After an E. Coli Outbreak, CR's Experts Warn Against Eating All Wendy's Sandwiches and Salads With Romaine Lettuce

While the investigation is underway, Consumer Reports’ food safety experts say to avoid consuming any Wendy’s sandwich or salad with romaine lettuce until the company can confirm the source of the pathogen, disclose the cause of the problem, and say how it plans to address it.

“E. coli can be especially harmful to young children, infants, older persons, and those with a compromised immune system,” says James E. Rogers, PhD, director of food safety and testing at Consumer Reports. “The goal is to minimize your risk of getting it, and until we know more about its source, it’s safest to avoid consuming Wendy’s sandwiches served with lettuce and any Wendy’s salad containing romaine lettuce.”

The CDC says that romaine lettuce served on burgers and sandwiches is the most common ingredient eaten among those who became ill.

The actual number of sick people in the outbreak is likely to be higher than the number reported, says the CDC, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. 

Wendy’s said in a statement that the company is “fully cooperating with public health authorities on their ongoing investigation of the regional E. coli outbreak reported in certain midwestern states,” and that it is “committed to upholding our high standards of food safety and quality.”

Between 2006 and 2019, romaine lettuce and other leafy greens, such as spinach and bags of spring mix, were involved in at least 46 multistate E. coli outbreaks, according to the CDC. (See CR’s leafy greens safety guide.) CR food safety experts, including Rogers, have long supported efforts to give the Food and Drug Administration more authority to pinpoint the source of these outbreaks and be able to take the necessary steps to prevent future ones.