Ag leaders meet over spinach fallout
Ag leaders meet over spinach fallout
SALINAS, CA -- With claims of a smoking gun still ringing in the ears of spinach growers and shippers in and around the Salinas Valley, a closed meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21 with some 200 Salinas-area growers and agriculture leaders failed to lift the dark cloud that hangs over the industry.
Later at a news conference at the National Steinbeck Center, Bryan Silbermann, president of Produce Marketing Association, and Tom Nassif, president and chief executive officer of Western Growers Association, spoke of the industry's need to come up with a specific plan to prevent future E. coli outbreaks.
Mr. Nassif said that the industry needs to "declare war on foodborne illnesses."
The three key areas of investigation are water, workforce and wildlife, Mr. Nassif said. There needs to be a protocol in place to control the threat of future E. coli outbreaks that may emanate from these three sources, he said.
Mr. Silbermann said that as more data are accumulated on episodes such as this most recent E. coli outbreak, it enables you to get smarter.
Figures from the Food & Drug Administration released Sept. 21 show that 157 cases of illness due to E. coli infection have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, including 27 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, 83 hospitalizations and one death.
The FDA has narrowed its search to nine farms and several processing facilities within three California counties: San Benito, Santa Clara and Monterey counties. Of the three counties, only Monterey County lies within the boundaries of the Salinas Valley, routinely referenced in discussions and reporting of the outbreak.
From the standpoint of the FDAs investigation, Mr. Silbermann said the FDA has the boots on the ground to follow through on this foodborne illness.
Mr. Silbermann cited an economics professor at the University of California-Davis as calculating that the industry losses amount to $50 million to $100 million per month at the production and processing levels. Many area farmers have begun discing under their spinach fields.
Mr. Silbermann said that the financial loss is of secondary concern to public health concerns with this outbreak, and that government assistance may be forthcoming to help with farming operations financial loss.
Mr. Nassif said the FDA believes were (industry) the best people to monitor on-farm problems.
Later at a news conference at the National Steinbeck Center, Bryan Silbermann, president of Produce Marketing Association, and Tom Nassif, president and chief executive officer of Western Growers Association, spoke of the industry's need to come up with a specific plan to prevent future E. coli outbreaks.
Mr. Nassif said that the industry needs to "declare war on foodborne illnesses."
The three key areas of investigation are water, workforce and wildlife, Mr. Nassif said. There needs to be a protocol in place to control the threat of future E. coli outbreaks that may emanate from these three sources, he said.
Mr. Silbermann said that as more data are accumulated on episodes such as this most recent E. coli outbreak, it enables you to get smarter.
Figures from the Food & Drug Administration released Sept. 21 show that 157 cases of illness due to E. coli infection have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, including 27 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, 83 hospitalizations and one death.
The FDA has narrowed its search to nine farms and several processing facilities within three California counties: San Benito, Santa Clara and Monterey counties. Of the three counties, only Monterey County lies within the boundaries of the Salinas Valley, routinely referenced in discussions and reporting of the outbreak.
From the standpoint of the FDAs investigation, Mr. Silbermann said the FDA has the boots on the ground to follow through on this foodborne illness.
Mr. Silbermann cited an economics professor at the University of California-Davis as calculating that the industry losses amount to $50 million to $100 million per month at the production and processing levels. Many area farmers have begun discing under their spinach fields.
Mr. Silbermann said that the financial loss is of secondary concern to public health concerns with this outbreak, and that government assistance may be forthcoming to help with farming operations financial loss.
Mr. Nassif said the FDA believes were (industry) the best people to monitor on-farm problems.
