What do truckers do when told to dump 15 truckloads of lettuce two days before Thanksgiving?

Massive disruptions to the transport of potentially tainted romaine lettuce occurred as 43 people in 12 states were sickened by a particularly dangerous strain of E. coli.  This was the third such crisis to hit the romaine industry within the last 12 months.

Truckers working with Allen Lund Company eventually dumped tons of lettuce in landfills and dumps.  Because the CDC could not immediately track the source of the contaminated lettuce, both retailers and truckers tossed out the good with the bad.

Eventually, the tainted romaine was traced to growers on the central California coast, but only after lettuce from many other places was thrown out or pulled from store shelves.  In the meantime, the price for alternate varieties of lettuce rose quickly, as lettuce supplies contracted and many consumers looked for alternative greens.

Video Spotlight: Lettuce is Twice as Expensive, Thanks to Romaine E. coli Outbreak

This post is based on the Transport Topics article, Romaine Recall Causes Disruption in Trucking Industry, by Jim Stinson, December 3, 2018; and the Cooking Light video, Lettuce is Twice as Expensive, Thanks Continue reading →