A major romaine lettuce producer recalls product out of an abundance of caution.
A random sample for E. coli contamination turned up positive on romaine lettuce in a Michigan Walmart. The product was a single-head packaged romaine lettuce from Tanimura & Antle. In response, the company is doing a voluntary recall of that product line. All individual heads of lettuce packaged with packed-on dates of October 15 or 16 and with a UPC number 0-27918-20314-9 should be thrown away.
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) is supporting the voluntary recall and is investigating the incident. They said there had been no reported illnesses connected to the lettuce, and no other products are being recalled. Tanimura & Antle said 3,396 cartons of the product could be affected. Those heads of lettuce were distributed to 20 states in the U.S.
The FDA said retailers could identify the cases by their Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) stickers located on the outside of the case. The PTI codes related to the products are 571280289SRS1 and 571280290SRS1.
Tanimura & Antle stressed the proactive move as a measure to ensure consumer safety. The company said in a release that “food safety is a number one priority and the company prides itself on its preventative measures. 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.”
The company also has a hotline for consumers who may still be concerned. Consumers with questions call Tanimura & Antle’s hotline at 877-827-7388 Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
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