FDA Says Cows May Have Caused E. Coli Lettuce Contamination

The headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seen in Silver Spring, Md., on Nov. 4, 2009. Jason Reed/AP-File

LOS ANGELES—Outbreaks of E. coli illness that sickened 188 people who ate romaine lettuce grown in California probably came from cattle grazing near the farms, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a report released on May 21.

Feces from the cows, which contain the bacteria, is considered “the most likely contributing factor” to three outbreaks of food-borne illness traced to fields in the Salinas Valley, the report said.