Sludge Watch ==> Lettuce with Ecoli O157:H7 - some comes from Salinas

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Word for the the day " CFIA: Canadian Food Inspection Agency"

It was the CFIA that found Ecoli O157:H7 in a bag of Dole mixed lettuce.
Canada has been allowing leafy greens from California into Canada so long as 
they comply with the voluntary California Leafy Green Products Handler 
Marketing Agreement.

Looks like that agreement isn't good enough to keep pathogenic Ecoli out of 
our food.
Canada should close its doors to Salinas greens until there is an effective 
and enforceable food security program.

Looks like spray irrigation of Salinas crops with  Monterey sewage treatment 
plant effleunt may be the culprit.
Read more here:

http://www.robincutson.com/e-colifoodreclaimedwater.html

............................................................


Dole: E. coli may be from here
It's undetermined, but some lettuce in tainted salad is from Salinas Valley
By DAWN WITHERS
The Salinas Californian


Some of the lettuce used in bagged Dole salad recalled Monday for E. coli 
contamination has been traced back to the Salinas Valley, the company said 
Tuesday. Marty Ordman, spokesman for Dole Food Co. Inc, said three lettuces 
- romaine, green leaf and butter - are included in the recalled "Hearts 
Delight" mix. The romaine came from the Salinas Valley and Colorado, the 
butter lettuce from Ohio and green leaf from Salinas Valley. The salad was 
processed in Springfield, Ill. But Ordman said the company doesn't know 
which lettuce may have introduced E. coli O157:H7 into the bagged salad mix 
or how the leafy greens were contaminated. No illnesses linked to the salad 
have been reported, he said.

"We're as committed as ever (to food safety)," Ordman said.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Import Requirements for Leafy Green Vegetables from U.S. and California


Introduction
Californian leafy greens have been associated with several outbreaks of 
foodborne illnesses over the past ten years. In September 2006, a large 
multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses associated with 
contaminated fresh Californian baby spinach resulted in 205 confirmed cases, 
including one confirmed illness in Canada, and three deaths in the US.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) undertook immediate activities in 
Canada in response to the spinach outbreak including verifying the effective 
recall of product that had been distributed in the country, and establishing 
import alerts. Since October 2006, CFIA officials met with the US officials 
to gain information on the findings of investigations into the spinach and 
other outbreaks relating to leafy greens grown in California and on measures 
taken to address the food safety risks associated with these products.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), in consultation 
with the US Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture, 
other California officials and the Western Growers Association, developed 
the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (Handler 
Marketing Agreement) which requires signatory handlers of leafy greens grown 
in California to get their supply from growers that apply the Commodity 
Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production and Harvest of Lettuce 
and Leafy Greens (Leafy Green GAPs).

The Leafy Green GAPs were developed by the Western Growers Association, in 
collaboration with the US Food and Drug Administration and the California 
Department of Health Services, and have been peer reviewed by academia. It 
incorporates best practices to address the risk factors associated with 
leafy greens.

Upon review of the Leafy Green GAPs, the CFIA determined that hazards have 
been appropriately identified and addressed. The CFIA will limit entry of 
products into Canada to those handled by shippers that have signed the 
Handler Marketing Agreement.

Definitions
Handler: in the Handler Marketing Agreement, means any person who handles, 
processes, ships or distributes leafy green product for market whether as 
owner, agent, employee, broker or otherwise. This definition does not 
include a retailer.

Leafy green products or vegetables: mean iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, 
green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, baby leaf lettuce 
(i.e., immature lettuce or leafy greens), escarole, endive, spring mix, 
spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula and chard. Products not identified above are 
excluded from these new import requirements (e.g., Bok Choy and other Asian 
greens).

Import Requirements
The CFIA will allow the importation of leafy green vegetables from USA if:

The shipper declares in Box 22 of the Confirmation of Sale's document (COS) 
whether the product was grown in California or in a State other than 
California;
Product grown in California has been handled by a signatory handler of the 
California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (Handler 
Marketing Agreement) and the name of the signatory handler is noted in Box 
22 of the COS.
The Handler Marketing Agreement, the list of signatory handlers and the 
Leafy Green GAPs can be found at: http://www.caleafygreens.ca.gov/

Scope of the Import Requirements
The requirements apply to all US shipments of leafy green vegetables either 
sold in bags, in bulk, or combined with other food items, in a fresh state.

Implementation Time Lines
US shippers should start implementing these requirements by May 21, 2007 so 
that compliance is achieved at the Canadian border by June 1, 2007. 
Enforcement actions by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and CFIA 
will be initiated on June 1, 2007.

Enforcement of the Import Requirements
When a shipment of leafy greens from USA arrives at the border, the CBSA 
will review the documentation specifically for the declaration made under 
Box 22 of the COS form and will accept or refuse entry based on answers to 
the following questions:

Do the leafy green vegetables originate from California?

If "no", release shipment;
If "yes", go to next question

Has it been handled by a Californian handler that is signatory of the 
Handler Marketing Agreement?

If "no", refuse shipment;
If "yes", release shipment.

Examples of declarations in Box 22 of the COS for which shipments would be 
accepted:

"Leafy green vegetables were not grown in California"

"Leafy green vegetables were grown in X" (X is a State other than 
California)

"Leafy green vegetables were grown in California and handled by Y, signatory 
of the Handler Marketing Agreement" (Y is the name of the Californian 
handler)

"Leafy green vegetables were handled by Y, signatory of the Handler 
Marketing Agreement" (Y is the name of the Californian handler)

Note: the term "leafy green vegetables" can be interchanged with leafy 
greens or any other vegetable included in the definition for leafy greens.

If the requested information does not appear in box 22 of the COS, CBSA will 
refuse the shipment.

CBSA will forward a copy of the COS and custom invoices to CFIA inspection 
offices as per normal procedures.

Legislative Authority
The import requirements are based on the following legislative authority. 
Failure to comply with the requirements will result in product being refused 
entry into Canada, destroyed or re-exported to USA.

Section 3.1 (1) of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Regulations and Section 4 
of the Food and Drugs Act.

Section 3.1 (1) of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Regulations states: 
"Subject to subsection (2), no person shall market in import, export or 
interprovincial trade as food unless it:

a. is not adulterated;
b. is not contaminated;
c. is edible;
d. is free of any live insect, scorpion, snake, spider or other living thing 
that may be injurious to health;
e. is prepared in a sanitary manner;
f. where irradiated, is irradiated in accordance with Division 26 of Part B 
of the Food and Drug Regulations
g. meets all other requirements of the Food and Drugs Act and Food and Drug 
Regulations with respect to the produce."

Section 4 of the Food and Drugs Act states: "No person shall sell an article 
of food that:

a. has in or on it any poisonous or harmful substance;
b. is unfit for human consumption;
c. consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, disgusting, rotten, 
decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance;
d. is adulterated; or
e. was manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored under 
unsanitary conditions."

Issued on:
May 4, 2007, amended May 31, 2007.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/fresh/safsal/califore.shtml
...................................

On the Salinas Valley use of sewage effluent for spray irrigation of leafy 
greens:

                                                          Since the first 
Earth Day 34 years ago, America’s                                            
                             population alone has soared from 200 to 300 
million. At                                                            our 
current rate of growth, Census Bureau projections                            
                                  indicate that U.S. population could exceed 
one billion                                                               by 
the turn of the century.



                                                           America's 
exploding population growth has created                                      
                             water shortages.  And to deal with these 
shortages                                                                    
politicians have turned to the use of reclaimed                              
                                                wastewater----especially for 
irrigation purposes.



The 2006 E-coli spinach outbreak that made hundreds ill and resulted in 
deaths was traced back to Salinas Valley in Monterey County California which 
produces two-thirds of the nation's spinach and much of its other fresh 
greens.



In the ten years the reclaimed wastewater has been used for farmland 
irrigation in Monterey County there have been 9 E-coli outbreaks that have 
been traced back to this region and it has become known as a hot spot for 
food-borne illness.



Year ago, when reclaimed wastewater for irrigation  first made its 
appearance, people were warned  not to walk on grass watered with reclaimed 
wastewater or to eat any fruit or vegetables grown with reclaimed 
wastewater.  Golf courses using reclaimed water were careful to warn golfers 
  to wash their golf balls.



And now, years later when population has exploded and many areas are facing 
water shortages,  some politicians  have suddenly decided  its okay to use 
reclaimed wastewater for irrigating food crops.    And now we have outbreaks 
of e-coli contaminated food.



The USDA Agricultural Research Service’s 2005 Report  stated that under 
present technology water that is treated for use as reclaimed water doesn’t 
kill off all bacteria and pathogens like e-coli.



The report also cited a study  showing that although  reclaimed water met 
EPA standards for irrigation use at the treatment plant, there was  
bacterial re-growth during storage and  transport. And of course, this  
bacterial re-growth could render the reclaimed water a threat to human 
health.



The report also stated that  “little is known about the long-term 
environmental fate of synthetic organic compounds, including 
pharmaceutically active chemicals and disinfection byproducts, contained in 
recycled wastewater. Overall, the environmental and public health impacts of 
irrigation with reclaimed sewage effluent and the potential degradation of 
underlying groundwater are largely unknown."





In 2006 there was an article  about reclaimed wastewater used for irrigation 
by a leading soil scientist published in California Progress Reports 
entitled “E. coli: Why Monterey County Made a Poor Decision on the Type of 
Water to Use for Irrigation of Their Croplands.”



Basically this soil scientist stated that reclaimed wastewater should never 
be used to irrigate food crops—especially crops such as strawberries, 
artichokes and tender leafy green vegetables such as lettuce and spinach 
which are consumed raw.



But he also explained how and why the whole thing got started.



Because of huge population growth and dwindling water supplies,  California 
needed more water and began pumping it out of the ground like no tomorrow. 
And  near the coastlines, when they pumped the freshwater out, salt water 
began leaching in the empty spaces. Or in technical terms its called  
“saltwater  intrusion caused by hydraulic deficiency in the now-empty fresh 
water aquifer zones.   Without “recharging” that groundwater aquifer with 
fresh water and trying to force the seawater back or at least attempt to 
prevent its advance, the saltwater just keeps  encroaching inland  
contaminating remaining groundwater supplies and wells.



The city of Salinas is located on the central coast of California and is the 
county seat of Monterey County and the largest city on California’s central 
coast.



The Salinas valley is one of the largest producers of vegetables such as 
spinach.



Like most of California, Monterey County experienced huge jumps in 
population  and water was becoming scarce and very expensive. And Monterey 
County also has lots of farmland and needs lots of water for irrigation.  
And that saltwater intrusion had to be held back which meant  irrigation was 
also necessary to keep underground aquifers filed so that the saltwater 
wouldn’t continue to leach in.



Monterey County was desperate for water.  And it also had another problem.



In order to curb water pollution, government regulations on  the amount and 
quality of wastewater that could be dumped back into rivers and waterways 
was becoming more strict.  But population growth was creating more sewage 
waste and wastewater  and this meant higher costs for  the treatment and 
disposal of wastewater.



And so the County officials working with the water utilities decided to  
solve their problems  by using reclaimed wastewater to irrigate crops in the 
Salinas valley—it would get rid of the wastewater,  the irrigation would 
help put water back into the ground to help stop the intrusion of saltwater, 
and remaining clean water supplies could still be used to support even more 
development and population growth.

In short reclaimed wastewater that formerly was considered unsafe for use on 
food crops suddenly was deemed safe.



Not long after the reclaimed wastewater project was  up and running there 
were complaints by farmers but County officials and the water utility 
officials assured them everything was fine.



There were calls for an independent evaluation of the safety of using 
reclaimed wastewater  but this was also rejected by County officials  and 
the water utility officials.



And then came the e-coli outbreaks.  In the ten years the reclaimed 
wastewater has been used for farmland irrigation in Monterey County there 
have been 9 E-coli outbreaks that have been traced back to this region and 
it has become known as a hot spot for food-borne illness.



But in spite of the obvious,  across the country some politicians, 
developers and  water utility officials are still insisting reclaimed 
wastewater’s A-ok.

http://www.robincutson.com/e-colifoodreclaimedwater.html