Warning to consumers:  If you have any Freshway or Imperial Sysco shredded romaine lettuce dated May 12 or earlier, discard it immediately. It could cause serious illness.

An E.coli 0145 outbreak, which substantial evidence has linked to contaminated lettuce, has sickened at least 19 people in Ohio, New York, and Michigan.  An E.coli infection can cause mild diarrhea or more serious illness.  Of those who became ill, 12 were hospitalized, 3 of them with a life-threatening syndrome that involving bleeding in the brain or kidneys.  The CDC is investigating 10 more cases probably linked to the same outbreak.