NJ woman sues Panera after E. coli gives her kidney failure

READINGTON — A township woman has filed suit in connection with the recent E. coli breakout that originated with Romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona.

A Seattle law firm that specializes in food safety issues filed a suit on behalf of Louise Fraser, of Readington, who claimed she consumed the tainted chopped lettuce in a salad she ordered from the Panera on Route 202 on March 20. Three days later she began to experience bloody diarrhea and was hospitalized with a form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Fraser received multiple blood transfusions before she was released on April 5. She is now recovering at home.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said all Romaine lettuce, including salads and salad mixes, should be thrown away no matter where in the United States it was purchased. Restaurant customers should ask the origin of the lettuce before eating it. If you cannot confirm the source of the romaine lettuce, do not buy it or eat it, the CDC advised.

No common grower, supplier, distributor or brand has been identified by the CDC. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said all Romaine lettuce, including salads and salad mixes, should be thrown away no matter where in the United States it was purchased. Restaurant customers should ask the origin of the lettuce before eating it. If you cannot confirm the source of the romaine lettuce, do not buy it or eat it, the CDC advised.

The New Jersey Department of Health said there are seven cases of E. coli reported in New Jersey. Four cases were reported in Hunterdon County with single cases in Monmouth, Sussex and Somerset counties. The Department of Health did not identify any source for the contamination and said it was relying on the "food history" of those affected.

Panera did not return a message for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Additional testing is ongoing to see if additional cases match the multi-state outbreak.