E. coli Outbreaks Spur Food-Safety Debate

In the last quarter of 2006, the issue of food safety loomed large. E. coli outbreaks linked to spinach and lettuce left consumers leery and sent the produce industry and the government scrambling for answers.

On Sept. 14, 2006, FDA alerted consumers to a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7, advising them to avoid eating bagged fresh spinach. Soon after, the advisory was expanded to include all fresh spinach. By Sept. 22, FDA narrowed the source of the tainted spinach down to three counties in California, and assured consumers that spinach grown outside these counties was safe for consumption.

But the damage was done. The industry suffered economically as consumer confidence plummeted and, in all, some 199 cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including 102 hospitalizations and three deaths.

In a statement made before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, U.S. Senate, Robert E. Brackett, Ph.D., director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA, said, in part: “A recent report (April 2006) issued by CDC, in collaboration with FDA and USDA, shows that progress has been made in reducing foodborne infections. ... However, the recent E. coli outbreak shows that further progress is needed, particularly with ready-to-eat produce.”

At the end of November, just weeks after this statement was issued, another outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 was reported in the Northeast. This time, iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants was identified as the source of infection for the 71 reported cases. Another outbreak stemming from fresh produce served at Taco John’s restaurants in the Midwest was soon after reported, although FDA does not currently believe the contaminations are related.

In an effort to minimize the risk of microbial contamination in fresh produce, FDA is “developing guidance, conducting outreach to consumers, sampling and analyzing both domestic and imported produce for pathogens, and working with industry to promote the use of good growing, harvesting, packing, transporting and processing practices,” according to Brackett.

Within the industry, Western Growers Association, Newport Beach, CA, made a first step toward creating a California industry-led, mandated food-safety regulatory program with the “California Leafy Green Handler Marketing Agreement.” The purpose of the agreement, according to the association’s website (www.wga.com), is to license “signatory handlers” to: certify safe handling, shipment and sale of leafy green products to consumers; adopt Leafy Green Best Practices; declare that leafy green products purchased from growers without growers first using Best Practices and trace-back systems are unfair trade practices; use an official mark indicating such certification; and, advertise and promote use of the mark and educate consumers about its meaning. A Leafy Green Marketing Order for growers is set for completion in early 2007.

On the government level, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) likely will find increased support for his efforts to modernize what he sees as a “fragmented federal food-safety system” under a single food-safety agency. Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) introduced The Spinach Research and Recovery Act of 2006, which would provide $26 million in federal funding for food-safety research dedicated to the fresh produce industry.