Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
Greenhouse Might Be Key Ingredient In Safer Salads
Consumers should only eat romaine if it is from a harvest region other than Salinas, Calif., or if it was grown indoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said
Greenhouse Might Be Key Ingredient In Safer Salads
By Kristen Leigh Painter Star Tribune
DECEMBER 9, 2019
Jay Johnson, Revol Greens president and partner, with greens at the company's Medford, Minn., indoor growing facility. DAVID JOLES – STAR TRIBUNE
Another outbreak of E. coli in romaine lettuce has sickened more than 100 people nationwide and left others wondering if raw salad is safe.
As food-safety investigators clear the vegetable aisle of contaminated lettuce, authorities provided more guidance on how to shop for a safer product.
Consumers should only eat romaine if it is from a harvest region other than Salinas, Calif., or if it was grown indoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. If it's not labeled with a harvest region or growing method, don't eat it.
By singling out indoor-grown lettuce as a potentially safer alternative to field-grown lettuce, food-safety regulators are boosting demand for product grown by Medford-based Revol Greens and its greenhouse-growing peers around the country.
"That [government advice] is definitely helping us out this time," said Brendon Krieg, a partner and sales manager at Revol Greens. "We are seeing an uptick in demand from retailers and restaurants because it has such a major impact on their business when they suddenly can't serve salads."
E. coli contamination in produce nearly always comes from irrigation water used on fields, said Kirk Smith, director of the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence, one of six centers around the U.S. designated by the CDC to strengthen the safety of the nation's food system.
Revol Greens is a new competitor to the California greens market and is growing five varieties of lettuce in greenhouses only an hour's drive south of Minneapolis at a fraction of the transportation costs. Here, a worker inside the sprawling greenhouse at Revol Greens Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in Medford, MN.
DAVID JOLES, STAR TRIBUNE
A lettuce field could be contaminated by dust, pests or wild animals carrying E. coli from elsewhere, but it is usually through the irrigation water source "in some way, shape or form," he said.
A major risk with outdoor-grown lettuce is sharing a water source with a nearby animal farm. It's especially risky near cattle, which are widely considered the largest reservoir of E. coli, Smith said.
Some food-safety experts theorize that during California's dry season — which lasts into the fall — the water table drops and the surface water from a cattle operation gets sucked down into the groundwater that is then used to irrigate lettuce crops.
That's why the CDC and FDA are telling consumers to consider buying leafy greens from greenhouse-grown facilities that use alternative water sources.
Revol Greens captures rainwater and snow melt from its greenhouse roof that it then stores in a covered, on-site holding pond. The company tests its water daily and runs it through a chemical-free UV sterilization process to make sure there's no festering bacteria before spraying its indoor lettuce. "Most, if not all, indoor growers of a certain size will have some sort of sterilization for their water," Krieg said.
Symptoms of E. coli usually surface within a few days to a week after ingesting the bacteria and include stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.
Cases in the current outbreak span 23 states, with 31 in Wisconsin — the most of any state. Three cases have been reported in Minnesota. For now, it appears the rate of illness is slowing, with symptoms of the last reported cases beginning Nov. 18. Still, the CDC and FDA recommend consumers avoid purchasing Salinas-grown lettuce for the remainder of this growing season.
A year ago, an E. coli outbreak sickened 88 people in the U.S. and Canada and led regulators to issue a blanket don't-eat-romaine-lettuce warning. Retailers and restaurants pulled all romaine lettuce from shelves and menus before investigators zeroed in on north and central California as the likely source of contamination. But, by then, all romaine growers suffered the consequences.
In response, Revol and five other greenhouse lettuce growers formed a coalition to increase consumer and regulator education, and to encourage the controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) community to adopt stricter standards than already established.
"The coalition was established to develop credible, strong, and appropriate food safety standards, educate consumers and regulators on controlled environment growing, and communicate the value of controlled environment agriculture," said Marni Karlin, executive director of the group, called the CEA Food Safety Coalition.
This year, authorities took a more tailored approach to their warnings, identifying Salinas as the likely growing region in the first public health notice last month. Karlin said the companies she represents were pleased that the CDC and FDA's most recent update called out the relative safety of indoor-grown lettuce.
While most E. coli bacteria are harmless, these investigations track the dangerous types, such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, that can be life threatening. Such pathogenic outbreaks have been identified since the mid-1990s with at least one leafy-green outbreak occurring every year since Smith said.
But what's disconcerting, he said, is how little progress has been made in preventing these outbreaks since the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA gave the industry more serious directives in addressing the problem in the early to mid-2000s.
"This has been a known problem for a long time now, but there are a couple of remarkable things that have happened recently," Smith said. First, spring 2018 was marked by the largest leafy green outbreak of E. coli ever, specifically in romaine, with 219 reported illnesses. The other noteworthy trend, Smith said, is that "we now have recurring outbreaks of the same strain and region."
The reason it keeps happening, he said, is that investigators are rarely able to trace the contamination all the way back to the exact farm.
Lettuce farmers often send their produce to a central processing facility where it is washed and packed. "You could get a bag of lettuce that includes stuff from many different sources," Smith said.
Indoor agriculture is generally much smaller in scale and therefore more easily protected from weather, pests and animals, he said.
Kristen Leigh Painter covers the food industry for the Star Tribune. She previously covered growth and development for the paper. Prior to that, Painter was a business reporter at the Denver Post, covering airlines and aerospace. She frequently writes about sustainable food production, consumer food trends and airlines.
All Lettuce Belongs In The Garbage At This Point
The newest Centers for Disease Control recall is for Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Chopped Salad Kits. The kits are being blamed for eight cases of E. coli food poisoning from three different states. No deaths have been reported, but three of the people who got sick had to be hospitalized
December 10, 2019
Photo: Getty Images
Two bagged salad recalls might make you want to skip your servings of vegetables this week. Or maybe forever.
The newest Centers for Disease Control recall is for Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Chopped Salad Kits. The kits are being blamed for eight cases of E. coli food poisoning from three different states. No deaths have been reported, but three of the people who got sick had to be hospitalized.
The CDC says to look for “UPC 0 71279 30906 4, beginning with lot code Z, and a best-before date up to and including 07DEC19” on the upper right corner of the bag to see if the bag in your fridge is one of the salads being recalled.
That warning comes shortly after the CDC advised people not to eat any romaine lettuce grown in or near Salinas, California. “This includes all use-by dates and brands of romaine lettuce from this region,” the CDC noted. If there’s no location listed on the lettuce, the agency said to dump it to be on the safe side.
More than 100 people in 23 states have been diagnosed with the same strain of E. coli as those impacted by the Fresh Express kits, although it’s not certain whether there is a link between the two.
We’ve been down on bagged lettuce for a while here at Lifehacker, but can we just agree that all lettuce is doomed?
It’s Time to Stop Eating Bagged Salads [Updated]
It pains me to say this, because I’m lazy. But after the umpteenth outbreak of food poisoning from…
The CDC site for E. coli outbreaks lists two for romaine lettuce in 2018, an outbreak linked to leafy greens in 2017, and even archives outbreaks back to 2006. Humble lettuce, the bed on which we place more appetizing fresh morsels, just can’t be trusted.
Bagged salads are particularly to blame because their contents, which often come from a variety of farms, get distributed widely, not just in one geographic region. That increases the odds that lettuce that gets contaminated somewhere along the way will end up on our plates. The lettuce does get washed several times in a chlorinated bath, all that bathing still doesn’t kill E. coli.
If you’re still craving lettuce for some reason, keep in mind that buying it from a small local farm may not help you avoid foodborne illness. If you buy a head of lettuce, the FDA recommends removing and discarding the outer leaves, then rinsing the rest before use. Spraying with a vinegar wash will help kill bacteria, but in this era of lettuce catastrophes, there are no guarantees. Sorry!
US: BREAKING NEWS - Number of Romaine-Linked E. coli Infections Continues To Grow
The number of states affected is now 23, and the latest date that one of these patients reports becoming ill was Nov. 18, meaning illness onset dates reported to date are prior to the public warning issued Nov. 22
DECEMBER 05, 2019
An additional 35 people have reportedly been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 linked to Romaine lettuce harvested in the Salinas, CA, growing region. The number of people, now 102, was first reported as 40 when the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention issued an advisory Nov. 22 before increasing to 67 last week. A total of 58 hospitalizations have now been reported.
The number of states affected is now 23, and the latest date that one of these patients reports becoming ill was Nov. 18, meaning illness onset dates reported to date are prior to the public warning issued Nov. 22.
Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback evidence collected to date indicate that romaine lettuce from the Salinas growing region may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 and is making people sick.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and public health and regulatory officials from several states are investigating the multi-state outbreak.
As a precaution, the CDC issued an advisory Nov. 22 warning consumers not to eat -- and retailers not to sell -- Romaine lettuce from the Salinas Valley. There have been no deaths reported.
Romaine Has Had A Tough Go. Here’s What Has To Happen To Make it Safe
The Centers for Disease Control alerted consumers on Nov. 22 to not eat romaine lettuce from California’s Salinas Valley due to E. coli contamination
To View The Video, Please Click Here
By Stephen M. Ostroff
November 26, 2019
Stephen M. Ostroff is a former deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine at the Food and Drug Administration.
Exactly a year ago, during Thanksgiving week, I was involved in the government’s decision to recommend removing romaine lettuce from grocery store shelves and restaurants. We also advised people not to eat any romaine they had purchased and to throw it away instead.
Now, right before Thanksgiving, it’s happening again.
Nobody wants to scratch romaine off the nation’s Thanksgiving menu. But these recommendations were easy ones to make.
Last year, an outbreak of E. coli bacteria linked to romaine was sweeping the country. Contaminated romaine was likely still on the market. We were unsure where the contaminated product came from, so all of it had to be removed. Even if we knew its origin, romaine wasn’t labeled to allow consumers to determine where it was grown. At least the labeling has improved since last year. But more needs to change.
Romaine lettuce on the shelves of a grocery store in Simi Valley, Calif., in 2018. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)
During the 2018 Thanksgiving outbreak, the government’s actions clearly prevented additional illnesses. But, unfortunately, 62 people still became ill. Symptoms of an E. coli infection can include severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Some people experience only mild symptoms, but for others, a severe infection can be life-threatening.
Fast forward to now, and there’s another outbreak of the same strain of E. coli linked to romaine, likely from California’s central coast. As of Nov. 22, 40 cases had been reported across 16 states, with 28 hospitalizations but no deaths. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending that consumers avoid romaine from the Salinas region.
Remarkably, the specific E. coli strain (O157:H7) causing the new outbreak is genetically indistinguishable from last years and another one in late 2017. Last month, the FDA retroactively identified an outbreak involving romaine lettuce that occurred in late summer, causing 23 illnesses. The CDC has not posted information about that outbreak, so the epidemiologic patterns of illness and causative strain are unknown.
Notably, the 2018 Thanksgiving outbreak was not the first one that year either. It was preceded by the biggest outbreak in the United States of E. coli illness in more than a decade, with 210 illnesses, including five deaths, linked to romaine from the winter growing region around Yuma, Ariz.
With five multistate outbreaks in less than two years, it’s clear there’s a serious continuing problem with E. coli O157:H7 and romaine lettuce. The natural reservoir for this pathogen is ruminant animals, especially cattle. Moreover, one particular strain of E. coli seems to have found a home in the growing regions of central coastal California, returning each fall near the end of the growing season.
It’s not clear where this strain is hiding. Cattle? Water sources? Elsewhere? What is clear is that additional steps must be taken to make romaine safer.
Other commodities such as meat and flour also cause foodborne illness. But at least with these, cooking and baking eliminate the risk. That isn’t the case with romaine. Washing the lettuce may remove surface contamination, but the crinkly leaves make eliminating all of it almost impossible.
The Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law in 2011, places the responsibility on food producers to prevent contamination from occurring and to assure their product is safe. The leafy greens industry, with input from the FDA, the CDC, and others, has recently taken steps to meet this obligation. In September, an industry-led task force issued a set of recommendations to address the problem.
One of the most significant recommendations is that any open-source water in contact with edible lettuce in the three weeks before harvest should be treated to remove contamination. E. coli O157:H7 was found in untreated surface water in both the Yuma and 2018 Thanksgiving outbreaks.
The task force recommendations should be immediately adopted and implemented. But even more should be done. Surface water used for romaine irrigation should be treated throughout the growing cycle, not just in the three weeks before harvest. The FDA should also quickly issue agricultural water standards that have been postponed but are required by FSMA’s produce-safety rules.
Another concern that must be addressed: concentrated animal feeding operations, where tens of thousands of cattle potentially carrying E. coli O157:H7 are housed if they are located near leafy green growing areas. Buffers between the cattle operations and growing fields are required, but bigger ones may be needed.
E. coli can cause terrible illnesses. Just ask any of the victims of the five most recent outbreaks. The romaine lettuce market has managed to rebound from the outbreak after the outbreak. But consumer loyalty is unlikely to be limitless. The industry should not take this resilience as a given.
Read more:
Letters: Blame E. coli contamination on our agriculture policy
The Post’s View: A great first step to protect antibiotics for the future
CDC Warns Against Pre-Cut Melon and Tahini Used in Hummus
The melon-linked outbreak was traced back to watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe and mixed fruit from Caito Foods, a manufacturer that distributes nationwide
The Centers for Disease Control had some gloomy warnings to kick off Memorial Day Weekend. Pre-cut melon and a popular type of tahini –used in summer salads and hummus– are responsible for Salmonella outbreaks all over the country. Health officials urge Americans to be cautious as they prepare their sunny spreads for the customary long-weekend garden parties.
The melon-linked outbreak was traced back to watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe and mixed fruit from Caito Foods, a manufacturer that distributes nationwide. The offending fruit, sold in clear packages, was sold in 16 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
In the last couple of months, 137 people fell ill. Officials say there have been no cases in recent weeks, suggesting the outbreak is over.
According to FDA reports obtained by Food Safety News in an FOIA request, the issue at Caito Foods dated back to 2016. Inspectors found evidence of employees in the Indianapolis plant shoving waste deep into a trash can before returning to cutting fruit without washing their hands. They also found listeria on butternut squash, but, reportedly, declined to recall the squash because it was intended to be cooked.
Tahini is a blended, runny sesame sauce, that can be drizzled over snacks, salads or hot dishes, and is a key ingredient in hummus. A couple of decades ago, infected tahini wouldn’t have made any impact on the US market. But, in recent years, Middle Eastern food has become a stable in US supermarkets, restaurants and kitchens, and hummus is a staple of almost every casual social event.
According to brinkwire.com, the recall is tied to Brodt Zenatti Holding LLC in Jupiter, Florida, which manufactures US tahini for two top brands, SoCo and Karawan. SoCo (Seeds of Collaboration) is an Israeli-Palestinian venture, and Karawan hails from Ethiopia. Both have gained sizeable markets in the US, where they are sold as various types of tahini and used for hummus.
In a warning issued on Friday, the CDC urged restaurants and supermarket shoppers not to ‘eat, sell, or serve’ tahini labeled as ‘Karawan Tahini’, ‘El-Karawan Tahini’, or ‘SoCo Tahini’, nor any products made from it.
Publication date: 5/27/2019
Don't 'Kiss' or 'Snuggle' Backyard Chickens or You Could Get Salmonella, CDC Warns
May 17, 2019
Backyard chickens are the main culprit in a national salmonella outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday.
The birds, which have become a status symbol among the elite in Silicon Valley, are now responsible for 52 people contracting salmonella in 21 states, the CDC said. Despite their trendiness in California, it's Ohio that has reported the highest number of salmonella cases, with 9 people falling ill. About one-quarter of the victims of the outbreak are under 5 years old, reports USA Today.
"Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicate that contact with backyard poultry from multiple hatcheries is the likely source of these outbreaks," the CDC said. "People reported obtaining chicks and ducklings from several sources, including agricultural stores, websites and hatcheries."
Youngsters and adults alike are likely unaware that the fowl are contagious because they appear "healthy and clean," USA Today reports. Within 12 to 72 hours after being infected, victims often experience diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. To prevent the spread of the bacteria, the CDC is warning pet parents to refrain from kissing and snuggling their at-home fowl.Tatyana Bellamy-Walker
2018 Saw The Most Multistate Outbreaks of Foodborne Illness In More Than A Decade, CDC Says
Lisa Dennis selects lettuce from the vegetable shelves at the East End Food Co-op Federal Credit Union in Pittsburgh on Nov. 20. (Jessie Wardarski/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/AP)
By Laura Reiley
April 25, 2019
Foodborne illnesses killed 120 Americans last year and sickened 25,606, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its annual report Thursday, acknowledging an increasing incidence of infection caused by eight major pathogens and a sharp uptick in the number of multistate outbreaks.
The CDC logged 23 multistate investigations last year, the most in at least a dozen years, tracking major E. coli outbreaks linked to romaine, a salmonella outbreak in eggs, raw beef products, frozen chicken and canned pork, as well as outbreaks related to individual food products such as Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter, Lebanon bologna and Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad.
Campylobacter, the most commonly identified infection since 2013, was linked to 9,723 cases last year. Salmonella caused 9,084 cases. Despite regulatory programs intended to reduce salmonella in chicken and eggs, infections caused by Salmonella enteritidis, one of the most common serotypes, have not declined in more than 10 years. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli cases were up for the year but still trailed these two, with 2,925 cases.
Foodborne illness results in $3 billion in health-care costs. Nearly half of the illnesses come from produce, according to the CDC. Then, in descending order, it is meat and poultry; dairy and eggs; and fish and shellfish.
“Last year was certainly attention-getting, and it continues this year with problems with produce, ground beef and poultry,” Robert Tauxe, the director of the division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases at the CDC, said in an interview. “We badly need an intervention that could be used on live chickens, either a feed or a vaccine.”
Tauxe said campylobacter, in particular, is tricky. A chicken becomes infected as a young bird in the chicken house (they are not born with it), and it does not make the chicken sick in any way.
“These infections live in food animals and their environment, and the farmer or rancher is not aware that they have a problem. A contamination can go to produce, and the microbes are invisible,” he said.
One reason for an uptick in these reported cases is that the CDC has become quicker to detect and investigate outbreaks. Tests in doctor offices also are getting speedier and more frequent, with diagnostic tools that give a result within an hour and do not require sending out a culture, which takes two or three days.
“There are some organisms that we’ve been tracking for years that are hard to identify, and now it’s just a panel, and the lab looks for 22 kinds of pathogens,” Tauxe said.
Erik Olson, senior director of health and food at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said diagnostic tools may have played a role in the uptick, but a lack of appropriate legislation may contribute to ongoing foodborne illness problems such as the deadly E. coli outbreak in romaine from Yuma, Ariz., that sickened 210 people and killed five. The largest outbreak in 10 years, reported in 36 states, was linked to tainted water in an irrigation canal from a nearby cattle ranch.
In 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act was signed into law, giving the government new power to control how food is grown and processed. One part of the law that was set to take effect in January 2018, Olson explains, required farmers to test irrigation water, which can be contaminated with feces and bacteria. In September 2017, the Food and Drug Administration suspended those testing and inspection requirements.
Olson also points to recent increases in the allowable speed at poultry-processing plants as worrying developments that might herald further upticks in campylobacter and salmonella.
“They’re trying to look at more than one chicken per second to determine if there’s a problem. We’ve delegated a lot of responsibility of ensuring food safety to the food industry itself. It doesn’t always work well.”
[Pork industry soon will have more power over meat inspections]
Tauxe says there is some progress in precisely that area.
“Produce safety is a subject of a lot of debate. The LGMA [California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement] has decided to require that they use treated water. It’s the water they spray on the plants for irrigation or the water they would use to crop dust with. Farmers would have to test it for the 21 days before harvest.”
[Food inspections by the FDA have been sharply reduced, alarming critics]
Most experts agree that, despite new technologies and increased attention to supply-chain transparency, reports like these highlight our increasingly problematic food system. Food production is becoming more centralized just as food sourcing is going global, so foodborne illnesses have changed and become more dispersed across the country. It is hard to trace the source of the problem when tomatoes come from different farms, say, or leafy greens come from different producers and end up commingled in the same bag.
Dozens Have Fallen ill During A Five-State E. coli Outbreak, And Nobody Knows Where It’s Coming From
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it has yet to determine the source of an E. coli outbreak that has infected 72 people in five states — an admission one expert in food-borne illness called “perplexing,” considering how many have become sick
E. coli infections are gross. Here are 5 facts you can't unlearn about them.
An estimated 265,000 people report suffering from E. coli infections each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)
April 5, 2019
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it has yet to determine the source of an E. coli outbreak that has infected 72 people in five states — an admission one expert in food-borne illness called “perplexing,” considering how many have become sick.
The recent spate of sickness, which began March 2, is directly linked to a strain of E. coli known as “O103,″ according to the CDC. Eight people have been hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, however, no deaths have been reported. The patients’ ages range from 1 to 74 with a median age of 17.
Symptoms of E. coli infection often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, typically occurring three days after consuming the bacteria. The states affected by the outbreak are Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.
Bill Marler, a food safety lawyer from Seattle, told The Washington Post there’s “no question” the patients in this case share one common source of infection. It’s “concerning,” he said, that the CDC has yet to pinpoint the source to a specific food item, grocery store or restaurant chain.
“Given the size and the number of states that are involved, what you’re seeing is very unusual,” Marler said. “If it was five people or 10 people, that’s a little harder to figure out. But when there’s 72 people and they’re being interviewed by epidemiologists, it’s pretty unusual you don’t have a culprit.”
He added: “The real question is, what do 72 people have in common over five states? It has to be something.”
[Romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak is over as new evidence points to tainted water]
That something, Marler said, is likely a food or water product that people can’t remember they ate. State and local health officials are required to interview ill patients and determine what they consumed in the week leading up to their symptoms, but recalling one’s dietary choices is often easier said than done, he said.
Condiments, garnish, toppings, and spices can all contain traces of E. coli. But it’s unlikely the patients in this outbreak were keeping track of all the additives in their recent diets, he added.
“That’s probably why it’s taking longer to figure out — because people can’t remember what was in their meal,” Marler said.
Citing a CDC data set that dates to 1998, Marler noted outbreaks of E. coli O103 are relatively uncommon. Eighteen such outbreaks have been reported in the United States since 2000, with the highest number of reported illnesses being 29 during a 2010 outbreak in Minnesota.
That makes this O103 outbreak by far the largest in recent memory, he said.
It’s likely that number will grow. Marler said the CDC estimates that for every person reported sick, there are 5 to 10 ill people who have not been accounted for. “I would expect to see the numbers at least double in the next 10 days unless immediate action is taken this weekend,” he said.
Thirty-six of the reported illnesses in this case stem from Kentucky. Last week, local health officials issued an alert for a “sudden increase in O103 cases” in the state, according to the Mercer County Health Department, which wrote in a Facebook post the illnesses were found in “children and teenagers with extensive exposure to fast food.”
If that’s true, Marler said, it corresponds to the dietary habits of many 17-year-olds: the reported median patient age.
“It definitely does underscore it’s probably some convenience, fast food consumed by kids,” he said. One silver lining, he added, is that people in this age range are typically healthy and not prone to further complications from E. coli.
To avoid disease, the CDC advises that people cook foods thoroughly, wash fruits and vegetables and limit consumption of raw or unpasteurized juice and dairy products. Hand washing can also help prevent contamination.
But Marler says people fearing illness should go one step further: avoid uncooked food items entirely, at least until the CDC draws its conclusion.
“It won’t kill you not to have a salad or smoothie made with fresh fruits and vegetables,” Marler said. “You can live without that for a couple days as this shakes out.”
Lena H. Sun contributed to this report.
Read More:
Bad diets kill more people around the world than smoking, study says
FDA Names First Source In Ongoing Investigation of Romaine Lettuce Outbreak
A Santa Maria, California farm—run by a county supervisor—is the first to be identified as a source of E. coli contamination.
December 17th, 2018
by Sam Bloch
Just before Thanksgiving this year, the American public was warned to steer clear of all romaine lettuce due to an ongoing, multi-state outbreak of E.coli O157:H7, a particularly deadly strain of the bacteria that had sickened 32 people and prompted kidney failure in at least one person. In the weeks since, government agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have narrowed down the source of the outbreak, and given the okay to make salads again—provided, of course, that shoppers check where the lettuce is coming from.
Because FDA, which regulates 70 percent of the country’s food supply, was only recently granted the power to force mandatory food recalls, companies have, in the past, voluntarily pulled their products from stores when contamination was suspected. This romaine outbreak, however, led to a landmark agreement with lettuce producers to label their products with harvest dates and locations, so in the event of another outbreak of this scale, retailers and especially clued-in eaters who love breaking food news—trust me, you’re a rare breed—will know exactly which lettuces to avoid.
Now, there’s a new development in the ongoing investigation. The FDA on Thursday publicly identified one California farm as one of eight linked to contaminated lettuce: Adam Brothers Family Farms in Santa Maria, where sediment from a local irrigation reservoir tested positive for E. coli 0157:H7. The farm—which FDA stresses is not the sole source of the outbreak—has voluntarily agreed to recall its lettuces and cauliflowers. Because the traceback work is is still ongoing, FDA recommends avoiding romaine lettuce harvested in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Barbara Counties.
Adam Brothers is owned and operated by Peter Adam, a Santa Barbara County Supervisor representing the fourth district, and his brothers Dominic, Kieran, and Richard, according to The Santa Barbara Independent. In a 2016 profile of Peter, a fifth-generation family farmer, the paper describes his farm, located in a floodplain, as a sprawling, 3,400-acre operation where he raises broccoli, cauliflower, celery, and cattle, employing 400 workers.
Adam, who the Independent calls the county’s “leading antigovernment protestor,” rose to prominence over 15 years ago, during a long, public fight with county planners, who designated part of his farm as an environmentally sensitive wetland, and thus, protected from any agricultural activity. He sued to overturn a stop-work order and was awarded nearly $5 million for lost profits, $892,500 for the depreciated land value, and an additional $130,000 in punitive damages.
Adam also faced a minimum three-year prison sentence for a federal Clean Water Act violation, according to the Independent, which was the result of an investigation launched by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In that case, Adam settled for $1 million. “In the end, Adam lost millions, but the wetland designation was reversed,” the paper wrote. “He could farm the land.”
Representatives from FDA and CDC told The New Food Economy that it’s “too soon to speculate” on how the bacteria, which lives naturally in the intestinal tracts of healthy animals like cows, goats, sheep and deer, could have ended up in the reservoir. Adams Brothers said in a statement that filtered, treated water from the reservoir, which “may have come in contact” with harvested produce, has tested negative for E.coli. It’s worth noting that lettuce growers aren’t required to test their irrigation waters for pathogens.
Waterway protection rules, such as the recently-revised Waters of the United States (WOTUS), are designed specifically to protect rivers, streams, and tributaries from use by farms. Adam, the county supervisor, has been public in his antipathy for rules that govern water and land use for farming. “We level the earth here. We irrigate. We extract water and spread it over thousands of acres to grow crops,” he told the Independent. “We’ve been drilling holes up here since Jesus was a lieutenant.”
E. coli Prompts Wegmans To Recall Cauliflower Products From Six States
December 19, 2018
Wegmans Food Markets Inc. has issued a voluntary recall of fresh Cauliflower Rice, Veggie Cauliflower Rice Blend and Stir-Fry Mix with Cauliflower, sold in the produce department Dec. 7-18 because it may be contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7bacteria. The recalled products were distributed to 98 Wegmans stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts.
E. coli O157:H7 causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop a form of kidney failure called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.
The recalled products are as follows:
Wegmans Cauliflower Rice, one-pound UPC #25313500000
Wegmans Cauliflower Rice, eight-ounce UPC #25307200000
Wegmans Stir Fry Blend (with cauliflower), one-pound UPC #25335800000
Wegmans Veggie (cauliflower) Rice Blend (sold by the pound), UPC #253162000000
No illnesses have been reported to date.
The recall was initiated by Produce Packaging Inc. based in Cleveland, which supplies these products to Wegmans and notified Wegmans that the product may have been contaminated.
Local Lettuce Grower Has A Safer Way Through Hydroponics
Acting on the CDC’s recommendation, grocers nationwide are pulling suspect romaine lettuce product from store shelves.
By Bill Hudson November 21, 2018 at 6:41 pm Filed Under:Bill Hudson, Center For Disease Control And Prevention, Local TV, Revol Greens, Romaine Lettuce
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The nationwide recall of romaine lettuce couldn’t have come at a worse time. As families prepare for their Thanksgiving Day feasts, romaine lettuce is being pulled from their tables.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a nationwide romaine recall based on 32 recent illnesses in 11 states and 18 reported illnesses in Canada.
All are likely linked to eating romaine lettuce contaminated by E. coli. It’s believed the field-raised lettuce may have been contaminated by irrigation water that contained the E. coli 0157 strain.
Acting on the CDC’s recommendation, grocers nationwide are pulling suspect romaine lettuce product from store shelves.
But in Medford, the nine-month old Revol Greens company has safer way to grow leafy greens – by raising the lettuce hydroponically indoors.
“We have eight or nine different varieties here that we grow,” said company president Jay Johnson.
Johnson says that unlike lettuce that is grown outdoors in massive fields in Arizona and California, their crops are grown hydroponically – under glass and in pools of irrigation water which they sterilize with ultra violet (UV) light.
“We started from the beginning with food safety in mind, and this is the safest way,” said Johnson. “That’s why it’s difficult to be grouped in with the broad romaine alert.”
RELATED: Romaine Recall Leaves Mpls. Nonprofit Looking For Nutritious Replacement
It’s also why Revol is working with the industry’s lobby to ask federal regulators to exempt indoor grown lettuce from the recall. Arguing that unlike field-raised crops, their romaine lettuce is never exposed to possible contamination sources from birds or animals.
“E. coli comes from the intestines of animals and birds. So [unlike] a bird flying over your field or an animal running through your field, we are enclosed with this glass greenhouse,” explained Johnson.
Even without more clarity from the CDC, Johnson says other lettuce varieties, such as iceberg and baby arugula are not impacted by the recall and will remain on grocers shelves.
Finally, Revol Greens wants to assure customers who might have its romaine lettuce in their refrigerators that it is safe to eat. Because it is grown not in a farm field, but in the company’s controlled and sterile environment.
"Exempt Indoor Grown Lettuce From Romaine Recall"
With the romaine being pulled out of the shops and the product receiving some very bad publicity due to the recent E.coli contamination, greenhouse growers throughout the US and Canada are opening up to show the public what solution they can bring to food safety.
Yesterday we've shown you already how Gotham Greens responded, today there's more.
Food safety in mind
“We started from the beginning with food safety in mind, and this is the safest way,” said Jay Johnson with Revol Greens to CBS Local. “That’s why it’s difficult to be grouped in with the broad romaine alert.”
It’s also why Revol is working with the industry’s lobby to ask federal regulators to exempt indoor grown lettuce from the recall. Arguing that unlike field-raised crops, their romaine lettuce is never exposed to possible contamination sources from birds or animals.
Amongst customers, the story has landed for sure - the phone at Revol has been ringing non stop. "We can of course supply clients with mixes or products without Romaine, but we currently also have people asking specifically for our Romaine lettuce, since they know our produce is safe."
The demand from the food service is very high. Since Revol is operating local and can adjust easily, they try to help as many customers out - especially since Thanksgiving puts pressure on the hospitality and food service industry.
BrightFarms
Also BrightFarms, growing in Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, made a statement, showing how indoor farming can benefit the industry. "All of BrightFarms' products, including our romaine lettuce, are safe to eat and are NOT associated with the CDC's investigation into an unfortunate outbreak of illness."
"Our salad greens and herbs are grown inside of local greenhouse farms, a controlled indoor environment, which allows for clean, safe, and pesticide free produce. We're proud that our model allows for complete traceability to a local farm (and farmer!) in your community."
"Safe to eat"
lēf Farms from Loudon shows the public a video of their farm on social media. "Rest assured, our lettuce is safe to eat because our hands-free operation delivers nothing but clean and tasty greens grown right here in NH. So, in this season of thankfulness, you can be thankful for a local grower who cares about your health. And we, in turn, can be thankful for the ongoing support from customers like you."
Then there's Go Green Agriculture. After Tuesday's email, many buyers told him not to send any romaine lettuce and “trucks should be turned around immediately; everything’s being dumped and destroyed on site.” He explains to 10News why the indoor farming technologies “pretty much guarantees that everything is 100 percent safe."
"Clean means clean"
Also the Alberta-based company Inspired Greens is responding to the situation. "Our A$60 million investment into the world’s most innovative greenhouse technology was based on a fundamental premise: clean means clean", they explain. The company offers greenhouse-grown lettuce varieties grown with triple-filtrated water in a closed, environmentally safe and secure environment.
“Retailers and consumers have a heightened awareness of food safety, quality and taste,” said David Karwacki, Chief Executive Officer of The Star Group of Companies, which built the Inspired Greens greenhouses. “We invested this cutting-edge clean technology to ensure we can unequivocally deliver clean, fresh, healthy lettuce with no concerns about contamination.”
The Inspired Greens greenhouses opened in Coaldale, AB, in June 2017 and can produce up to 12 million heads annually. It is the first North American greenhouse to use this advanced technology, with plants untouched by human hands from seed to harvest. In April 2018, Inspired Greens announced plans to double its production capacity based on strong industry and consumer demand.
Optimum traceability
Crop One Holdings, known for its FreshBox Farms brand, also informs its customers their food is safe. However, they are voluntarily complying with the CDC’s Food Safety Alert. "Even though we believe that the CDC warning regarding potential E. coli contamination of romaine lettuce does not apply to FreshBox Farms’ romaine lettuce and other leafy greens grown using our unique controlled indoor farming systems."
“Yesterday’s warning by the CDC is a wise precaution and certainly in the best interest of the public,” said Dr. Deane Falcone, Chief Scientific Officer of Crop One Holdings. “That said, we feel FreshBox Farms’ customers should know that our produce is grown in controlled, tightly-sealed environments with filtered air and water, and our plants are never touched by more than three gloved and gowned individuals. This distinctive indoor production method protects our produce from potential pathogens found in water, soil, or fecal matter, which are the typical causes of E. coli outbreaks.”
In case you’re wondering, our #Romaine is not part of the recent recall. We will continue to bring fresh products to our markets this weekend and you do not have to throw our #Romaine out of your fridge🙂 #knowyourfarmerpic.twitter.com/J58kIdoOTF
— Doef's Greenhouses (@doefs) November 22, 2018
Publication date : 11/23/2018
Author: Arlette Sijmonsma
© FreshPlaza.com
Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Report
Restaurants were linked to outbreaks more often than any other place where food was prepared, as in previous reports
US: New Numbers On Foodborne
Illness Outbreaks
In 2016, 839 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported to CDC, according to a recently released annual summary from the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS). The data come from reports that state, local, and territorial public health agencies submitted to the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System using NORS, and includes single-state and multistate outbreaks.
According to qualityassurancemag.com, the CDC estimates that each year in the United States, about 9.4 million people get ill from 31 known foodborne germs. These illnesses lead to about 56,000 hospitalizations and 1,350 deaths. Although most foodborne illnesses are not part of a recognized outbreak, outbreaks provide important information on the agents (germs, toxins, and chemicals) that cause illness, the foods responsible, and the settings that lead to transmission.
The main findings from the annual summary include:
Reported foodborne disease outbreaks resulted in 14,259 illnesses, 875 hospitalizations, 17 deaths, and recalls of 18 food products.
Norovirus was the most frequently reported cause, with 145 outbreaks and 3,794 outbreak-associated illnesses.
Salmonella was the second most common cause, with 132 outbreaks and 3,047 outbreak-associated illnesses.
Restaurants were linked to outbreaks more often than any other place where food was prepared, as in previous reports. Restaurants were associated with 459 outbreaks, accounting for 61% of outbreaks that reported a single location where food was prepared. Most of these restaurant outbreaks (363) were reported at establishments offering sit-down dining.
Click Here to Read The Full Report.
Publication date : 10/16/2018