Report: Dole's Hearts Delight Lettuce May Be Contaminated

MONTEREY, Calif. -- On Monday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned the public not to eat Dole brand Hearts Delight lettuce salad.

The agency said the ready-to-eat blend of romaine, green leaf and butter lettuce hearts may be contaminated with a strain of E. coli bacteria.

Officials said the affected product is sold in 227-gram packages. The UPC code on the package is UPC 0 71430 01038 9, BIUB (best if used by) date 07SE19 and lot code A24924B.

The product is distributed nationally but so far there are no illnesses associated with the product, according to health officials.

The news comes almost one year after spinach grown in the Salinas area was found to be tainted with E. coli bacteria. Investigators eventually found that spinach came from a farm in San Juan Bautista County.

Eric Schwartz, President of Dole Fresh vegetables stated on the company Web site, "Our overriding concern is for consumer safety. We are working closely with the US Food & Drug Administration, the CFIA, and several U.S. state health departments."

For more information, consumers and industry can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342, or TTY 1-800-465-7735, from 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (EST), Monday to Friday.