Spinach Probe Focuses On Calif. Farms

Bag Of Tainted Spinach Found In New Mexico Called A 'Smoking Gun'

(CBS/AP)  Health authorities hunting the source of a nationwide E. coli outbreak are focusing on nine California farms after discovering what could be a crucial clue: an opened bag of spinach left in the refrigerator of someone sickened by the bacteria.

The bag of tainted Dole baby spinach is the "smoking gun" that has allowed investigators to zero in on three counties in California's greater Salinas Valley, said Dr. Mark Horton, the state public health officer. Authorities also were checking processing plants, Horton said.

Officials said consumers still shouldn't eat bagged spinach, even as they closed in on the source of the bacteria as likely somewhere in Monterey, San Benito or Santa Clara counties.

California produces 74 percent of the nation's fresh spinach crop. The Salinas Valley accounts for roughly three-quarters of the state's share.

However, CBS News has learned in fact that investigators almost never find an E. coli smoking gun.

After the last six major lettuce and spinach outbreaks — outbreaks that caused three deaths, hundreds of illnesses and at least 26 cases of kidney damage — not once was the source identified, reports CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews.

Last fall, the FDA accused the produce industry of sitting on its hands in a scathing memo. The FDA says industry claims that "'We cannot take action until we know the cause' are unacceptable."

The bag of fresh spinach that tested positive for E. coli was found in New Mexico, and other bags recovered elsewhere in the country also were being tested.

"It's certainly premature to say only this bag is going to test positive," said Dr. David Acheson of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "There are others in the works."

New Mexico Department of Health officials confirmed the tainted bag of spinach was found after a person who ate some of the leafy greens became one of 146 people in 23 states sickened by the outbreak. One person has died.

The spinach tested positive for the same strain of E. coli linked to the outbreak, Acheson said. Dole is one of the brands of spinach recalled Friday by Natural Selection Foods LLC of San Juan Bautista, Calif., about 45 miles south of San Jose.

The tainted greens — conventionally grown spinach and not organic — came from one of the farms that supplies spinach to Natural Selection, said Samantha Cabaluna, spokeswoman for Natural Selection.

She said independent scientists have declared Natural Selection's facilities are clean.

"All along, we have been concerned that the source for this outbreak could be environmental, emanating from the field," Cabaluna said.

The facility processes spinach from a number of growers under several names, reports Margie Shafer of KCBS Radio (audio).

Seattle lawyer Bill Marler, who has represented dozens of clients in lawsuits connected to contaminated bagged leafy greens, said he's representing more than 30 clients from 12 states over the current E. coli outbreak. He said he reached a settlement for his clients with the company in five previous cases, but could not reveal its terms.

Based on past experience, Marler said he suspects bacteria-tainted irrigation or flood water is behind the current outbreak.

[mdelgado12]

Back in the 70's I used to migrate as a farmworker from Texas to Soledad, California to work in the fields. I used to observe that once the sugarbeet crops had been harvested cattle were herded into the fields to eat the sugarbeet leaves. The manure from the cattle was plowed under, to be used as ferilizer, after the cattle had eaten the leaves on the fields. If this feeding/fertilizing trend still continues to be used, perhaps it could be the cause of the E.coli infecting the spinach. Just something to consider in your probes.

[mjv2944]

Maybe we need more illegal aliens involved in our food chain. E-Coli usually means fecal matter is involved. Makes you want to run right out and have a big "healthy" salad.

[thomderr]

As Attny. Marler satated in the about report, all the triple washings before packaging does not exclude you from washing the produce after you buy the item ... be it spinach or other vegetables.
Remember where the disease comes from ... the 'coli' in E-coli refers to the human colon.
That's a bit too organic for me!