Bagged salad safety: Rising threat of food-borne illness lurks in convenient packages of leafy green

Following the September 2006 E. coli outbreak that sickened 200 people and killed three across 26 states from bagged baby spinach, the Chicago Tribune examines the rising threat of ready-to-eat leafy greens. The Center for Science in the Public Interest calls leafy greens the riskiest FDA-regulated food, with 363 outbreaks from 1990 to 2006—surging from six outbreaks and 598 illnesses in 1990 to 49 outbreaks and 1,279 illnesses in 2006. Bill Marler, described as "a leading plaintiff's attorney in food-borne illness cases," contextualizes California and Arizona's voluntary safety agreements: "What we're seeing right now is a response to what happened in '06." The article profiles victim Mary Ann Westerman of Mendota, Illinois, who after eating tainted bagged spinach suffered kidney failure and three years later still struggles with health issues. Her daughter Martha Porter-Fiszer says: "We ought to be able to have food without bacteria reach our store shelves." Skeptics question whether the industry agreements are "little more than a public relations effort," noting a September recall involved a California agreement signatory. Small farmers fear national rules will disadvantage them: "We contend some of the bagged product is typically riskier than what you can buy at a farmer's market," says Will Fantle of the Cornucopia Institute.