FDA E. Coli Investigation Leads To Recall By Santa Barbara Grower

The Food and Drug Administration says its investigation into the source of an outbreak of E. coli illnesses linked to California romaine has led to a farm in Santa Barbara county.

Adam Brothers farm in Santa Barbara county says it has voluntarily recalled cauliflower and red and green leaf lettuce harvested on Nov. 27-30. The company and the FDA said the move came after investigators found traces of the relevant E. coli strain in sediment from a reservoir near where the produce was grown.

But in a recent statement, the FDA says the trace back to this farm does not explain the cause of all the illnesses connected to the current outbreak. The lead federal food safety agency says the outbreak "may not be explained by a single farm, grower, harvester or distributor."

Federal agencies have not issued any recalls of greens or vegetables since the investigation into contaminated romaine began late last month. But the most recent warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises consumers and retailers not to eat or sell any romaine from San Benito, Santa Barbara or Monterey counties.

As of Tuesday, the FDA said romaine from the following areas does not appear to be related to the E. coli outbreak: Imperial, Riverside, Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties, and the desert growing region of Yuma, Arizona.

The latest outbreak of E. coli has sickened 59 people in 15 states, according to the FDA's count.