Six people in Canada have been sickened by E. coli, and the illnesses are genetically similar to cases in the 29-state E.coli outbreak in the U.S. linked to romaine from the Yuma growing region.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has advised Canadians traveling to the U.S. or crossing the border to shop for groceries in the U.S. to follow the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when it comes to eating romaine lettuce.
The CDC has cautioned people not to eat romaine unless they are sure it does not come from the Yuma area.
The agency recommends all Canadians be aware of the U.S. outbreak and ongoing investigation in Canada.
Case onset dates there range from late March to mid-April. One person was hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
In Canada, the risk to Canadians is low because Yuma is done for the season, according to the public health notice the agency posted the evening of May 9.
Two of the Canadians who fell ill reported traveling to the U.S. before becoming sick and eating romaine while they were there, and most of the six ill people said they ate romaine at home or at restaurants or grocery stores.
Although it is expected that romaine from Yuma is no longer in the supply chain — per U.S. Department of Agriculture data the last shipment was April 16 — Canada plans to issue additional warnings if needed.
“If it is determined that contaminated romaine lettuce is in the Canadian market, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will take the necessary steps to protect the public, including recalling the product as required,” the agency stated in the notice. “Currently there are no Food Recall Warnings associated with this outbreak.”
The U.S. outbreak tied to romaine has sickened at least 149 people. Even though product from the main California growing regions has not been implicated, demand has waned significantly since the original CDC outbreak alert April 13.
