ECU faculty member advises consumers on recent E. coli food outbreaks

More than 100 people including at least one North Carolina resident have been infected by E. coli bacteria in romaine lettuce. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising consumers to throw away possible contaminated lettuce.

Dr. Nicole Arnold, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition Science at East Carolina University, said this is the latest E. coli outbreak associated with lettuce over the past couple of years.

Arnold’s research interests include food safety education and interventions and she is part of a team looking at waterless, nonthermal processing technologies for produce. Arnold would like to see a better effort in keeping produce intended to be consumed raw or minimally processed safe for consumers. She suggested using technology like irradiation (sometimes used for iceberg lettuce and spinach), pulsed light and possibly cold plasma.

“Now more than ever, new processing methods and technologies are needed to reduce potential food safety risks associated with raw produce,” Arnold said. “Because consumers often do not cook produce, such as lettuce or other leafy greens, additional steps must be taken to minimize the potential for microbial contamination.”

According to the CDC, this latest outbreak has been linked to Salinas, California. Officials are urging consumers to check their lettuce labels. If it says “grown in Salinas” or is not labeled, people are urged not to eat it and to throw it out.

“If you are eating out and decide to order a salad, or any meal containing leafy greens, ask your server if they have knowledge of the growing region,” Arnold said. “If a server does not know, ask for a manager. It is OK to ask questions.”

The CDC described the symptoms of an E. coli infection as severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody) and vomiting. While most symptoms are mild, an E. coli infection can become deadly. Some people can also experience a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome as a result of E. coli.

For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2019/o157h7-11-19/index.html.

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