Visits California Farms
Last week a group of consumers who have been sickened
in past foodborne illness outbreaks involving leafy greens traveled from across
the country to visit California farmers who grow products like those which made
them sick. While the two groups might initially appear to be adversaries,
the purpose of the visit was to determine where they might share common ground.
“While our two groups may appear to be at odds, the
fact is -- both of us are focused on the common goal of ensuring people don’t
get sick from eating healthy products like leafy greens,” said Deirdre
Schlunegger, CEO of STOP Foodborne Illness, a non-profit organization , which
represents victims of foodborne illness. “To my knowledge this is the
first time a commodity group has proactively reached out to us and invited
consumers impacted by foodborne illness to come visit their operations and
learn about what they are doing to protect people from getting sick. We very much
appreciate the invitation from the California Leafy Greens Marketing
Agreement. I think we all learned a great deal.”
During their visit, the group from STOP visited farms
and processing facilities located in leafy greens-producing areas near San Luis
Obispo and Santa Maria, California. They met with farmers, handlers,
processors and food safety experts; visited leafy greens farms; watched leafy
greens being harvested and packaged and had numerous meetings with industry
members to learn about the production of leafy greens and hear about the food
safety practices currently in place.
The group also saw a demonstration of the mandatory
government audit which is at the heart of the California Leafy Greens Marketing
Agreement (LGMA). The LGMA has been in place since 2007 to verify through
government audit that a set of science-based food safety practices are being
followed on leafy greens farms.
“We wanted this group to see the systems in place for
California leafy greens that help to prevent people from becoming sick,” said
Scott Horsfall, CEO of the LGMA. “But we also really wanted to hear their
stories and to learn about the concerns of people who have been impacted by
foodborne illness.”
Ryan Talley, chairman of the LGMA and a producer of
leafy greens expressed his appreciation to STOP and its members. “We know it’s
very difficult for these individuals to recount stories of how they became ill
and the tragic impacts of foodborne illness they have personally experienced,”
said Talley. “I asked these remarkable people to please continue to talk about
their experiences and relay them to farmers like us, because we need to hear
it. Together, farmers and consumers can make a difference in making food
safer.”
Lauren Bush, who was sickened in the 2006 E. coli
outbreak linked to spinach and participated in last week’s visit to leafy green
farmers, lives in New York and is now an advocate for food safety. “California
is ground zero. It is where the 2006 spinach outbreak happened that affected me
so much. I wasn’t sure what I could say to these farmers that would really
resonate with them. Not because they don’t care, but because they had heard it
before,” said Bush.
“I was really touched that not only did the farmers we
met this past week really listen to our stories, but I truly could feel the
impact,” Bush continued. “I met their kids and shook their hands. I saw where
they work every day. I think they truly mean it when they say they will
carry our faces and voices with them. After what I saw this week, I can
definitely tell other consumers that steps are being taken by California leafy
greens farmers to protect others from getting sick.”
As a result of this visit, both STOP and the LGMA
expressed a strong desire to seek ways to work together to advance the cause of
preventing foodborne illness. “We are very interested in working together
to find a way to help communicate all we learned from each other during this
brief visit,” said the LGMA CEO Horsfall. “This visit was one of the most
impactful activities I have participated with since joining LGMA. We are
very thankful to STOP and its members for making this important event happen.”
In 2007, California farmers came together to raise the
bar for food safety. As a result the California Leafy Green Products Handler
Marketing Agreement (LGMA) was formed. Members of the LGMA are working
collaboratively to protect public health by reducing potential sources of
contamination in California-grown leafy greens. See more at www.lgma.ca.gov.