Editorial: Surprising E. coli scare

Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006 | 7:21 a.m.

Produce companies are recalling their bagged fresh spinach, as at least one person has died and more than 100 others have been sickened by E. coli bacteria that has been traced to infected prepackaged varieties of the leafy green vegetable.

The world's largest producer of organic produce, Natural Selection Foods, has been linked to the tainted spinach through a California company that produced spinach for Natural Selection, the Associated Press reports. U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have called the outbreak "unquestionably significant." A case of E. coli infection reported in Las Vegas has linked Nevada to the nationwide scare.

And it is scary. Grocers across the country have taken prepackaged fresh spinach and salad mixes containing spinach from their shelves and replaced it with notes of apology explaining that bagged spinach would not return until the FDA says it is safe.

FDA investigators have said they do not believe tampering was involved. They are investigating the possibility that irrigation water led to the contamination, because it appears that the bacteria exists within the plants' structure. If this is true, no amount of careful washing at home will eradicate the bacteria.

It is a recall that could have profound effects on the manner in which Americans eat. Already, some may wonder whether that restaurant salad is "safe" or how organic food production is monitored. This comes at a time when Americans are faced with an obesity crisis and are being bombarded with campaigns to eat healthier foods.

The United States has what is considered one of the safest food supplies in the world. It is almost astonishing that this nation of nearly 300 million people has had relatively few incidents such as this one.

But that is of little comfort to those whose loved ones have suffered from this bacterial infection. Federal regulators must act quickly to find the origin of this contamination and impose safeguards if needed.