Michigan authorities quickly named prepackaged lettuce sold by Detroit wholesaler Aunt Mid's Produce Co. as the likely cause of 30 illnesses there, but company President Dominic Riggio says not so fast.
The Michigan Department of Community Health issued a Sept. 26 statement that identified industrial-sized packages of Iceberg lettuce as the most likely cause of 30 cases of E. coli poisoning around the state. Six other people in Illinois found to be suffering from the same E. coli fingerprint have been linked to the same outbreak.
But Mr. Riggio said that lettuce samples and environmental testing of its facility have turned up negative results for E. coli O157:H7. "We tested in- house and had a third-party company test, and we had just had another negative verification an hour ago," he told The Produce News Oct. 1. "We really think MDCH acted prematurely."
The department said that some of the ill patrons consumed shredded or chopped Iceberg lettuce in restaurants or institutions that purchased product sold by Aunt Mid's. Other states are checking records to see if their E. coli cases are linked to the Michigan outbreak.
"We appreciate all of the assistance from Aunt Mid's," said Gregory Holzman, chief medical executive for the department. "They have been very helpful in this investigation. Even though the investigation is ongoing, available evidence is strongly pointing to Iceberg lettuce."
The wholesaler said that it voluntarily contracted with an independent laboratory to begin testing its processing facility and processing methods. "The initial test results have indicated no contamination, and Aunt Mid's is conducting ongoing testing to confirm those initial results," the company said in a Sept. 26 statement.
Source: The Produce News