May 7, 2010 (United Press International) -- Freshway Foods is recalling products with romaine lettuce linked to an outbreak of 19 cases of E. coli in Michigan, Ohio and New York, authorities said.
Twelve people have been hospitalized, including three with life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a release Thursday.
The recall affects Freshway romaine lettuce with a use-by date of May 12 or earlier.
Ohio-based Freshway agreed to voluntarily recall the lettuce from 23 states after the New York Public Health Laboratory reported finding E. coli in an unopened bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce, the FDA said.
Freshway, in a release Thursday, advised consumers not to eat "grab and go" salads sold in store salad bars and delis at Kroger (NYSE:KR) , Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets (NASDAQ:IMKTA) and Marsh stores.
The lettuce was sold to restaurants and supermarkets in Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
