The good stuff. A  field of New Jersey romaine lettuce  (NJ Department of  Agriculture)

By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics editorIn the mood for a nice, crisp salad filled with romaine lettuce?


If it was grown in New Jersey, you needn’t be concerned by those pre-Thanksgiving health warnings.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture today announced:

“The U.S. Food
& Drug Administration and Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention have
announced that their agencies have narrowed down the source of contaminated
romaine lettuce at the heart of a recent outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7, and
that no New Jersey-grown lettuce is connected to the outbreak.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture, therefore, reminds
consumers and retailers that romaine lettuce grown in New Jersey can be
purchased with confidence. Consumers should make sure that any romaine they buy
is clearly labeled as to where it was produced.

In announcing the
modification of its earlier advisory against eating any romaine, the FDA said
in a statement that, “There is no recommendation for consumers or
retailers to avoid using romaine lettuce that is certain to have been harvested
from areas outside of the Central Coast growing regions of northern and central
California.”