Amid romaine lettuce contamination concerns, domestically grown lettuce is in abundant season and safe to eat, with fresh ways to enjoy it worry-free

The United States and Canada have seen serious outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination in romaine lettuce. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reminds the public to wash foreign lettuce thoroughly before eating and has tightened import controls. Wu Tsung-hsi, section chief of the FDA's Food Import Management Division, said that in recent years there have been no domestic cases of O157:H7 poisoning from eating lettuce, nor has it been detected in border-imported products.

It is currently the peak season for domestically grown lettuce, with head lettuce and romaine lettuce suited to autumn and winter production entering their harvest period. Is domestically produced romaine lettuce safe? Wu Tsung-hsi responded that the FDA, through local health bureaus, sampled a total of 30 commercially sold lettuce salad products from May to June this year, testing for E. coli and coliform bacteria, and all results met the regulations, so they are safe to eat.

Farmers: Domestic romaine leaves are crisp, so seize the season to enjoy them

Hsieh Hsiang-wen, head of "Chi Yu Ji Organic Farm," said romaine lettuce cannot tolerate high temperatures when grown: "It is very difficult to grow when there is too much direct sunlight or when the climate is hot." Production is concentrated from October to January of the following year, making it hard to meet domestic consumer demand year-round, and the farm's organic romaine is also produced only in the autumn and winter each year.

However, he pointed out that domestic vegetables are extremely diverse and lettuce quality is very good, especially romaine, whose crisp leaves are suited to being eaten raw; whether wrapped around sliced meat or tossed as a salad, it works well. People who love domestic romaine should seize the opportunity to enjoy it.