Is there another outbreak brewing?

It was about three weeks from now, sixteen years ago, that I was teaching my daughters to surf on the Oregon coast when I got a tip that an E. coli outbreak was brewing.  It eventually blew up to the 2006 Dole baby spinach E. coli outbreak that sickened 205 – killing 5.  The industry called it their Jack-in-the-Box and their 911.  2006 seems a long time ago, but when I got a tip today that an outbreak – hopefully smaller in size – is coming to a salad bar near you, it seemed like yesterday.

So, assuming my tipster is correct, what does that say about the leafy green industry and its Jack-in-the-Box and their 911 moments?  Cleary, the growers, through the California and Arizona LGMAs have made modest progress.  Clearly, the FDA now recognizes that leafy greens grown in proximity to cattle is at best problematic.  However, we still do not have real, enforceable land use (keep cow shit away from ready to eat greens) programs, water use and testing regimes, and enforceable product test regulations.  We will continue to have these outbreaks until we all come to grips with the need for a comprehensive view of a complex problem.

E. coli outbreaks associated with lettuce, specifically the “pre-washed” and “ready-to-eat” varieties, are by no means a new phenomenon. In fact, the frequency with which this country’s fresh produce consuming public has been hit by outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria is astonishing. Here are just a sample of E. coli outbreaks based on information gathered by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Kansas State University, Barfblog, North Carolina State University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: