Spokane Produce Inc. of Spokane, WA, has recalled sandwiches containing green leaf lettuce and foodservice lettuce filets following notice of a recall by Adam Bros. Farming Inc.

The recalled sandwich products bear the Northwest Cuisine Creations and Fresh & Local labels. These products are recalled because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria, which causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools. On Dec. 13 federal officials reported they had found E. coli O157:H7 in an irrigation water reservoir on the Adam Brothers farm during their investigation of an ongoing outbreak associated with romaine lettuce.

All of the recalled sandwiches have a “best buy” date between Dec. 14 and 21. Spokane Produce Inc. distributed the implicated sandwiches to grocery stores in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Oregon. Also under recall are green leaf filets, which don’t have labels, that were sold to foodservice operations in 5- and 10-pound containers.

The sandwiches subject to this recall are as follows. To view photos of all of the product labels, please click here.

 

The affected products distributed by Spokane Produce include green leaf lettuce that has been recalled by Adam Bros. Farming Inc. of Santa Maria, CA.

Adam Bros. owners initiated a recall of several fresh produce commodities after federal outbreak investigators discovered E.coli O157:H7 in sediment from an irrigation water reservoir on the farm near where the recalled produce was grown.

Filtered and treated water from the reservoir may have come in contact with the product after it was harvested. None of the filtered, treated water has tested positive for E. coli, all E. coli tests returning negative, according to the farm owners.

“We are taking extreme precautionary measures,” said Dan Petek, Spokane Produce spokesman. “To date, there have been no cases of E. coli or contamination from any Adam Bros. green leaf lettuce. In complete regard for the public at large and our customers, we believe it is prudent at this point to be proactive and call in all product.”

Petek said recall is being conducted in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration. No illnesses have been reported to date in relation to the recalled green leaf lettuce.

The FDA, along with other federal and state agencies, has been investigating an ongoing E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with romaine lettuce since mid-November. Top officials from FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Dec. 13 that traceback efforts led investigators to the Adam Brothers farm. Sediment from a water reservoir on the farm tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. As of Dec. 13 a total of 86 people in the United States and Canada had been confirmed as infected. In the United States, 59 patients are spread across 15 states. Of those patients, 23 have required hospitalization.

Although most otherwise healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop a form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and  sometimes death.

Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled sandwiches and developed symptoms of E. coli infection should  seek medical attention. Potential outbreak patients should tell health care providers about their possible exposure to E. coli bacteria because specific tests are required to diagnose infections.

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