Missouri Health Department releases results of lettuce taken as part of investigation into E. coli outbreak

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – The Missouri State Health Department has provided the results of lettuce taken as part of an E. coli investigation that impacted local high school students.

The St. Louis County Health Department has said that 106 E. coli cases have been found to be connected to events hosted or catered through Andre’s Banquet and Catering. More than half of the cases were connected with Rockwood Summit High School.

On Friday, the Missouri State Health Department said that an unopened package of lettuce collected from Andre’s Banquet and Catering tested negative for E. coli.

The owner of Andre’s Banquet Center provided a statement following the release of the results:

“Recently, it was brought to my attention that members of our community have tested positive for E. coli.  In particular, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health (”Department”) contacted me and indicated there was a concern that lettuce served at two (2) events affiliated with Andre’s Banquet Center may be the cause of the E Coli.  I immediately cooperated with the Department and provided samples of the lettuce which was served at the events.  The Department, in turn, provided these samples to the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory.  However, prior to the Department obtaining samples of the lettuce, St. Louis County issued a Press Release wrongly suggesting that Andre’s was the source of the E. coli.  Earlier today, an Environmental Public Health Specialist from the State of Missouri notified me that testing done on the samples was negative for E. coli.  While I am relieved to learn of the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory’s negative test results, I will continue to cooperate with the state and local health departments as they now work to determine the source of E. coli that has caused illnesses in the region and which has resulted in individuals who did not attend any events affiliated with Andre’s contracting E Coli.”

Bill Marler of the Marler Clark law firm in Seattle has filed two lawsuits over the E. coli outbreak.

“People eat the evidence,” he said of the health department not finding any contamination in the provided product. “I mean, the fact of the matter is that the food that’s being tested now is not the food that people ate.”

He told First Alert 4 that it is not uncommon for the food to test negative in outbreak situations.

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