Had a great spinach lunch at the Steinbeck Center in Salinas today – actually a spinach salad followed by spinach-stuffed chicken.  The group of about 250 – 300 consisted of lettuce and spinach growers from the entire region.  Hopefully, we both learned a bit.  Several members of the press were there – here is one that hit the wire in the last few moments:

KSBW – SALINAS, Calif. — A lawyer representing about 90 plaintiffs in lawsuits stemming from the 2006 spinach E. coli outbreak spoke to a group of agricultural leaders in Salinas Wednesday.

Bill Marler said he wants to educate the industry about these costly lawsuits.

The Ag Forum committee said Marler was invited to speak to provide the perspective of those who were victims of food poisoning.

Marler has filed lawsuits against Dole, Natural Selection/Earthbound Farm and Mission Organics.

“Hopefully we leave here perhaps not friends, but with an understanding of how the process operates,” Marler said.

The E. coli outbreak killed at least three people and sickened more than 200.

It also touched off a criminal investigation that is still ongoing.