JAMAICA’S agriculture ministry yesterday advised consumers that locally grown romaine lettuce is safe for consumption, but said the ban on imported Romaine lettuce is still in effect.

“No romaine lettuce is being imported into Jamaica,” the ministry said yesterday.

It added: “The ministry continues to work with farmers to ensure that locally grown lettuce, including the romaine variety, are grown at the highest standards and meet the production safety standards for green leafy vegetables. Therefore, consumers are being assured that romaine lettuce grown in Jamaica is safe for consumption.”

According to the ministry, the Plant Quarantine Branch, working in collaboration with the Public Health Division of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, has extended the suspension of the issuance of permits for the importation of romaine lettuce in the wake of the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration’s (USFDA) ongoing investigation into the outbreak of illnesses in several states. The probe indicated that the persons became ill as a result of consuming contaminated romaine lettuce.

According to the CDC and USFDA, these contaminants pose a serious threat to public health, causing diarrhoea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, and pneumonia, among other illnesses.