Salad lovers rejoice! The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has recently declared that the romaine lettuce E.coli outbreak of late 2018 is finally over. The outbreak lasted nearly two months between October and December, affecting dozens of people and hospitalizing at least 25, becoming worldwide news in the process and the subject of many watercooler conversations because of the extremely large scale of the outbreak and the recalls that followed. Even though the outbreak is finally over, the question of why romaine lettuce is so commonly recalled is still on the minds of many people.

 

A great deal has been written about celiac disease, gluten allergies, and gluten sensitivity, though much confusion and misinformation continues to make the rounds. Allergens are a common issue faced by food service experts, bringing their own unique barriers that must be overcome in order to provide your patrons with the high quality of service they deserve. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada estimates that nearly one-third of Canadians (around 10 million) are regularly seeking out gluten-free products. This includes around 2.5 million who require gluten-free food products for medical reasons. The growing demand for gluten-free alternatives has led to many Canadian restaurants adopting gluten-free alternatives to cater to all customers.