Food Safety

                                                      
Food Safety is a major concern to consumers in our country. The 2006 nationwide outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 was traced back to bagged spinach being sold in supermarkets that was produced on Central Coast Farms. What has followed has been a rush by buyers and sellers of vegetables to try and ensure that the food being sold is “safe” for consumers. What is troubling to is that food “safety” measures have focused on pathogens and are ignoring the pesticides and chemicals flowing into our waterways, groundwater, and sometimes watering the crop itself. Think of a pendulum with pathogen food safety on one side and chemical safety, water quality and wildlife on the other; we have swung to the pathogen food safety extreme.

                                                                               
Food safety is important, but pesticides and chemicals to kill anything near the crop can be a food safety concern as well.  Food safety practices are in sometimes in direct opposition to water quality and wildlife protection practices guarding against chemical pollution.  Good soil and water conservation practices implemented with taxpayer monies are now being ripped out with no scientific basis.  These practices were not only encouraged by farms organizations, but the Monterey Bay Marine National Sanctuary, many environmental organizations and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. 

                                                                                                                                 (Photo: Poison flowing from a rodent bait station)
Many of the pathogen food safety practices are designed to sterilize fields and are not science based. Poison bait stations (pictured above) line leafy green fields and are meant to kill rodents and anything eating the bait – including predators up the food chain. Poison stations have been seen within the field sprinkler line, the poisoned water running back into the crop. Monterey Coastkeeper is working to make sure that the interests of pathogen food safety are science based and balanced with environmental protection. There is still much debate as to whether any of the practices being implemented are effective in mitigating the risk of pathogen contamination on the food crops.  At Monterey Coastkeeper we are working to document the current changes as thoroughly as possible and influence the discussion among the various groups involved towards higher concern for chemical pollution, protection of our watersheds, and the natural areas wildlife associated with them. Food Safety is a fast moving issue and we are providing an important voice for the preservation of our waterways to go along with the concern to have safe produce.

Monterey Coastkeeper is located at 475 Washington Street Suite A, Monterey, CA 93940. You can visit our website at www.montereycoastkeeper.org for more information or contact Steve Shimek at steve@montereycoastkeeper.org  or call 831-646-8839.

(Photo: A row of bait stations along riparian corridor)

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 To Report Polluters: 831-646-8840