• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Know Your Produce
  • Home
  • About
    • Resources
    • Privacy
    • Disclosure
    • Nutrition Disclaimer
    • Work With Us
    • Contact
  • Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Snacks
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Drinks
  • How To
  • Gardening
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • How To
  • Gardening
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×

    You are here: Home / Resources

    Romaine Lettuce Recall and Alternatives

    BY: Courtney PUBLISHED: Nov 23, 2018 Leave a Comment UPDATED ON: Jul 16, 2020

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Romaine Lettuce Recall information and lettuce alternatives to enjoy while there is an active romaine lettuce recall.

    romaine lettuce recall and lettuce alternatives image with head of romaine on marble slab

    Sorry, no Caesar salad, yet again. It seems every few months we hear about a romaine lettuce recall due to E. Coli.

    Multiple people in multiple states are sickened and even hospitalized from eating this nutritious leafy green. The CDC (as well as us) recommends that you toss any romaine lettuce, do not consume it. With all of the recalls on romaine lettuce, it can be a little scary to eat it even when they say it’s safe, after all, we don’t know it’s not safe until someone gets sick from eating contaminated romaine. Then another recall starts, in fact, this isn’t the first romaine lettuce recall of 2018.

    caesar salad with ciabatta croutons and parmesan cheese on a plate

    Earlier this year the growers in Yuma were the cause of an e coli outbreak from a romaine lettuce recall. Since then they have been extremely careful and vigilant about sanitation protocols. This CDC says that this new recall is a different strain than the one in Yuma Arizona.

    Once there’s a recall of the lettuce they have to investigate and this can take quite a bit of time. They have to figure out which grower, supplier, distributor, brands, and stores. It’s quite a process. With all of these recent romaine recalls should we just stop eating salad? No, that would be silly and no donuts and chocolate aren’t a good alternative.

    Our suggestions, You can try growing it at home or use these lettuces during the recall.

    Can you wash e coli off lettuce?

    No, you cannot wash e coli off of the romaine. If you have it at home either throw it away or return it to the store. If you stored it without packaging in the refrigerator you should wash the area thoroughly as well.

    What is e coli?

    E coli is a bacteria that is commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals. Usually, it causes no harm, but certain strains (like the ones found in the romaine lettuce recall) can cause food poisoning, so severe that hospitalization is required. Those who are older in age and young children are most susceptible to complications. Find more info on the CDC website regarding e coli.

    Don’t forget you can add fresh chopped vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts, croutons, and even cheese to your salads, this will also increase the nuritional content. You can even make salads without any lettuce at all, like our Cucumber Salad, Shopska Salad, or Israeli Salad.

    slicing tomato for salad on a cutting board

    Romaine Lettuce Alternatives

    Wondering “What can I substitute for romaine lettuce?“, here are some leafy green alternatives instead of romaine.

    • Red Leaf Lettuce
    • Green Leaf Lettuce
    • Butter Lettuce
    • Kale
    • Arugula
    • Spinach
    • Swiss Chard
    • Watercress 
    • Endive
    • Radicchio
    • Iceberg

    Iceberg lettuce is our last recommendation, but a good alternative if you want the crunch. Iceberg is mostly water and has a very low nutritional value in comparison to the others. If you use iceberg we suggest mixing it with one of the options above.

    whole romaine head on a marble slab

    In conclusion

    You should not buy any romaine during an active recall. This also means avoiding contaminated romaine lettuce at restaurants and retailers. Once they have identified where the contaminated romaine lettuce is coming from they will start to release some as safe to eat. But until then it’s not safe to eat any romaine lettuce until the Center for Disease control releases a public announcement about the source of the contaminated romaine lettuce and if others sources are safe to eat.

    When it comes to the risk of contamination, romaine lettuce is not the only lettuce that has been recalled, but it has been recalled more frequently than others. The best way to enjoy romaine is growing it on your own or buying from a local trusted farmer.

    you may also like:

    • How to Make Eggplant Noodles plus Eggplant Parmesan RecipeHow to Make Eggplant Noodles plus Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
    • Longest Lasting Produce and Pantry StaplesLongest Lasting Produce and Pantry Staples
    • Cranberry Shortbread CookiesCranberry Shortbread Cookies
    • Mason Jar Candy Corn Fruit Cups with Yogurt – Healthy Halloween TreatMason Jar Candy Corn Fruit Cups with Yogurt – Healthy Halloween Treat

    More RESOURCES

    • What Fruits and Vegetables are in Season?
    • How to Pick an Avocado
    • Pink Glow Pineapple
    • How To Freeze Strawberries

    POSTED IN: Resources recall

    About Courtney

    Fruit and Veggie lover. I love making produce fun and delicious, not to mention taking tons of pictures in the process! :-)

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    fall family photo, mother, son, daughter, father.

    Welcome to know your produce.

    Hey there! We're sharing our love for fruits and veggies and making sure that they are in each and every meal.

    More about us →

    sign up for recipes and tips




    Popular Recipes

    • Chocolate Zucchini Bread
    • Air Fryer Peach Fritters
    • Apple Bread
    • Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

    More From The Blog >

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Cookie Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Us

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Know Your Produce