The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that no widespread E. coli or salmonella contamination was found in romaine lettuce from the Yuma growing region following testing.
The research follows a Spring 2018 outbreak of E.coli linked to romaine lettuce grown near Yuma. The outbreak involved 210 people in 36 states. Five people died, 96 were hospitalized and 27 developed kidney failure.
Paula Rivadeneira is a specialist for food safety at the University of Arizona Agricultural Extension in Yuma.
“I’m hoping that this really will show the public that our farmers are really doing an amazing job of keeping our food safe,” Rivadeneira said.
The FDA began sampling romaine lettuce on December 17, 2018, shortly after the season’s harvest began.