Posted on 06/29/2018 4:26:59 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The US Food and Drug Administration, along with the CDC and various state partners, then traced the outbreak back to a single growing region: Yuma, Arizona, which calls itself the "Winter Lettuce Capital of the World."
... Yuma grows about $2.5 billion a year of more than 175 crops, including dates, lemons and melons. But what's important here is that Yuma County says it grows 90% of all leafy greens America eats between the months of November and March.
According to the FDA, the last shipments of lettuce for the season shipped in April, and the shelf life has since expired, therefore the contaminated lettuce is no longer available.
During the investigation, the FDA discovered that the outbreak couldn't be traced back to a single grower, harvester, processor or distributor. It was across multiple supply chains. That led to suspicions that the outbreak might be from a common water source.
On Thursday, the CDC said that indeed, samples taken from canal water that irrigated the Yuma growing fields were laced with the same deadly bacteria.
"The E. coli O157:H7 found in the canal water is closely related genetically to the E. coli O157:H7 from ill people," the CDC said in a final update on the outbreak. How the E. coli came to be in the canal water is still under investigation by the FDA. "Samples have been collected from environmental sources in the region, including water, soil, and cow manure. Evaluation of these samples is ongoing," the FDA said in an update.
Interestingly, not all of the people who became sick had actually eaten romaine lettuce. Some had close contact with people who had eaten the infected greens.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
They had one...just chose not to use it
And that is why lettuce is meant to be kilt with hot bacon grease and vinegar.
Lettuce E-Coli.
Cheap labor.
Mega farms.
Family farm Over regulation.
Unmanageable too big Corporate farm.
Guest worker (unaccountable).
Ownership ban.
= E-Coli
Actually, I read today they found the bacteria in the canal, that all those AZ farmers were getting water from! Still under investigation though...
Or just illegal dumping of human solid waste from the latrines that are set up for the workers.
This is happening more and more and it seems that green leafy vegetables are particularly prone.
The Industry will find a way to fix it because having to have to toss 20 million in produce really cuts into the bottom line.
If I were the EPA I would start looking into the area’s sewage system, livestock pens and waste treatment plant. I can imagine the outskirts of Yuma being where septic tanks are the norm rather than city sewage.
Illegals urinating and defecating in the water we use to irrigate our crops. Democrats think we need even more people like that in our country.
There is a MASSIVE cattle ranch, the McElheny Cattle Company, on the east outskirts of the Yuma area. There are other large cattle ranches in the same area. The contamination could have come from the cattle, but it also could have come from farm workers using the canals as baths and toilets.
Everybody has E. coli in their intestinal tract - in fact, we need it. As long as it stays there, you're fine; it's ingesting it that's the problem.
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