Bagged salad rules encouraged

A report of contaminated bagged salads last summer on the East Coast could provide the impetus for the adoption nationwide of stringent food safety standards pioneered by the fresh vegetable industry in Arizona and California.

In an online article this week, WebMD.com reported that bagged salad mixes were found to have high levels of bacteria in an investigation by Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports.

The bacteria commonly linked to poor sanitation and fecal contamination was found in sampled packaged salads last summer in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, according to the WebMD report.

A Consumers Union scientist was quoted as saying the bacteria did not pose a health risk to the public.

That raised the question by an Arizona agricultural official of why the article was even produced.

"It's counterproductive to write an article when the same article says that the bacteria didn't pose a public health risk," said Ed Foster, assistant director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture who oversees food safety training, auditing and enforcement by the agency.

"What is the purpose of the article?" he wondered. "Where is the credibility of the article?"

Last summer's investigation wouldn't have involved lettuce grown in the Yuma area, said Jorge Fonseca, a post-harvest specialist based at the University of Arizona Yuma Agriculture Center. Yuma's fresh vegetable season runs from November to March or April.

"The good news is that it wasn't from here," he said.

In the 100 years vegetables have been produced in Yuma, there has never been an foodborne illness outbreak linked to produce grown here, said Kurt Nolte, director of the Yuma County Cooperative Extension. He attributed that to the dry, cold winter conditions under which vegetables are grown here.

But to be on the safe side, Arizona and California have adopted the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement that spells out strict standards for growing, processing and shipping fresh vegetables.

"There's a pretty rigorous program already in place to ensure food safety here," Nolte said.

It's a voluntary program adopted by the industry in Arizona and California, Foster said. "The industry here is very committed and focused on providing the safest product it can. The standards the industry has imposed on itself are far beyond what the government requires."

It's all based on science, with a lot of that research happening in Yuma at the Yuma Ag Center, he said.

However, the two states are the only ones in the U.S. to have such stringent standards, Fonseca noted.

Perhaps, Nolte suggested, the finding by the Consumers Union investigation will lend some urgency for the adoption of a nationwide standard for growing and processing fresh vegetables.

Foster said there already has been considerable discussion about the need for a nationwide food safety program, in particular for leafy greens, melons and tomatoes.

"It's overdue," he said. "There's room for improvement."