Spinach growers proceed with cautious optimism
Spinach growers proceed with cautious optimism
Spinach growers in and around the Salinas Valley are preparing to harvest their crops again. While some are a little wiser, all are battle-tested after the E. coli outbreak last fall that implicated fresh spinach.
Salinas, CA-based NewStar Fresh Foods LLC's spinach plantings are on a par with last year's plantings, and the company will begin harvesting in a few weeks. NewStar was not implicated in the E. coli outbreak, but like every operator in fresh spinach took a sizable hit in the fallout.
"Our plantings are very similar to where they were a year ago," said John Killeen, NewStar's vice president of sales and marketing. "We've recovered fairly well from the [E. coli] outbreak. NewStar has a strong reputation in terms of food safety."
The company has had many conversations with its customers regarding making food safety transparent. NewStar's goal following the outbreak was to give its customers information prior to them asking for it, Mr. Killeen said. "We don't pack garden salads and Romaine blends," Mr. Killeen said. "Light- leaf items are what the NewStar plant was designed for."
Salinas-based Metz Fresh's spinach deal will return to the Salinas area at the end of March.
"We came back to pre-crisis sales numbers by the second week of January," said Andy Cumming, a partner in the company.
Metz Fresh will experience a slight increase in plantings over last year in its spinach acreage in the Salinas Valley. Like NewStar, Metz Fresh also was not implicated in the E. coli outbreak. The company said that it has retained all its customers and gained a handful of new ones. The new customers came on the heels of the outbreak, Mr. Cumming said.
The leafy greens marketing agreement has been well received by buying groups, Mr. Cumming said. However, there's a lot of uncertainty as a result of upgraded good agricultural practices and guidelines. Part of that uncertainty surrounds the costs involved for increased testing, he said.
Bruce Knobeloch, vice president of marketing for Salinas-based River Ranch Fresh Foods LLC, said that his company's spinach acreage in the general Salinas area would be down slightly compared with last year. He expected the harvest to start around late March or early April.
"We've been able to retain our customers," Mr. Knobeloch said. At the time of the recall in September, spinach came off foodservice menus as a result of the lack of availability, he said, but the fresh produce industry has done a good job of getting information out to its customers.
"Everybody's upbeat," Mr. Knobeloch said.
One uncertainty for California's spinach growers regards Canada's position on allowing California-grown fresh spinach into the country. An alert issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency back in September prohibiting fresh spinach from California expired in November. However, as a result of E. coli outbreaks in shredded lettuce in the United States since the September advisory, the CFIA is considering a broader response to allowing in leafy green vegetables from California. The September advisory covered spinach only.
Ren? Cardinal, acting national manager of fresh fruits and vegetables for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's final report on the E. coli outbreak in spinach -- slated to be released within a matter of weeks -- will be very important. The decision on allowing product into Canada from California will be a joint one between Health Canada and CFIA. Health Canada sets policies and regulations, and CFIA implements those regulations. Mr. Cardinal said that he doesn't know how quickly a determination may be forthcoming from Canada.
"We're seeking more information from the FDA and the USDA," Mr. Cardinal said. "We're aware of the leafy greens marketing agreement. We have to have a clear understanding to minimize risk."
Salinas, CA-based NewStar Fresh Foods LLC's spinach plantings are on a par with last year's plantings, and the company will begin harvesting in a few weeks. NewStar was not implicated in the E. coli outbreak, but like every operator in fresh spinach took a sizable hit in the fallout.
"Our plantings are very similar to where they were a year ago," said John Killeen, NewStar's vice president of sales and marketing. "We've recovered fairly well from the [E. coli] outbreak. NewStar has a strong reputation in terms of food safety."
The company has had many conversations with its customers regarding making food safety transparent. NewStar's goal following the outbreak was to give its customers information prior to them asking for it, Mr. Killeen said. "We don't pack garden salads and Romaine blends," Mr. Killeen said. "Light- leaf items are what the NewStar plant was designed for."
Salinas-based Metz Fresh's spinach deal will return to the Salinas area at the end of March.
"We came back to pre-crisis sales numbers by the second week of January," said Andy Cumming, a partner in the company.
Metz Fresh will experience a slight increase in plantings over last year in its spinach acreage in the Salinas Valley. Like NewStar, Metz Fresh also was not implicated in the E. coli outbreak. The company said that it has retained all its customers and gained a handful of new ones. The new customers came on the heels of the outbreak, Mr. Cumming said.
The leafy greens marketing agreement has been well received by buying groups, Mr. Cumming said. However, there's a lot of uncertainty as a result of upgraded good agricultural practices and guidelines. Part of that uncertainty surrounds the costs involved for increased testing, he said.
Bruce Knobeloch, vice president of marketing for Salinas-based River Ranch Fresh Foods LLC, said that his company's spinach acreage in the general Salinas area would be down slightly compared with last year. He expected the harvest to start around late March or early April.
"We've been able to retain our customers," Mr. Knobeloch said. At the time of the recall in September, spinach came off foodservice menus as a result of the lack of availability, he said, but the fresh produce industry has done a good job of getting information out to its customers.
"Everybody's upbeat," Mr. Knobeloch said.
One uncertainty for California's spinach growers regards Canada's position on allowing California-grown fresh spinach into the country. An alert issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency back in September prohibiting fresh spinach from California expired in November. However, as a result of E. coli outbreaks in shredded lettuce in the United States since the September advisory, the CFIA is considering a broader response to allowing in leafy green vegetables from California. The September advisory covered spinach only.
Ren? Cardinal, acting national manager of fresh fruits and vegetables for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's final report on the E. coli outbreak in spinach -- slated to be released within a matter of weeks -- will be very important. The decision on allowing product into Canada from California will be a joint one between Health Canada and CFIA. Health Canada sets policies and regulations, and CFIA implements those regulations. Mr. Cardinal said that he doesn't know how quickly a determination may be forthcoming from Canada.
"We're seeking more information from the FDA and the USDA," Mr. Cardinal said. "We're aware of the leafy greens marketing agreement. We have to have a clear understanding to minimize risk."
