Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) entered the lexicon of foodborne pathogens in the mid-1980s. Initially associated primarily with meat contamination, STEC-contaminated produce products broke onto the food safety scene in 1996 when consumers became sick from drinking unpasteurized Odwalla-brand apple juice. STEC gained further notoriety with the nationwide outbreak linked to fresh spinach consumption in 2006.
The spinach outbreak catalyzed the leafy greens industry to develop food safety best practices for their commodities that later became the foundation for state marketing orders for leafy green handlers and producers in California (CA LGMA) and Arizona (AZ LGMA), respectively. Other commodity groups followed the leafy green industry’s example by establishing their own commodity-specific food safety best practices to prevent contamination by STEC and other foodborne pathogens. But the leafy greens industry continues to be out front in their continuous effort to improve their food safety practices. Led by Western Growers, both the AZ LGMA and CA LGMA routinely evaluate their food safety guidelines to maintain current science- and risk-based best practices.