Adam Brothers Farming expands recall

Officials for Adam Brothers Farming said they have recalled cauliflower and other types of lettuces because they “may be contaminated.”

The Santa Maria, California, company so far has the only farm linked to a nationwide romaine E. coli outbreak.

Adam Brothers Farming has recalled cauliflower, red leaf lettuce, and green leaf lettuce harvested Nov. 27-30. Company officials said none of the recalled products have tested positive for E. coli, and they issued the recall out of an abundance of caution.

Adam Brothers Farming:
strain detected

The strain of E. coli causing the romaine E. coli outbreak was discovered in the sediment of a reservoir on the Adam Brothers farm. Officials for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said they are continuing to look for other potential sources.

The FDA indicated that the Adam Brothers farm, which has not shipped romaine lettuce since Nov. 20, is cooperating with the investigation to determine how the water is being used, and how E. coli ended up in the reservoir.

“The Adam Bros. Farming, Inc. feels a strong commitment to its customers and has worked for years to provide a safe and healthy food supply,” farm officials said in a statement.

Adam Brothers Farming – the only farm tied to a romaine E. coli outbreak – also has recalled cauliflower and other types of lettuces for potential contamination.

Adam Brothers Farming:
outbreak numbers

The total number of people sickened in the nationwide romaine E. coli outbreak is 59 in 15 states and Washington, D.C. The most recent illness was reported on Nov. 16.

Further, 23 people have been hospitalized, and there have been two cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly type of kidney disease.

People who have become ill in the outbreak range in age from 1 year old to 84; the median age is 26. Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of those sickened are female.

Adam Brothers Farming:
focus on 3 counties

The CDC has advised that consumers not eat romaine lettuce grown in the California counties of Monterey, San Benito and Santa Barbara. (Santa Maria is located in Santa Barbara County.)

“We cannot say how many cases are linked to this specific farm at this time,” Ian Williams, chief of the CDC’s outbreak response and prevention branch, said. “We have to do additional work at this farm and other farms that are being identified from our investigation.”

Adam Brothers Farming:
some romaine safe

The CDC said romaine lettuce grown outside those three California counties and harvested after Nov. 23, as well as romaine grown in greenhouses or hydroponically, should be safe to eat.

CDC officials stressed that consumers should continue to avoid any romaine lettuce that is not properly labeled with the harvest location and date.

Adam Brothers Farming:
bacteria information

E. coli bacteria (also Escherichia coli) are normally found in mammals’ intestines, including humans. Most strains are benign, but some can cause serious illness, most commonly by eating contaminated food.

Anyone can become ill by eating food contaminated with E. coli, but people with the highest risk of developing HUS include the very young and the very old, as well as anyone with a weakened immune system.

Symptoms are similar to those of other types of food poisoning:

Approximately 10 percent of people infected with E. coli bacteria will develop HUS, but the majority of cases involve children under the age of 5. HUS is the leading cause of acute kidney failure for that age group.

HUS, which usually develops after a prolonged case of diarrhea, damages red blood cells, which can clog the filtering system of the kidneys and result in kidney failure. In severe cases, a kidney transplant might be necessary.