MARKETS, CHEFS AND SALAD LOVERS ARE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT SPINACH AND LETTUCE

Oct 11, 2006
Knight Ridder Tribune
Maria C. Hunt and Michael Kinsman , The San Diego Union-Tribune

Organic farmer Andrea Peterson was quoted as asying, "I think they're happy to get local stuff. Right now I think 'local' has as much appeal as 'organic.' " I'm not Salinas." The story says that eating salad has seemed daring since spinach was recalled Sept. 15. In the nationwide outbreak, nearly 200 people became ill and three people died after eating fresh spinach contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

Spinach salad is back on the menu now, but on Sunday the Nunes Co. of Salinas recalled green leaf lettuce shipped under the Foxy brand after E. coli was found in irrigation water. Many consumers and professionals involved in preparing and selling food say they haven't given up on salad because they trust the food safety system to alert them to anything dangerous. But customers are asking more questions.

Carlos Prieto, assistant produce manager at Windmill Farms in San Diego's Del Cerro neighborhood, was quoted as saying, "People are shopping with caution. They want to know if the green leaf lettuce is safe or where it comes from. After they find out, most people are fine and buy the lettuce. … I think some of them will just sit this out until they are confident that there are no more problems. But that's really a small number."

Jeff Moogk, corporate chef for The Ladeki Restaurant Group, which includes Sammy's Woodfired Pizzas, was quoted as saying, "It seems we just got spinach back on the menu, and the lettuce thing cropped up. People have been inquiring if we're serving green leaf lettuce, and we tell them no, we sell red leaf lettuce."