One possible culprit is tainted water, either through irrigation or washing in the processing plant. In a letter last year, an FDA official sounded an alarm about this problem, writing that "creeks and rivers in the Salinas watershed are contaminated periodically with E. coli." The rolling hills alongside the Salinas River support "extensive cattle ranches," according to the Watershed Institute [PDF] at California State University. Might manure from these operations be leaching into the watershed?
Earthbound Farm brand boasts on its website that it produces "[m]ore than 7 out of 10 organic salads sold in grocery stores" in the U.S.
In 1999, Salinas-based Tanimura & Antle, the largest U.S. fresh-vegetable grower and shipper, with 40,000 acres under cultivation in the United States and Mexico, bought a 33 percent stake in Natural Selection/Earthbound.
Given Natural Selection's scale, it's no surprise that an outbreak in a small region of California's central coast could repeatedly wreak havoc nationwide.
In 1999, Salinas-based Tanimura & Antle, the largest U.S. fresh-vegetable grower and shipper, with 40,000 acres under cultivation in the United States and Mexico, bought a 33 percent stake in Natural Selection/Earthbound.
Given Natural Selection's scale, it's no surprise that an outbreak in a small region of California's central coast could repeatedly wreak havoc nationwide.