Californian growers and packers are to begin implementing new safety standards approved by the state Department of Agriculture on July 23, in response to last year’s e.coli outbreak in Salinas Valley-grown spinach.

The comprehensive new agreement should sharply reduce the chances of a repeat outbreak like last year’s, and should also serve as a model for regulation throughout the US.

Consumers will be able to tell if spinach, lettuce and other greens meet the new standards by looking for the state-certified stamp of approval.

Critics, including Senator Dean Florez, D-Bakersfield, object to the move, claiming the voluntary component of the industry’s agreement permits “the fox to guard the henhouse”. Florez has proposed legislation that would require state inspection of fields and food handlers.

The California food industry, which accounts for 70 per cent of the lettuce and spinach sold in the US, has invested significantly in the agreement, with 99 per cent of the companies packing leafy greens responding to industry pressure and signing up to the scheme. The new rules impose stringent standards on irrigation water, prohibit the use of raw manure and require new measures to keep wildlife out of fields. A state board will run the programme.

The billion-dollar leafy green industry is expected to maintain the necessary funding to enforce the new safety standard, more so than the state.

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