January/February 2019 - 3

ZEKE JENNINGS
Office 616-887-9008
Managing Editor Zeke Jennings, 616-520-2159
zjennings@greatamericanpublish.com
Advertising Andrea Schafer, 616-520-2139
prosales@produceprocessing.net
Editorial Director Lee Dean, 616-520-2150
proedit@produceprocessing.net
Creative Director Kristina Howell, 616-520-2168
khowell@greatamericanpublish.com
Multimedia Designer Greg Ryan, 616-520-2145
proproduction@produceprocessing.net
Production Assistant Samantha Orsi, 616-520-2148
sorsi@greatamericanpublish.com
Group Marketing Melissa Gray, 616-520-2153
Director mgray@greatamericanpublish.com
Digital Content Ana Olvera, 616-520-2171
Director aolvera@greatamericanpublish.com
Custom Content Jess Schmidt, 616-520-2141
Manager jschmidt@greatamericanpublish.com
Circulation Becky Stovall, 616-520-2138
circulation@produceprocessing.net
Billing Sally Ostman, 616-520-2136
accounting@produceprocessing.net
Contributing Editors Gary Pullano, 616-520-2144
Stephen Kloosterman, 616-520-2152
COO & Director of Kimberly Baker, 616-520-2135
Custom Media kbaker@greatamericanpublish.com
CEO Matt McCallum, 616-520-2133
publisher@produceprocessing.net
Editorial Advisory Board
Adrienne Seiling, American Frozen Food Institute
Bob Swartwout, Direct Advantage
Rudi Groppe, Heinzen Manufacturing International
Lou Cooperhouse, Rutgers Food Innovation Center
Sherrie Rosenblatt, Can Manufacturers Institute
ISSN 2375-3447
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email Zeke:
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Zeke Jennings
Managing Editor
E. coli
strikes again
An association with E. coli is something
no food producer wants, whether it's by their
name directly or an association with a food
they distribute.
Unfortunately, after a second E. coli outbreak
in less than a year, romaine lettuce has a stigma
to shake off. The healthy leafy green is one of
the most popular ingredients in bagged salad
mixes and salad kits these days.
The most recent scare stemmed from
Adams Brothers Farms in Santa Barbara
County, California. It led to 59 reported cases of E. coli and 23
hospitalizations, but no fatalities, fortunately. Plus, who knows
how much non-infected romaine lettuce was wasted while the
outbreak was traced and identified?
Then there is the ripple effect that's almost impossible to
measure. How many consumers have ceased buying romaine
just to be on the safe side?
It's a legitimate concern. Spinach never really recovered from
the E. coli outbreak of 2006. At the time of the outbreak, the
average American consumed 2 pounds of fresh spinach each
year. A decade later, that figure had dropped by 25 percent.
Will the same happen to romaine? Let's hope not.
To combat the situation, the best thing fresh-cut processors
can do is maintain the cleanest, most sanitary practices they
possibly can. So far, the industry has not developed a sure-fire
way to eliminate pathogens, thus outbreaks continue to happen.
Avoiding hard-to-get-at nooks and crannies in your production
line that are difficult to sanitize, using the right chemicals and
correct amounts of those chemicals, and stressing hygiene to your
employees are all ways to keep pathogen risks at a minimum.
Be sure to check our production line safety package on Page
4 that includes insight from experts Melissa Ortner of Heinzen
Manufacturing International and Miles Murphy of Birko on best
practices and high-risk areas in the production line.
Stay clean and stay safe!
THE PROCESS
PRODUCE PROCESS ING
3
http://www.produceprocessing.net
January/February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2019
