Once a readily accessible media darling celebrated for its eco-friendly business practices and humble beginnings, Earthbound Farm shied away from public scrutiny almost entirely Wednesday after investigators found E. coli bacteria in spinach that had been processed at the company’s San Juan Bautista plant.
During a hastily called news conference, Earthbound Farm spokeswoman Samantha Cabaluna read a prepared statement and answered a few questions before being hustled back into the plant by company officials, according to The Monterey County Herald.
Cabaluna acknowledged that the E. coli-contaminated Dole baby spinach is directly connected to Earthbound Farm. She said all Dole spinach is processed by the local plant, although Cabaluna pointed out that some Dole spinach is not grown by Earthbound Farm.
However, Cabaluna stopped short of acknowledging that Earthbound Farm is a possible source for the nationwide E. coli outbreak.