The latest count in the E.coli outbreak
is one dead and 146 suffering from cramps, diarrhea and kidney trouble.
The "smoking gun" is a bag of contaminated spinach found in the
refrigerator of a sick patient in New Mexico. It came from somewhere in
California's Salinas Valley, where three-quarters of America's spinach
and lettuce are grown. But officials may never know from which farm or
how the contamination occurred. They do know that this is the ninth
time in 11 years that a dangerous strain of E. coli has been traced to
Salinas Valley spinach or lettuce. Who's in charge of protecting
consumers from poisoned food? How stringently are standards enforced?
Is it time to change the way food is grown and distributed?
Are America's Vegetables as Safe as They Should Be?
Credits
Guests:
- Patty Lovera - Food & Water Watch - @foodandwater
- Trevor Suslow - Microbial Food Safety Researcher at UC Davis
- David Gombas - VP of Scientific and Technical Affairs for the United Fresh Produce Association
- Kristie Knoll - Co-owner of Knoll Farms
- Bob Scowcroft - Co-founder of the Organic Farming Research Foundation