US: There’s a break in leafy green outbreaks, but work to eliminate them forever continues

Eight times since 2017, growers of leafy greens, especially those producing Romaine lettuce, have been rocked by outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7. The pathogen associated with the intestines of cows rode in on the greens, causing sicknesses, sending people to hospitals for treatment of kidney ailment, and, oh yes, killing seven who made the mistake of eating a salad. With more care or just plain luck, the private Leafy Green Marketing Agreement and the public Food and Drug Administration are experiencing a break in E. coli outbreaks that has lasted about two years. The LGMA and FDA recently volunteered updates on their actions to stop E. Coli outbreaks from their green fields. For the California LGMA, they’ve embarked on a 2-year “Romaine Test & Learn” study. The food safety study has growers turning over their pathogen test data for analysis by LGMA. When the 2-year study got underway this past July, LMGA Chair Jan Berk said “test and learn” was the most significant change made by ...