K A S H R U T . C O M_©

March 25, 2021 from THE cRc

Please be advised that in recent days we have been finding romaine lettuce to be more infested than usual. In particular, we have been finding more thrips than would be expected. Accordingly, extra care and diligence should be used when preparing romaine lettuce for the Seder. The “thrip cloth method” (https://www.crcweb.org/askcrc/Thripcloth.php) remains effective, but the procedure may have to be repeated several times to remove all insects. An alternative method is to separate the leaves, soak them in soapy water, and then rub all parts of each leaf with a sponge or scrubber. The leaves can then be used as is.

The above concern is also true for cRc certified romaine from Starr Catering. Because of the unusually high levels of infestation in romaine lettuce, we have just determined that the usual washing process has not been sufficient in some instances. Therefore, we recommend that the Starr Catering whole leaf romaine lettuce be rewashed by placing the leaves into soapy water and then rinsing each leaf front and back under running water. The chopped variety may be used as is, without additional washing.