– OPINION –
Nicely the dangerous information about outbreaks linked to leafy greens is spilling over from 2021 to 2022. The extra issues change, the extra issues keep the identical.
Outbreaks related to lettuce, particularly the “pre-washed” and “ready-to-eat” varieties, are on no account a brand new phenomenon. In actual fact, the frequency with which this nation’s contemporary produce consuming public has been hit by outbreaks of pathogenic micro organism is astonishing.
Right here is only a pattern of outbreaks primarily based on data gathered by the Middle for Science within the Public Curiosity, Kansas State College and the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention:
| Date | Automobile | Etiology | Confirmed Circumstances |
States/Provinces |
| July 1995 | Lettuce (leafy inexperienced; crimson; romaine) | E. coli O157:H7 | 74 | 1: MT |
| Sept. 1995 | Lettuce (romaine) | E. coli O157:H7 | 20 | 1: ID |
| Sept. 1995 | Lettuce (iceberg) | E. coli O157:H7 | 30 | 1: ME |
| Oct. 1995 | Lettuce (iceberg; unconfirmed) | E. coli O157:H7 | 11 | 1: OH |
| Might-June 1996 | Lettuce (mesclun; crimson leaf) | E. coli O157:H7 | 61 | 3: CT, IL, NY |
| Might 1998 | Salad | E. coli O157:H7 | 2 | 1: CA |
| Feb.-Mar. 1999 | Lettuce (iceberg) | E. coli O157:H7 | 72 | 1: NE |
| Oct. 1999 | Salad | E. coli O157:H7 | 92 | 3: OR, PA, OH |
| Oct. 2000 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 6 | 1: IN |
| Nov. 2001 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 20 | 1: TX |
| July-Aug. 2002 | Lettuce (romaine) | E. coli O157:H7 | 29 | 2: WA, ID |
| Nov. 2002 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 13 | 1: Il |
| Dec. 2002 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 3 | 1: MN |
| Oct. 2003-Might 2004 | Lettuce (combined salad) | E. coli O157:H7 | 57 | 1: CA |
| Apr. 2004 | Spinach | E. coli O157:H7 | 16 | 1: CA |
| Nov. 2004 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 6 | 1: NJ |
| Sept. 2005 | Lettuce (romaine) | E. coli O157:H7 | 32 | 3:MN, WI, OR |
| Sept. 2006 | Spinach (child) | E. coli O157:H7 and different serotypes | 205 | Multistate and Canada |
| Nov./Dec. 2006 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 71 | 4: NY, NJ, PA, DE |
| Nov./Dec. 2006 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 81 | 3: IA, MN, WI |
| July 2007 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 26 | 1: AL |
| Might 2008 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 9 | 1: WA |
| Oct. 2008 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 59 | Multistate and Canada |
| Nov. 2008 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 130 | Canada |
| Sept. 2009 | Lettuce: Romaine or Iceberg | E. coli O157:H7 | 29 | Multistate |
| Sept. 2009 | Lettuce | E. coli O157:H7 | 10 | Multistate |
| April 2010 | Romaine | E. coli O145 | 33 | 5: MI, NY, OH, PA, TN |
| Oct. 2011 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 60 | Multistate |
| April 2012 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 28 |
1: CA Canada |
| June 2012 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 52 | Multistate |
| Sept. 2012 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 9 | 1: PA |
| Oct. 2012 | Spinach and Spring Combine Mix | E. coli O157:H7 | 33 | Multistate |
| Apr. 2013 | Leafy Greens | E. coli O157:H7 | 14 | Multistate |
| Aug. 2013 | Leafy Greens | E. coli O157:H7 | 15 | 1: PA |
| Oct. 2013 | Prepared-To-Eat Salads | E. coli O157:H7 | 33 | Multistate |
| Apr. 2014 | Romaine | E. coli O126 | 4 | 1:MN |
| Apr. 2015 | Leafy Greens | E. coli O145 | 7 | 3: MD, SC, VA |
| June 2016 | Mesclun Combine | E. coli O157:H7 | 11 | 3: IL, MI, WI |
| Jan. 2016 | Blended Greens | Listeria | 19 | Multistate |
| Nov. 2017 | Leafy Greens | E. coli O157:H7 | 67 | Multistate and Canada |
| Mar. 2018 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 240 | Multistate and Canada |
| Oct. 2018 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 62 | Multistate and Canada |
| Nov. 2019 | Romaine | E. coli O157:H7 | 171 | Multistate and Canada |
| Nov. 2019 | Blended Greens | E. coli O157:H7 | 38 | Multistate and Canada |
| Dec. 2020 | Leafy Greens | E. coli O157:H7 | 40 | Multistate |
| Nov. 2021 | Child Spinach | E. coli O157:H7 | 15 | Multistate |
| Dec. 2021 | Blended Greens | E. coli O157:H7 | 10 | Multistate |
| Dec. 2021 | Blended Greens | Listeria | 10 | Multistate |
| Dec. 2021 | Blended Greens | Listeria | 17 | Multistate |
