By Gabrielle Masson

The CDC is advising consumers not to eat romaine lettuce from Salinas, Calif., after 40 people in 16 states have been infected with E. coli, according to a Nov. 22 food safety alert.

Missa Bay recalled salad products Nov. 21 after the Maryland health department discovered certain lettuce tested positive for E. coli. Due to the potential contamination, the company recalled 75,233 pounds of salad products containing meat or poultry.

As of Nov. 22, states have reported 28 hospitalizations related to the outbreak. Five people have developed a type of kidney failure, but no deaths have been reported.

The recalled salad products have "use by" dates between Oct. 29 and Nov. 1 and were sold under many different brand names, according to the CDC. The agency advised consumers to dispose of romaine if the packaging has "Salinas" on the label in any form. If it isn’t labeled with a growing region, the CDC is urging the public to throw the lettuce away.