Ag Reps Join In Battle Against E. coli
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, May 30, 2009 --- In the battle against E. coli outbreaks that threaten our nation’s food supply, generals from the agricultural community closed ranks May 30 for the California State Grange’s Safe Food / Leafy Greens Round Table, pledging to deliver safe foods to American tables.
Sharing that common purpose and responsibility, an impressive panel of farmers, retailers, regulators and scientists joined forces at the historic American River Grange in Rancho Cordova. True to its motto, “Helping Farmers – Protecting Consumers”, the California State Grange sponsored the one day event.
The Safe Food / Leafy Greens Round Table was attended by well-respected leaders from the agricultural community and included:
Stephen Bird, Co-Owner, Celtic Gardens & Training Center,
Casey Walsh Cady, California Department of Food & Agriculture,
Noelle Cremers, California Farm Bureau Federation,
Bonnie Fernandez, Executive Director, Center for Produce Safety, UC Davis,
Hank Giclas, Vice President of Science and Technology, Western Growers Association,
Scott Horsfall, CEO, Leafy Green Management Agreement,
Jim Lugg, Fresh Express,
Bob Martin, General Manager, Rio Farms, Salinas,
John McKeon, EarthBound Farms,
Jovita Pajarillo, Associate Director, Water Division, Environmental Protection Agency,
Michael Payne, University of California, Davis,
Kristin Power, Vice President, Government Relations, California Grocers Association,
Judith Redmond, President, Community Alliance with Family Farmers,
Claudia Reid, Policy Director, California Certified Organic Farmers,
Michele Jay Russell, Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, and
Doug Updike, Wildlife Management, California Department of Fish & Game.
In the fall of 2006, spinach contaminated with E. coli caused an undetermined number of illnesses and deaths. As wide-spread panic ensued, regulatory agencies and the agricultural community scrambled to find the origin of the contamination and develop food safety practices for growers and handlers.
A year and a half later, the source of the 2006 outbreak is still unknown and strongly debated. But much of the finger-pointing has given way to cooperative efforts to ensure that food grown in America is the safest it can be for consumers.
In the face of pending federal and state legislation, the various segments of the agricultural community have further incentive to work together to find common ground and real solutions.
The majority of leafy green growers and handlers in California voluntarily comply with a set of guidelines proposed by the Leafy Green Management Agreement (LGMA), established at the direction of California Secretary of Agriculture, A. G. Kawamura after the 2006 outbreak.
Last month, the Safe FEAST Act of 2008 was introduced in Congress by Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and Adam Putman (R-FL). This federal legislation proposes tougher mandatory food safety requirements
“Cases of food-borne illness present a health risk to consumers and risk consumer confidence in our food supply. The need for this legislation is clear,” prescribes Representative Putman.
The proposed legislation is still under review by the agricultural community but one section of the bill requiring that imported foods meet the same safety standards as domestic foods is welcomed by American farmers that have had to compete with lower cost, unregulated foreign produce.
Much of the Safe Food / Leafy Greens Round Table discussion speculated the possible sources of E. coli contamination. The 2006 outbreak from tainted spinach was traced to a single farm in the Salinas Valley.
The list of potential sources of contamination runs the gamut, from wild deer, pigs, rodents, birds and frogs, to ground water, domestic cattle, fallen apples, and human handlers. The final report dated March, 2007 from the Federal Food and Drug administration (FDA) concluded: “The investigation… [was] unable to definitely determine how the contamination originated.”
Lacking the definitive cause of the contamination, the LGMA proposes a broad approach to prevention, drawing criticism from farmers and environmentalists that argue the guidelines impose unnecessary hardships on farmers and wildlife.
Some leafy green buyers are asserting that deer-proof fencing should be built around crops. Rio Farms General Manager Bob Martin argues, “Deer are part of the environment. We have to prove them as a threat before we treat them as such.”
Judith Redmond from the Community Alliance with Family Farmers brought up the financial burden on farmers trying to eradicate wild animals from their fields.
“One farmer mentioned the cost of trapping stations for rodents.” commented Redmond. “The increased cost was over $100 per acre. Small farmers can’t afford that.”
Kristin Power, representing the California Groceries Association, explained the pressure put on retailers when there is an E. coli outbreak. “Stores must be front and center with the media, protecting buyers and pulling products. It’s hard for a brand name to be in that position.”
Regarding safe food practices set in place after the 2006 outbreak, Power said, “Maybe the pendulum has swung far away and maybe it can swing back, but there needs to be education to prove the product is safe.”
The Round Table Moderator, Kalie Benson of the California State Grange read a comment from a grower that complained major buyers are enforcing stricter practices than the LGMA proposes, and this prompted a lively discussion.
Responding, LGMA’s Scott Horsfall said, “There are legitimate reasons for buyers taking their standpoints. We’re trying to educate groups, to try to get people comfortable with this. We’re not strict enough.”
Jovita Pajarillo of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) answered, “We’ve been saying we want to engage buyers and to educate them, so what are the opportunities to meet buyers and educate them to go over practices that may be counter-productive?”
Kristin Power of the California Grocers Association added, “I would hope buyers are not trying to position themselves in the marketplace as ‘I’m safer than everyone else’. No one should compete in food safety. All food should be safe.”
“It’s a supply chain-wide collaborative effort,” commented Hank Giclas of Western Growers Association. “In order to educate consumers, there needs to be a collaborative effort from all of us.”
California State Grange President Randy Lewis asked the panel how the Grange could further help the agricultural community with these issues and legislative efforts.
Hank Giclas answered with cautious optimism. “When you start talking about legislation, I’m not sure everyone here is of like mind on those issues. Everyone is 100% behind making our food supply safe, reducing outbreaks, protecting consumers. But we might argue how to do that and what avenues to take. I’m not sure we have a consensus here, but we are working closer with that.”
Since 1873, the California State Grange has served the interests of rural populations and agricultural communities. Currently, the California State Grange has 185 chapters and 10,000 members.
Assisting with the Round Table from the California State Grange were President Randy Lewis, Moderator Kalie Benson, Legislative Director Michael Green, Lecturer Buzz Chernoff, Agricultural Chairman Johnny Squire, Public Relations Director Bob McFarland, Administrative Assistants Summer Maddux and Linda Lewis, and American River Grange President Bill Thomas.
The American River Grange Hall in Rancho Cordova was built in 1882 and is on the registry of historic buildings.
For more information and a summary transcript of the Safe Food / Leafy Green Round Table, please contact the California State Grange Public Relations office at (916) 454-5805.
- 30 -
JPEG Image Captions
Rountable1: Agricultural representatives share strategies to combat future outbreaks of E. coli contamination in the nation's food supply. Left to right, Hank Giclas, Western Growers Association, Scott Horsfall, LGMA, Michele Jay-Russell, Western Institute for Food Safety & Security, Doug Updike, Department of Fish & Game.
