Sanitary Spinach

Kenny Duzan knows spinach. He’s been growing the leafy green for 10 years and has left his mark on the local food chain by selling 3,000 to 5,000 pounds each year.

The quarter-acre of spinach seeds on Duzan’s farm east of Columbia had only been in the ground a few days when an outbreak of E. coli bacteria in bagged spinach from California caused stores and restaurants to pull the staple from shelves and menus.

Nearly two weeks later, rows of spinach are peeking from the dirt at Duzan’s farm. In another three weeks, he’ll begin bagging the crop in his garage and attaching his personal white and green label that brands the spinach as the “world’s best.”

Duzan, 58, said he’s never had problems selling his spinach in the past and is hopeful the E. coli scare won’t affect his sales this fall at the Columbia Farmers’ Market and Schnucks.

“Everybody’s asking about the spinach,” Duzan said. “I’m not sure what to expect. My customers do not seem to be concerned. They are ready for it.”

Millersburg farmer Phil Stewart, who also sells spinach at the Columbia Farmers’ Market, said his customers are also looking forward to the fall crop. “I don’t think this crisis will have any effect on how much I sell,” he said, noting that his customers know him and where the spinach is coming from.

The E. coli outbreak in spinach had sickened 183 people in 26 states through Tuesday, resulting in 95 hospitalizations and at least one death. Even though none of the illnesses have been reported in Missouri, spinach remains difficult to find at local stores and restaurants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has narrowed the tainted spinach to three counties in California and announced that spinach grown in other parts of the U.S. has not been implicated in the outbreak. The FDA continues to warn people not to consume fresh, bagged spinach if they cannot verify that it was grown in areas other than the three cited California counties.

The importance of sanitation has long been at the top of mind for Duzan, a biologist employed by the public drinking water branch of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. After picking his spinach, Duzan washes it with a solution of chlorinated water, rinses it and then allows it to drain.

“I always tell my customers to wash the spinach before eating it,” he said. “I think people have lost track of the fact that produce is not some sterile item on a grocery store shelf.”

Duzan said that although he thinks the E. coli situation was avoidable, growers, packagers and consumers will learn from the experience.

“Once we find out what happened, the whole industry will need to make adjustments,” Duzan said. “Even little guys like me.”