California Certified Organic Farmers Statement Regarding Spinach

News reports identify the source of the contamination as Natural Selection Foods/Earthbound Farm, which distributes more than 30 brands of organic and non-organic packaged spinach, including Dole, Ready Pac, Trader Joe’s, President’s Choice, and O Organic. However, the FDA has not ruled out other brands at this time. Natural Selection Foods/Earthbound Farm and River Ranch Fresh Foods have both initiated a voluntary recall of their spinach products. The FDA has directed consumers to toss out and not consume any fresh spinach as a precautionary measure. This advice applies to bagged, bunched and loose spinach products, including fresh salad products that contain spinach.

Natural Selection Foods’/Earthbound Farm’s website (http://www.ebfarm.com) states that no organic spinach has been linked to the E. coli outbreak. However, the investigation is still under way. The company’s statement can be found at http://www.nsfoods.com. This statement includes a complete list of the brands they distribute that are affected by the voluntary recall. River Ranch’s brands include Hy-Vee, Fresh N' Easy and Farmers Market; all contain spinach purchased from Natural Selection Foods/Earthbound Farm. Consumers are encouraged to contact Natural Selection Foods/Earthbound Farm at 888-736-2840.

We at CCOF are hoping for a prompt resolution to this matter so that no further deaths or illnesses occur and so that the economic losses to all farmers and processors, whether organic or non-organic, are kept to a minimum.

Full list of recalled brands (http://www.naturalfoodnet.com/NFNPortal/article.aspx?aid=1145)
E. coli facts (http://www.ota.com/organic/foodsafety/ecoli.html)
Manure facts (http://www.ota.com/organic/foodsafety/manure.html)