Katheen Gillin
Twenty years ago, my daughter Rylee almost died after eating spinach contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7. She was only 9 years old. Sitting helplessly by her hospital bed while she fought for her life was the most painful experience I have ever endured. Fortunately, she survived, but the health effects of the disease continue to affect her life to this day.
Because of that experience, I will always be a passionate advocate for food safety.
I recently read food safety attorney Bill Marler’s editorial, “Romaine Roulette.” He detailed the history of foodborne illness outbreaks linked to leafy greens and pointed to livestock farming as a source of contamination.
I agree with most of what Mr. Marler wrote. Dangerous pathogens do not come from the lettuce itself, and the industry that raises livestock has a responsibility to prevent contamination of the environment and nearby food crops.
Bill Marler has done more than anyone else to get America’s food industry to take food safety seriously. His work saved lives.
But there is another part of this story worth noting.
As part of my work as a food safety advocate, I serve as a public member of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA), which was formed in response to the 2006 spinach outbreak that nearly took my daughter’s life. A few years after LGMA was formed, their leadership reached out to families affected by foodborne illness by inviting them to California to meet growers, visit farms, and see for themselves the extensive food safety practices now required for leafy greens farms and verified through government audits.
What I saw changed my perspective. I met people tasked with implementing food safety practices, including field workers, packaging crews, food safety experts, auditors, family farm owners, and others who care about producing safe products and providing them to their families. I saw an industry forever changed by the tragedy – an industry that understands the human cost of foodborne illness and is investing heavily in safer agricultural practices.
Since my first visit, I have learned more about the leafy greens industry and its ongoing efforts to improve food safety. Is your system perfect? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Food poisoning outbreaks still occur, and every outbreak is one too many. However, what I have witnessed first-hand is that the industry continues to improve, increase oversight, and implement safer production methods to reduce risk and protect consumers.
That’s why it’s disappointing to see misinformation continue to emerge from many food safety advocates suggesting that leafy vegetable farmers don’t test or treat their irrigation water. They absolutely do. It is true that federal law does not universally require this practice. However, measures to ensure the safety of water used for growing leafy vegetables are mandatory under LGMA.
Water quality testing is just one example. Today, the LGMA framework requires hundreds of science-based food safety practices. Because LGMA represents members that produce more than 90 percent of the leafy greens grown in the U.S., water quality testing, buffer zones between animal operations and other stringent safety measures are already standard practice for most of the industry.
Bill Marler has dedicated his career to advocating for safer food, and I deeply respect him for that. I hope discussions around leafy green safety more often recognize the real reforms and investments that growers have made over the past 20 years. I believe there is room in this conversation to demand accountability and recognize the real progress that has been made within the leafy greens industry since 2006.
Food safety should be a priority for all agriculture, not just leafy vegetable growers. This is especially true for livestock producers, who, as Marler points out, must work with neighboring farms to make any real progress in preventing food poisoning.
But I also believe that something important happens when an industry that invests millions of dollars in improving food safety is recognized for its efforts. why? Because recognition can create incentives. This can encourage others to adopt stronger standards, invest in prevention and make food safety a central part of their culture. And it can save lives.
About the author: Katheen Gillin is a food safety advocate based on her personal experience with the 2006 E. coli outbreak linked to spinach. She serves as an at-large member of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Board of Directors.
