Lettuce at center of E. coli outbreak still on store shelves in Georgia

ATLANTA — Some shoppers are wondering why romaine lettuce grown in an area linked to an E. coli outbreak is still on store shelves here in Georgia.

So far, at least 100 people in the U.S. have gotten sick from the latest outbreak involving lettuce.

Channel 2's Carol Sbarge said it didn't take long for her to find the lettuce you aren't supposed to eat at a metro store.

Sbarge found the lettuce that was harvested in Salinas, California. Investigators believe so far that is the source of the E. coli outbreak and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling people not to eat romaine from there.

[Recall alert: Don't eat any romaine lettuce from Salinas, California, CDC says]

“I had heard it on the news on your channel,” said Cobb County resident Jamie Montgomery.

Montgomery said she was shocked to see it on the shelves at her local grocery store this week.

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“It concerns me a lot. I have a granddaughter and certainly her immune system isn't up if she was to get sick,” Montgomery said.

The E. coli outbreak has sickened people in 19 states. So far, there are no confirmed cases in Georgia.

Sbarge reached out to the Georgia Department of Agriculture to find out why stores are still able to sell the affected romaine lettuce. A spokesperson said the FDA issued a food safety advisory not to eat the lettuce. Without a recall, the Georgia Department of Agriculture doesn't have the regulatory authority over the sale of the lettuce. It is up to stores to make that call.

The CDC said your best bet is to look at the label on the lettuce and don't eat it if it is from Salinas.

The FDA, CDC and local health departments are continuing to investigate and interview people to find out the exact source of the contaminated lettuce in California.

Cox Media Group