The recent outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 in fresh spinach received widespread media attention. Every morning as the drama unfolded, television news shows and newspapers included photos of lush, irrigated fields empty of laborers, or produce stock clerks removing product from the display cooler. American salads and sandwiches would be built without this essential, basic green while food safety officials tried to pinpoint the source of the bacteria.
They're still looking.
For all our progress in farming and manufacturing food, we still have a lot to learn. Pick any victual and there are unanswered questions. Take meat, for instance: What exactly is mad cow disease? Experts talk about prions and ganglia, but the true nature of the disease remains elusive. Likewise, in the case of spinach, where did this sudden blossom of E. coli come from? Was it from water or a field worker? Why did it disappear just as suddenly as it appeared?
Researchers and investigators strive every day to answer such questions, even when there aren't any active cases to pursue. In this instance, the fresh produce industry even tried to anticipate problems when it produced a manual of best practices regarding the handling of leafy greens. Issued earlier this year, the guidance document covers five major areas: production and harvesting, postharvest handling, fresh-cut/value-added operations, distribution and end-user handling (retail, food service and consumers). The guide stresses sanitation, employee training and hygiene, water quality and avoidance of cross-contamination in areas of the supply chain.
It's presumed the few hundred growers of greens who signed onto the program are not knowingly violating the practices; likewise, it's probably safe to assume that industry associations and allied supporters who developed these protocols relied on the most up-to-date science and common sense.
Still, it happens. And it will continue to happen, because nothing ever just disappears, and mysteries (as in mysterious outbreaks of foodborne illness) are as old as nature itself. Humans can only do so much, try as we might to turn these deadly puzzles into quantifiable answers.
Until these food safety challenges are solved, retailers are going to have to do the best they can to communicate with their shoppers. In a sense, this is an excellent time to review the communications playbook. Operators should ask themselves how they handled the spinach problem, because it will tell them just what kind of relationship they have with their customers.
Speaking of whom, this should serve as a humble reminder to consumers to update their own handling practices. Kitchens can be more deadly than any packing house or store cold case. Indeed, consensus on the recent cases of carrot juice botulism in Florida and Georgia points to the purchasers, who apparently did not properly refrigerate the product, an oversight that gave the toxin a chance to grow. Processors don't print words like "highly perishable" or "keep refrigerated" on valuable label space without good reason. Consumers need constant reminders that the food they buy needs to be treated with respect. Illnesses caused by E. coli and botulism are unforgiving to the careless and ignorant.
