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Still no answers in Taco John's 2006 lettuce E. coli outbreak

Still no answers in Taco John's 2006 lettuce E. coli outbreak

Posted by E. coli Lawyer on May 18, 2007

CNN reporter Stephanie Smith and I talked last week, or I talked and she listened about last years E. coli O157:H7 outbreak tied to lettuce at Taco John's restaurants in Minnesota and Iowa. A fe other interesting facts:

• E. coli on lettuce at Taco John's restaurants sickened at least 81 people last year
• Investigation continuing, has not determined how lettuce became contaminated
• FDA: 20 outbreaks of E. coli linked to California lettuce since 1995

California produce, it seems, has a problem with E. coli 0157:H7, which is most commonly found in cattle feces. Since 1995 there have been more than 20 outbreaks of E. coli in lettuce and leafy greens traced back to farms in that state.

"You'd think that after so many outbreaks, the government and the leafy green industry would do something about this," said Bill Marler, a Seattle, Washington, attorney specializing in food-poisoning cases. Marler has been at the helm of several lawsuits against the leafy green industry. He says investigations are traditionally slow, and he still does not have a report from a 2005 outbreak in Dole lettuce.

"Some people are just angry and I think some people feel violated," said Marler. "When you think about it, it's not a really pleasant thought that you're eating someone or something's feces. That's just not a very pleasant concept."

Full article can be found at CNN