More stringent groundwater testing aims to lower risk of E.coli infections from romaine

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement board voted to strengthen testing requirements on both surface water and groundwater to prevent another E. coli outbreak like the one that hit the romaine lettuce industry last year. 

Last year's outbreak sickened dozens and sideswiped the industry in 2018.

Although it's not one of Ventura County's top money-making crops, it is grown here. In 2017, the latest year for which figures are available, romaine was a $6 million crop in Ventura County.

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While LGMA already incorporated water testing, these new regulations have significantly lowered the rate of bacteria available in water, said CEO Scott Horsfall.

"We always had water testing, but it was a one-size-fits all, which was kind of foolish," Horsfall said.

These more stringent standards came in direct response to outbreaks of the past year in both California and in Yuma, Ariz, where federal testing found the deadly bacteria in a canal in Yuma and a reservoir in California.

Romaine grown in Ventura County was at one point suspected in the outbreak, but local lettuce was eventually cleared and the outbreak was traced to a farm in Santa Barbara County. 

"The reason we're making these changes is to protect public health," said Horsfall in an LGMA video released after the vote Friday. "So we're doing everything that we can to raise the bar for food safety to make leafy greens safer."

California and Arizona are the top producers of leafy greens in the United States.

California alone produced about $1.8 billion in leafy greens in 2018 according to the 2018 State Agriculture Review; that was down from about $2.41 billion in 2017, likely due to the spring and fall 2018 E.coli outbreaks.

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While growers were previously satisfied with a sample rate that included less than 126 parts per million of E .coli, under the new standards they are now required to test three times a month. If growers find one in five samples shows more than ten parts per million of E. coli, they are required to treat their water.

Furthermore, growers can no longer use untreated surface water for overhead irrigation of leafy greens within the 21 days prior to harvest. That includes groundwater that was pumped to the surface to sit in a canal or tank before it was used, Horsfall said, as bacteria can survive the 21 days on the surface of romaine or other leafy greens.

In 2007, after a outbreak of E. coli that sickened more than 200 people, the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement was created to assure safe leafy greens and confidence in food safety programs.

Penalties will be assessed if member growers do not follow the new standards.

The LGMA will soon begin outreach to leafy greens growers to ensure understanding and compliance with the new standards.

The Star staff contributed to this report