Imported romaine lettuce contamination raises concerns; domestic lettuce is in peak season, experts teach safe ways to eat it

The United States and Canada have seen serious outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 contamination in romaine lettuce. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reminds people to wash imported lettuce thoroughly before eating and has tightened import controls. Wu Zongxi, 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.

This is currently the peak season for domestically grown lettuce. Head lettuce and romaine lettuce, which are suited to autumn and winter production, have entered their harvest period. Is domestically produced romaine lettuce safe? Wu Zongxi 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 can be eaten with confidence.