that may be linked to the illnesses. No common grower, supplier, distributor, or food item that contains romaine lettuce has been identified that accounts for all illnesses,” the Association said in an email.

As of the November 26 updates by the CDC and the FDA, updated outbreak details include:

• Reported Cases: 67
• States: 19
• Hospitalizations: 39
• Deaths: 0
• Recall: Yes

To see the full reports from the two parties, please click through: CDC and FDA. The CDC has also released an updated timeline of reported cases since the last one on November 22, which can be found here.

In its announcement, the CDC continues to clarify only the Salinas growing region is to be avoided, assuring consumers that “most romaine lettuce products are labeled with a harvest location showing where they were grown.” It continues to clarify that hydroponically- and greenhouse-grown romaine, voluntarily labeled as “indoor grown,” from any region does not appear to be related to the current outbreak.

Our hearts are with all in our industry and those it serves who have been impacted by this E. coli O157:H7 outbreak.