Lettuce Makes Seasonal Swap, Softening Blow of E. Coli Outbreak

(Bloomberg) -- A seasonal switch in U.S. lettuce is helping the produce market absorb an outbreak of E. coli linked to the romaine variety harvested in Salinas, California, which has sickened 67 people so far.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention advised consumers not to eat any romaine grown in the Salinas region and asked retailers not to sell it. Illnesses have occurred in 19 states, with 39 people hospitalized, according to the CDC. No deaths have been reported.

The timing of the outbreak may help to minimize the effect on the produce market as production was already seasonally transitioning away from California to lettuce grown in western Arizona, according to David Magana, a senior analyst at Rabobank.

Romaine prices in Salinas spiked in early October as a heat wave disrupted supplies and remain relatively elevated amid the transition.

“That should help limit the impact,” Magana said by phone.

During an outbreak a year ago, prices surged for other types of lettuce including iceberg that compete with romaine. So far, “iceberg lettuce prices have not increased over the last few days either,” Magana said.

--With assistance from Lydia Mulvany.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Hirtzer in Chicago at mhirtzer@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Attwood at jattwood3@bloomberg.net, Millie Munshi

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