Riverside resident Jessica Faldetta, doing her family's shopping Thursday, admitted that lettuce had now joined cantaloupe on her list of banned foods. At least for now.
"No more lettuce for me," she said, reluctantly.
Recent recalls mean her cart carries less.
"it worries me a lot. Especially, since I feed my family that everyday."
Thursday, a Northern California grower became the latest stricken with an incident of possible contamination.
Federal officials say True Leaf Farms sent Listeria-tainted, chopped Romaine lettuce to five western states, including California.
The grower is voluntarily recalling 90 cases in hopes of preventing human infection.
Steve Cockerham, a former Agricultural Operations Superintendent at the University of California Riverside, doesn't think people should overreact.
"It could be widespread in the field," said Cockerham. "But more than likely it's an isolated part of the field, and then it just happens to get into the load. It's an unusual thing."
In addition to the lettuce case, health officials are working to wipe out the deadliest spread of a food borne disease since 1998. Thirteen people have died, more than 70 sickened by Colorado cantaloupe contaminated by Listeria.
"Thirteen people dead, something like that," said shopper Chris Heidt. "Three hundred million people in America, odds are pretty good I'm safe. So I'm not to worried."
Cockerham thinks he's right.
"In general, the food supply is safer than it is in other countries," said Cockerham.
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