E. coli outbreak source identified: Spinach tainted in San Benito
The Californian
By JAKE HENSHAW
The Salinas Californian Capitol Bureau
Grower identified, California health officials say
Excerpt…
SACRAMENTO – Fresh spinach in the nationwide E. coli outbreak this past fall became contaminated on a roughly 50-acre plot in San Benito County, state health officials said at a legislative hearing Tuesday.
Officials said the field was in the second year of a three-year transition from a conventional to organic operation.
Until now, officials have said the tainting occurred in either San Benito or Monterey counties but haven’t specified which.
Tuesday’s revelation came during questioning at a joint hearing of the Assembly and Senate agriculture committees chaired by state Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, and Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, D-Hanford. The hearing was intended to examine the E. coli outbreak on the Central Coast and one linked to Central Valley lettuce, as well as state and industry responses to the scares.
Department of Health Services doctors said they’ve identified the grower who was farming that plot but will only divulge that information when the full report on the outbreak that killed four people and sickened about 200 is released.
Also Tuesday, Seattle-based attorney Bill Marler, who represents 90 plaintiffs in the Central Coast outbreak, said he’s added Salinas grower Mission Organics to a list of defendants his clients are suing. Marler is pushing forward eight lawsuits in six states – Ohio, New York, Maryland, Utah, Wisconsin and Oregon.
Two other defendants, Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. and Natural Selection Foods in San Juan Bautista, reported finding the deadly E. Coli O157:H7 strain in pigs and cattle feces on or around a plot farmed by Mission Organics and leased from Paicinas Ranch in San Benito County, Marler said.
“Genetics in this type of outbreak tend not to lie,” Marler said. “They found it hanging around the Mission Organics farmland … . It’s pretty strong evidence from Dole and Natural Selection’s perspective.”
State and federal health officials have said the tainted spinach was sold under the Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. brand and processed and bagged at Natural Selection Foods….
Pushing for answers
During Tuesday’s hearing, Maldonado pressed officials on when the E. coli report – including the identity of the grower who farmed the plot in question – will be made available.
“When will that be out?” Maldonado asked.
“In the very near future,” said Dr. Kevin Reilly of the state Health Department. “Hopefully within the next few weeks.
“Our interest is in releasing the information and results together with U.S. FDA,” Reilly said, referring to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which investigated the outbreak with DHS.
“I’m not being hard on you, sir,” Maldonado said. “I’m speaking for my district and for folks contacting my office, and all I can say is that ‘in the near future’ is not good enough for the people I represent and not good enough for the consumers of California.”
Many officials and growers have expressed frustration over trying to respond to demands for safer production of spinach and other leafy greens without the final report on the exact causes of the outbreak.
“In all honesty, it would have been done a lot sooner had a couple of additional outbreaks not come along on the heels of this one,” responded Dr. Jeff Farrar of the state Health Department.
At the hearing, wide agreement was expressed that more research is needed to find ways to eliminate the risk of contamination in raw leafy greens.
More money suggested
“Research is needed in just about every area here,” said Trevor Suslow of the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security at the University of California, Davis. He suggested a $10 million annual budget.
The industry has created a voluntary marketing agreement for leafy green handlers, who intend after April 1 to accept only produce from growers who agree to practice farming and testing techniques now being finalized by industry and independent public and private experts.
The best approach would involve federal standards set by FDA to provide national consistency and consumer assurance of oversight by an independent, objective body, said Tom Stenzel, president of United Fresh Produce Association, a national trade group.
“At the same time, we believe it government’s responsibility to provide a strong food-safety regulatory framework that assures the public we are doing the right thing,” Stenzel said.
Legislators and others at the hearing raised questions and offered suggestions for the industry’s efforts.
‘More work to do’
Maldonado and others urged a closer look at the safety of bags used for marketing some greens, and Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, complained about the lack of women on the marketing advisory board and recommended that environmentalists, livestock operators and small farmers be included in the efforts.
“It’s pretty clear to me there is a lot more work to do,” Caballero said.
In order to prevent tainted products from getting to consumers, Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, urged development of a procedure to test produce before it goes to retail outlets and of a system to trace back any contamination found.
Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, questioned the value of a voluntary agreement and an official seal that the marketing agreement advisory board is considering for produce, especially if another outbreak occurs after new farming practices are adopted.
“What is plan B … when it happens again?” Maldonado jumped in to ask.
“This is an issue of minimization … because there isn’t a ‘kill step’” to destroy any contaminant, said Jasper Hempel of the Western Growers Association, which is leading the effort to set up the marketing agreement and develop the best farming practices.
