The Hollister Free Lance is reporting that California Congressman Sam Farr has introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives to assist spinach growers and processors in recovering from lost sales after last fall’s E. coli outbreak.
On Wednesday, the California state Department of Food and Agriculture announced that it approved a food safety pact called the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement. The marketing agreement would require handlers of fresh spinach and other leafy vegetables to voluntarily abide by safety guidelines designed to prevent food-borne illness.
On February 1, Senator Florez introduced three bills into the California legislature that were designed to increase the safety of fresh produce. Attorney Bill Marler, who represents nearly 100 victims of the spinach E. coli outbreak, will speak at the Steinbeck Center’s Ag Forum Luncheon, to be held at the end of this month.