The U. S. Food and Drug Administration has identified a Yuma farm as the source of romaine lettuce that sickened several people at a correctional facility in Alaska.
However , the agency has not determined where in the supply chain the contamination occurred. According to the FDA , they are investigating all possibilities , including that contamination may have occurred at any point along the growing , harvesting , packaging , and distribution chain before reaching the Alaska facility.
The FDA identified Harrison Farms of Yuma, Arizona as the grower and sole source of the whole-head romaine lettuce that sickened several people at the Alaskan correction facility. All of the lettuce was harvested between March 5 - 16 and is past it's 21-day shelf life. The lettuce growing season in Yuma is over and the farm is not growing any lettuce at this time. Most of the illnesses in the current E. coli O157:H7 outbreak are not linked to romaine lettuce from this farm. The FDA is investigating dozens of other fields as potential sources of the chopped romaine lettuce.
As of Friday 98 people in 22 states have reported becoming ill. Most people reported eating a salad at a restaurant, and romaine lettuce was the only common ingredient identified among the salads eaten. Traceback by the FDA does not indicate that Harrison Farms that Harrison Farms is the source of the chopped romaine that sickened these people. The FDA is still investigating the source of the chopped, bagged romaine that caused the illnesses.