Walmart recalls romaine lettuce from more than 1,000 stores over E. coli risk

Walmart has released a list of the stores that carried the recalled Tanimura & Antle romaine lettuce.

Last week, Salinas, California-based Tanimura & Antle Inc. voluntarily recalled select single heads of romaine lettuce distributed across the country for possible E. coli contamination. The company posted an announcement on the Food and Drug Administration website Friday.

The affected lettuce is labeled with a “packed on date of 10/15/2020 or 10/16/2020,” the company said. The UPC number on the lettuce is 0-27918-20314-9.

According to Tanimura & Antle, no other products or pack dates are being recalled and there have been “no reported illnesses associated with the recalled product.”

A list of more than 1,000 Walmart stores that sold the recalled lettuce is listed on the Walmart corporate website.

“The recall is being conducted in consultation with FDA, and is based on the test result of a random sample collected and analyzed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as part of their routine sampling program,” Tanimura & Antle said in its announcement.

According to the Walmart list, the lettuce was distributed to its stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

The produce company said 3,396 cartons of “potentially affected product” were distributed in Puerto Rico and the following 19 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Cases have between 12 and 24 heads each.

Michigan also issued an advisory Friday warning “consumers not to eat Tanimura & Antle brand romaine lettuce packed as single heads due to food safety concerns.”

The FDA tweetedthat it was “actively investigating” and wrote consumers “shouldn’t eat affected product.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says E. coli symptoms vary and can include abdominal cramps, nausea, fatigue and diarrhea. Some people can develop a form of kidney failure.

Symptoms usually begin within three to four days after eating or drinking items containing the bacteria. However, the CDC states that symptoms can start anywhere from one to 10 days after exposure.

Tanimura & Antle said in its announcement that 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.” The company requests anyone in the affected packages of lettuce to not consume it.

For questions, consumers are directed to call the Tanimura & Antle Consumer Hotline at 877-827-7388 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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