Health and Safety

All Washed Up

Find out steps farmers take to ensure the safety of your veggies - and what you can do at home

Story by Deepti Babu

Shopper Kristie Coulombe pushes a cart through her local supermarket, thinking about dinner. Culinary inspiration aside, Kristie regularly tries to choose nutritious items for her family. She lingers a moment in the produce section, wanting to incorporate fresh vegetables into her meal. She’s more aware of food safety these days than ever. “A salad sounds good,” she says, “but what about that spinach scare I heard about on the news? Which brand was that again?” Harmful strains of E. coli bacteria were found in some brands of fresh spinach mix originating in California last fall. How can she make a safe and healthy choice for her family?

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are a group of bacteria naturally found in the intestinal tract of healthy people and animals. These bacteria are typically benign and are necessary for proper nutrient absorption. Some strains of E. coli, such as 0157:H7, are harmful and can lead to severe bloody diarrhea, kidney failure and even death. Very young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are typically the most susceptible to the effects of E. coli poisoning.

We used to worry about E. coli contamination only in meat, but the spinach scare Kristie Coulombe thinks about brought home the message that all food groups have the potential to deliver disease. With E. coli contamination affecting produce farms that supply large regions of North America, growing and handling procedures have the potential to impact many of us. Produce farming presents unique challenges; farms may have contaminated water systems, particularly in areas with flooding problems adjacent to cattle farms, as was the case in California last fall. Contaminated water allows plants to absorb E. coli within their root systems. In these cases, washing produce at the factory or at home does not make much difference. 

But poisoning incidents are fortunately uncommon. René Cardinal of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency travelled to California’s Salinas Valley in the wake of the spinach contamination last year. He went to better understand contributing factors, and to learn about measures Canadians could take to prevent occurrences. Among the recommendations were to limit access points to pastures and fields and to geographically isolate vegetable fields. The good news is many Alberta farmers, such as Gwen Simpson of Inspired Market Gardens in Carvel, are already taking steps similar to those recommended by Cardinal to ameliorate the dangers.

Whether discussing the finer points of nurturing a basil plant or how to use edible flowers in a salad Simpson is passionate about the growing process. And she puts a priority on food safety on her farm. She isolates the vegetables geographically from animals to reduce the risk of bacteria contamination. She limits access points to pastures and greenhouses. Additionally, she says that continual hand washing and storing harvested foods at a cool temperature are essential to keeping them safe - tips that can apply at home, too. “It’s all about prevention,” she says. “The healthier my plants are, the more resistant they’ll be to disease.”

Alberta vegetable producers like Simpson are doing their part, but what can consumers do? Nelson Fok, associate director of Environmental Health at Edmonton’s Capital Health, says consumers should look for healthy, fresh produce with no brown or rusting edges when buying unprocessed leafy veggies from the produce department. Brown spots are potential access point for contaminants. But Fok says consumers should worry more about the contamination zones they can control - at home. Cross-contamination in sinks, fridge and preparation surfaces represents a bigger challenge to consumer safety. (See sidebar.)

The good news is that consumers such as Kristie Coulombe and her growing family are getting the message about eating their fruits and veggies and consuming more fresh produce. She already practices safe food handling at home. And knowing that Alberta producers are taking steps on the farm to keep their products safe, gives her a healthy measure of confidence.