SALINAS, Calif., Sept. 13, 2007
Salad Growers In Spin Over E. Coli
Report Shows Government Never Improved Produce Inspections After Deadly 2006 Spinach E. Coli Outbreak
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Play CBS Video Video A Safe, Clean Food Supply The recent E. coli outbreaks linked to California produce have led to tighter harvesting measures, but some critics say these efforts aren't enough. John Blackstone reports from the Salinas Valley.
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Video Notebook: Food Safety Only On The Web: After salmonella and E. coli outbreaks, Katie Couric says our food safety system should be the focus of more attention from Congress and the president.
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Video Growing Concern About The FDA A former FDA deputy commissioner says the agency is so understaffed that it has little ability to prevent problems like the deadly outbreak of E. coli in spinach last year. Nancy Cordes reports.
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A worker harvests romaine lettuce in Salinas, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007. Government regulators never acted on calls for stepped-up inspections of leafy greens after last year's deadly E. coli spinach outbreak. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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Fast Facts E. coli Learn more about a dangerous strain of a common bacteria.
The regulations governing farms in this central California region known as the nation's "Salad Bowl" remain much as they were when bacteria from a cattle ranch infected spinach that killed three people and sickened more than 200.
AP's review of data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act found that federal officials inspect companies growing and processing salad greens an average of just once every 3.9 years. Some proposals in Congress would require such inspections at least four times a year.
In California, which grows three-quarters of the nation's greens, processors created a new inspection system but with voluntary guidelines that were unable to keep bagged spinach tainted with salmonella from reaching grocery shelves last month.
Despite widespread calls for spot-testing of processing plants handling leafy greens following last year's E. coli outbreak, California public health inspectors have not been given the authority to conduct such tests, so none have been done, the AP review found.
"We have strict standards for lead paint on toys, but we don't seem to take the same level of seriousness about something that we consume every day," said Darryl Howard, whose 83-year-old mother, Betty Howard, of Richland, Wash., died as a result of E. coli-related complications.
She was one of two elderly people to die in the outbreak that began in August 2006 and also included the death of a child and sicknesses reported from more than 200 people from Maine to Arizona.
By mid-September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a two-week nationwide warning not to eat fresh spinach. Authorities eventually traced the likely source of the E. coli to a cattle ranch about 40 miles east of Salinas.
But a regulatory backlash never happened.
State Sen. Dean Florez, a Central Valley Democrat who sponsored three failed bills to enact mandatory regulations for leafy greens earlier this year, said momentum faded as the E. coli case dropped from the headlines and the industry lobbied hard for self-regulation.
"That legislation was held up waiting for this voluntary approach for food safety to see if it works," said Florez, who is skeptical of that approach.
"It only took one 50-acre parcel to poison 200 people and bring the industry to its knees," he said. "We don't get why the industry would be playing this game of roulette with our food."
Among the AP's other findings:
Last year's outbreak prompted a temporary downturn in sales of salad greens, but more than 5 million bags of salad are now sold each day nationwide, a number the industry says will grow as health-conscious consumers opt for more greens and vegetables.
Much of those sprout near Salinas, where the fog lifted on a recent morning over fields of romaine and iceberg already wilting in the August sun.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment
This Gov''t is so inept, it''s almost unbelievable!
Are they trying to kill us or what?- Reply to this comment
- TYPICAL OF THE GOVERNMENT! LOTS OF WORDS, LITTLE RESPONSE AND COLLECT MORE MONEY!
MAYBE THEY LIKE E-COLI! I ALWAYS PICTURE THEM EATING IT! - Reply to this comment
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