E. Coli in Bagged Spinach

[Dogmama]

Last I heard, organic spinach was not involved.

Just heard on the radio the FDA has not confirmed that. It was announced by the spinach company...

[SadieKate]

The latest FDA news release.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01453.html

Actually, Earthbound Farms is only one of the brands owned by Natural Selections LLC which has recalled all of its spinach under all of its brands.

[roshelleuop]

Not sure about the other states yet, but here in Wisconsin, they've pulled EVERYTHING off the shelves I went to Pick N Save yesterday and usually I get spinach, but was ready to get regular lettuce and they pulled that too!!!! There were signs up saying they were pulling all spinach items off the shelves (understandable), but also the items that were shipped with the spinach. i guess it's better to be safe than sorry, but man I wanted a salad so bad!!!!

Yikes!!!!

Roshelle from Milwaukee
http://wisconsinbetties.blogspot.com/

[xeney]

This article does a pretty good job of showing how confusing the whole issue of who, how, and where your produce comes from is. It's about Earthbound Farms, which started as a husband and wife organization but now sells to everyone under that Natural Selection label:

Their company is now the biggest organic produce grower and shipper in the United States and one of the biggest organic companies in the country, with $450 million in sales this year. Its bags and plastic tubs of spring mix and other greens are everywhere -- from Whole Foods to Safeway to Costco.

That total includes a substantial amount of conventional salad greens grown and bagged by Earthbound, and sold to food service companies or under its Natural Selection label. The conventional part of their business will grow with Earthbound's recent purchase of its neighbor, Pride of San Juan, which will push total production to 40 million servings of salad this year alone.

Outside the San Juan Bautista plant, Earthbound fields hopscotch with other growers' conventional fields. Late rains and cold weather meant the spinach was only 3 inches high the third week of April, and Earthbound was still trucking produce from its fields in Mexico, Arizona and Southern California. A second huge plant in Yuma, used in winter, had shut down in early March.

I was really surprised to find out that the stuff that is sold at the food co-op is produced right alongside the stuff that is sold under the Dole label.

[solveig]

Hi all,
I'm a produce grower who markets entirely locally, directly to consumers, and I thought this would be a good time to put in a plug for buying locally. The folks at your local Farmers' Market, CSA, or roadside stand likely have fresh greens, and their production is separate from the mainstream food system. Most growers will be happy to answer questions about their growing and washing methods.

Could be a good time to start a relationship with a farm in your area!

[texaspamrides]

Great reminder about buying local! In Texas, my favorite bestest store, Central Market, also pulled every leaf of spinach out of the store and my withdrawals are NOT being satisfied by green leaf lettuce or swiss chard, but I'm trying. I buy other things from a local market, but will stop today to see if they have spinach!

[Dogmama]

Thanks for the reminder! In Tucson, we don't have a lot of local growers, unless you enjoy eating cactus! There are some, though, and I'm going to start hitting my farmers' markets.

Anybody else wonder about that stuff in bags anyway? I mean, sometimes it would smell "off" after a day or two and I would toss it. I used the bags for convenience, but always wondered how they were really processed. That and carrots - sometimes you get the peeled kind & they are slimey. What's up with that?