Kansans are being warned not to eat bagged spinach because of an outbreak of E. coli in several states.

That caused Lawrence grocery stores and restaurants to make some precautionary changes Friday.

“Anything that contains spinach in any way, shape or form we’ve pulled off until the FDA has completed their investigation,” said Mark Johnston, produce manager at Hy-Vee, 2504 Clinton Parkway.

Three carts of bagged spinach are now sitting in the store’s cooler until further notice, Johnston said.

The same steps were taken at Checkers Foods, 2300 La.

“We pulled everything off. We’re sending it back to the warehouse,” said Scott Drevnick, Checkers’ night manager.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have advised consumers to not eat bagged spinach until more is known about the outbreak. Anyone who became ill after consuming bagged spinach should call a physician, the agencies said.

“While we’re not aware of any illness in Kansas associated with this outbreak, we urge everyone to take this warning very seriously and throw away any bagged fresh spinach you currently have on hand,” said Dr. Howard Rodenberg, KDHE Division of Health director and state health officer.

A foodborne illness can be mild to severe, Rodenberg said. People with weakened immune systems are even more susceptible to severe complications, he said.

“Given the severity of this illness and the seriousness of the outbreak, FDA believes that a warning to consumers is needed,” said Dr. Robert Brackett, director of the FDA’s Center for Food safety and Applied Nutrition.

The FDA also is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as state and local health agencies.

Lawrence restaurants also are making adjustments to their menus. Other items were being substituted for spinach, said managers at Pachamama’s, 800 N.H., and Marisco’s Restaurant, 4821 W. Sixth St.

“We dropped quite a few items that go with spinach,” said Marisco’s manager, Fee Monshizadeh. “It’s just for safety and all the publicity about this.”

Monshizadeh said employees were also explaining to customers why the changes were made “because not everybody watches the news.”

E. coli causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. Most adults can overcome it in a week, but some people develop kidney failure.