When outbreaks of E. coli bacteria were traced last year to
spinach and lettuce grown in California, our region’s agriculture
industry suffered huge losses in both sales and public trust.
When outbreaks of E. coli bacteria were traced last year to spinach and lettuce grown in California, our region’s agriculture industry suffered huge losses in both sales and public trust.
A voluntary recall following last September’s deadly outbreak of E. coli, which was linked to contaminated spinach from a San Benito County food processor, cost growers an estimated $100 million before food safety officials said spinach was safe to eat again.
Rebuilding sales – and consumers’ confidence in this important local crop – remains an ongoing effort.
Later this week, a proposal for a farm industry-backed “seal of approval” on leafy vegetables will be unveiled to the public at a state hearing in Monterey.
The seal of approval, which farmers and packagers could earn through compliance with a new set of rules governing how vegetable crops are grown, harvested and processed, is intended to assure consumers that the produce they are buying is safe from contaminants.
The farm industry’s proposal calls for the state Department of Agriculture to set up food safety boards for growers and processors.
The state agency would oversee the boards and use inspectors to monitor compliance with the new rules.
We applaud the farm industry for taking the early lead in developing a new set of rules to protect crops and keep those who eat them safe.
But it appears that what’s being proposed is essentially self-regulation, and even that would at first be only voluntary.
It’s a step in the right direction, certainly, but it might not be enough to either fully protect consumers or regain their confidence.
Critics have already begun weighing in on the farm industry’s proposal and they have found it lacking.
Consumer advocacy groups are pushing for the state Department of Health Services to develop and enforce safety rules dealing with farm-grown vegetables, rather than leaving it up to the Department of Agriculture. They say the agriculture department does a good job with standards for freshness and appearance, but lacks the scientific expertise and staffing to deal with health issues.
A state senator from Bakersfield, who is expected to announce his own proposal for setting tougher state safety standards for growing and handling agricultural products, has described the farm industry plan as “little more than the fox watching the henhouse.”
Of course, what’s crucial in any plan to protect vegetable crops from contamination are the specifics of the safety regulations and how they would be enforced.
At this stage, unfortunately, we still don’t know those specifics and we likely won’t until later this year.
For now, the good news is that both the farm industry and consumers seem to agree that more safeguards will be good for everyone’s health.
