SACRAMENTO — A state senator Wednesday declared that the leafy green industry requires more stringent state regulation and criticized the California Department of Health Services for overseeing a "very, very poor and lax system" to prevent \o7E. coli \f7outbreaks caused by produce.
"With 45 inspectors, 5,500 processing plants and 100,000 farms, that seems to be putting us well behind where we should be," said Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter) at a legislative oversight meeting. "I don't think government is doing its job in this case."
Florez noted how the state largely lacks the authority to impose penalties or initiate recalls, and how the industry is primarily responsible for the voluntary "good agricultural practices" outlining the food safety protocols that companies are asked to follow.
"I think the time for industry-sponsored approaches are over," said Florez, chairman of the Senate's Committee on Governmental Organization. "I think consumers are looking for stronger measures than the voluntary measures that have produced 20 of these outbreaks. And we don't want to see the 21st."
Of the 20 lettuce or spinach outbreaks linked to a virulent and potentially deadly strain of \o7E. coli \f7since 1995, nine have been traced to the Salinas Valley area, one of the nation's largest producers of the leafy greens.
Florez said he plans to introduce legislation in January that would give health officials the power to enforce regulations over the industry, including the power to penalize growers, as well as increase the numbers of inspectors in the field.
He also criticized health officials for not completing an investigation of an \o7E. coli \f7outbreak linked to Salinas Valley lettuce in 2005 that sickened at least 34 people in Minnesota.
State health officials defended their efforts, noting that they have been working for years on preventing outbreaks. They also pointed out that they were able to narrow the source of the most recent contaminated spinach much faster than in previous outbreaks.
"To date, the voluntary process has been very effective," said Kevin Reilly, deputy director for prevention services at the Department of Health Services. He noted that Natural Selection Foods, the processor identified in the outbreak, recalled its products the same day his office suggested it.
