The agents raided two produce companies in Salinas Valley last week, looking for evidence of criminal activity.
Search warrants were executed by the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration's criminal investigations office. The companies under investigation are Natural Selection Foods LLC plant and Growers Express.
The FBI and FEA are looking for evidence that Natural Selection Foods and Growers Express violated food safety and environmental laws.
This does not mean that the spinach was deliberately contaminated by the E. coli bacterium. However, it does indicate that a crime may have been committed which lead to the outbreak of E. coli in spinach. Under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, companies do not need to have known their products were contaminated in order to be convicted. They only need to be proven negligent in not preventing tainted foods from being sold. Three people died and almost 200 others became ill after eating infected spinach. The E. coli outbreak was the ninth that can be traced to Salinas Valley. At least one lawsuit has already been filed against Natural Selection as a result of the E. coli outbreak.
Meanwhile, the FDA and the State of California have announced that test results from a field investigation are positive for the same strain of E. coli that was found in the spinach. The sample was taken from cattle feces on a ranch that was a supplier for the spinach farm. The E. coli bacterium could have been transferred from the cattle farm to the spinach crops by flooding, wild animals, irrigation water, or farm workers. Despite the finding, the investigation into the spinach contamination is on-going. Officials note that there could be a number of sources that caused the E. coli contamination.
The spinach E. coli outbreak was linked to Natural Selection Foods LLC, a food processor in Salinas, California. They provide fresh spinach to a number of companies including Dole and Earthbound Farm.
E. coli is a common bacterium that can be found in the lower intestines of humans and animals. Most E. coli strains do not cause illness. However, some strains can cause kidney failure. E. coli can occasionally lead to death, particularly in seniors or children. Symptoms of E. coli contamination include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
In order to prevent E. coli contamination, always wash your fresh food thoroughly. Even fruits and veggies with thick peels should be washed under running water to prevent bacteria on the peel from getting through to the edible part. When washing fruit with a peel that can be eaten use a scrubbing brush. Remove the outer leaves of leafy vegetables such as lettuce.
Washing or freezing food does not necessarily kill the E. coli bacterium. E. coli is strong enough to survive freezing, and the bacteria is very small, so washing may not remove all traces. The only way to reliably kill the bacterium is to cook your food thoroughly. That means cooking food to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.