Farmers worry CDC went too far with its lettuce warning

A local lettuce producer on Friday expressed concern over the national warning regarding Romaine lettuce, saying the ban is detrimental to farmers like him who grow their produce in the interior.

Paul Sellew, founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farm in Devens, explained that he cultivates his lettuce hydroponically, in a "state-of-the-art" environment, away from any E. coli contamination.

The Centers for Disease Control "threw the baby out with the bath water" when they advised to eliminate all the romaine lettuce, Sellew said during a phone interview.

"It would have been nice to know what area it was instead of doing what it was doing. It should have been a little more thoughtful not to frighten the audience unnecessarily. But they have to protect them, so I understand why they did it, "he said.

State inspectors have recently controlled all of Sellew's products at his request, which he has been given, he said, but his products have always been removed from grocery store shelves.

The CDC guidelines remained in place on Friday.

"The CDC continues to investigate an outbreak of E. Coli in several states. . . infections related to romaine lettuce. We understand that this epidemic worries many Americans – especially with the many gatherings for Thanksgiving week meals. CDC's disease detectives are working with federal regulatory partners to investigate and determine the source of the contamination as quickly as possible, "said Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the CDC, in a statement on Friday.

"The good news is that we were able to detect and identify the epidemic quickly through our disease surveillance system, which can prevent other diseases," he said. "However, until we know more, it is crucial that Americans continue to follow the guidelines issued by the CDC. There is no exception – all Roman lettuce must be discarded, regardless of their brand, type or mixture,Said Redfield.

The CDC stated that it issued its warning "because no producer, supplier, distributor or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified" as being at the origin of a series of cases. # 39; E. Coli.

The warning regarding all the Roman lettuce was unusually aggressive, reported Politico.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told the website: "This is a general warning, there is no doubt. . . . Our first mandate is to protect public health, while recognizing that this will cause extreme hardship for producers and consumers. "

But Sellew said his food production methods did not have anything in common with farmers on the west coast, where there had been E. coli problems before.

He stated that he was frustrated by the fact that the CDC "paints lettuce from a wide shot".