An E. coli outbreak has killed one person and caused nearly 100 others to get sick. State health officials were notified of the first outbreak on Aug. 25.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak includes at least 19 states. The main source of the contamination is being linked to a California spinach processor called Natural Selection Foods.
Samantha Cabaluna, a spokeswoman for Natural Selection foods, expressed the company’s feelings on the outbreak in a statement: “What we do is produce food that we want to be healthy and safe for consumers, so this is a tragedy for us.”
The Federal Drug Administration has warned people not to eat spinach, and many grocery stores have removed spinach from their shelves. Officials are currently conducting an investigation to find out what happened and to eliminate any sources of E. coli.
E. coli lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and typically is spread through contamination by fecal material.
With so many people being harmed and one person even killed, this is a massive issue that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible.
Although it is a mistake, it is a mistake that can be avoided and should be a big concern for those farmers that grow spinach. Many farmers make their money through growing spinach and now this huge tragedy is putting a big damper on their business.
People who ate spinach before are now getting rid of it and being told not to eat it. With so many people getting ill, no one knows when people will feel comfortable consuming it as they were prior to this incident.
It is not easy to overlook an outbreak that has affected so many people across the country, especially when so many people consume spinach in their daily lives.
Sadly, this tragedy has had an impact on an immense amount of people throughout our country. Although the damage cannot be undone, it can and should be prevented from future occurrences.
