Health officials caution the nation to watch what they eat
during widespread outbreak
Gilroy – Public Health officials are urging residents to watch what they’re eating in the midst of a national E. coli outbreak linked to raw spinach possibly packaged in San Juan Bautista.
“There are always a number of things you can and should do to protect yourself,” said Kathy Boulware, the Supervising Public Health Nurse in San Benito County who follows communicable disease.
The FDA issued an advisory against eating fresh or packaged spinach last week, after 109 cases of E. coli were reported across 19 states. Sixteen of these cases are very severe and one in Wisconsin has resulted in death. The disease was linked to Natural Selection Foods, a subsidiary of San Juan-based Earthbound Farms. Natural Selection works with more than 30 brands throughout the country, including easily recognizable names like Sysco, Dole, Trader Joe’s and Ready-Pac.
It has not yet been determined if local spinach is the cause of the outbreak, or if spinach going through Natural Selection’s packing process was already contaminated, but the company has instated a voluntary recall. Consumers should throw out spinach if the “Best If Used By” dates are between Aug. 17 through Oct. 1.
Locally, spinach disappeared from the shelves at Nob Hill Foods on early Friday morning, said Jennifer Ortega, a spokesperson for Raley’s, the parent company of Nob Hill Foods. The company decided to pull bagged, fresh, organic and bunched spinach from its stores until the FDA can name the E. coli culprit.
“We usually have spinach at least a couple times a week,” said Amber Tonkin, a Gilroy Nob Hill shopper. Instead, she said, her family is eating “more lettuce.
“I feel really bad for the Salinas farmers,” she added.
Safeway representatives could not be reached for comment, but the leafy green had vanished from its First Street store as well. Good idea, said shopper Kathy Ponce.
“I won’t buy it until I know it’s safe to buy,” said Ponce, as she browsed the produce section Monday.
Not every grocery is shunning spinach, however. In Gilroy, Kachy Produce is still stocking fresh spinach, said owner Manuel Rodriguez.
“There’s only problems with bagged spinach,” said Rodriguez. “We only use regular spinach.”
He said he’d gotten no questions or complaints about the issue.
Restaurants also have been affected. Stubby’s Sports Bar and Grill chucked spinach Saturday, substituting romaine lettuce on sandwiches. But there’s no substitute, said co-owner John Stieber, for the bar’s popular spinach-artichoke dip, now off the menu.
“People are unhappy about it,” said Stieber. “We’ll bring it back as soon as we hear there’s a resolution … we’re hoping it’s not too long.”
There are a hundred of strains of E. coli – most are harmless and some are even found in most healthy humans. But E. coli 0157:H7, the strain detected in spinach that went through Natural Selection, is the most toxic of the strains and can cause illness or death in humans.
“E. coli lives in the intestines of cows, so usually it contaminates things that have been in contact with manure,” Boulware said. “You can get it in water or on your hands, and then ingest it.”
Typically E. coli is associated with undercooked or spoiled meat products, but unpastuerized milk or juice as well as contaminated swimming spots have caused problems in the past.
Symptoms manifest after the bacteria has had time to incubate in its host’s system, anywhere from a few hours to several days after exposure. The infection causes severe, bloody diarrhea, and sometimes a slight fever. At the first sign of these symptoms, the infected person should go to the doctor, and may have to specifically request an E. coli test.
“Any time you have bloody stool, you need to go to your health care provider immediately,” Boulware said. “Because there are a lot of other things that can cause that.”
Most E. Coli cases clear up on their own within a few days without treatment, as long as the infected person is reasonably healthy and hasn’t been exposed to inordinate amounts of the bacteria.
Public Health is distributing Health Alerts to local physicians, detailing what to look for when E. coli is suspected as well as how to avoid infection. These tips include cooking meat thoroughly, washing raw vegetables, keeping raw meats away from ready-to-serve foods in the refrigerator and making sure not to swallow too much water when swimming. Above all, stay away from fresh and packaged spinach, as the FDA advises, until the agency gives the all-clear.
“Our food today is lot safer than it has ever been in the history of mankind,” said County Supervisor Anthony Botelho, whose district includes San Juan Bautista. Botelho is also an apple grower. “But unfortunately you’re going to have an outbreak every once in a while. It’s just the reality of nature.”
Emily Alpert contributed to this story.
