Lettuce From California's Salinas Valley
                               Recalled Over E. Coli Concerns; No Illnesses
                               Reported
                               By RACHEL KONRAD
                               SAN FRANCISCO --  Less than a week after the
                               Food and Drug Administration lifted its warning
                               on fresh spinach grown in California's Salinas
                               Valley, a popular brand of lettuce grown there
                               was recalled Sunday over concerns about E. coli
                               contamination.
                               The lettuce does not appear to have caused any
                               illnesses, the president of Salinas-based Nunes
                               Co. Inc. said.
                               The lettuce scare comes amid other federal
                               warnings that some brands of spinach, bottled
                               carrot juice and recent shipments of beef could
                               cause grave health risks _ including paralysis,
                               respiratory failure and death.
                               Executives ordered the recall after learning
                               that irrigation water may have been contaminated
                               with E. coli, said Tom Nunes Jr., president of
                               the company.
                               So far, company investigators have not found E.
                               coli bacteria in the lettuce itself, Nunes
                               stressed.
                               "We're just reacting to a water test only. We
                               know there's generic E. coli on it, but we're
                               not sure what that means," he said. "We're being
                               extra careful. This is precautionary."
                               The recall covers green leaf lettuce under the
                               Foxy brand that was purchased in grocery stores
                               Oct. 3-6 in Arizona, California, Nevada,
                               Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. It was
                               also sold to distributors in those states who
                               may have sold it to restaurants or institutions.
                               The recalled lettuce was packaged as "Green Leaf
                               24 Count, waxed carton," and "Green Leaf 18
                               Count, cellophane sleeve, returnable carton."
                               Packaging is stamped with lot code 6SL0024.
                               FDA spokeswoman Julie Zawisza said the agency is
                               aware of the voluntary recall but had no
details.
                               "As a standard course of action, we would expect
                               the firm to identify the source of the
                               contamination and take steps to ... ensure that
                               it doesn't happen again," Zawisza wrote in an
                               e-mail.
                               It's unlikely that the bacteria in the lettuce
                               fields share the source of the E. coli found in
                               spinach that has sickened nearly 200 people and
                               has been linked to three deaths nationwide,
                               Nunes said.
                               Pathogenic Escherichia coli bacteria, or E.
                               coli, can proliferate in uncooked produce, raw
                               milk, unpasteurized juice, contaminated water
                               and meat. When consumed, it may cause diarrhea
                               and bloody stools.
                               Although most healthy adults recover within a
                               week without long-term side effects, some people
                               may develop a form of kidney failure.
                               That illness is most likely to occur in young
                               children, senior citizens and people with
                               compromised immune systems. In extreme cases, it
                               can lead to kidney damage or death.
                               The recall at Nunes Co., a family-owned business
                               with more than 20,000 acres of cropland in
                               Arizona and California, comes days after federal
                               agents searched two Salinas Valley produce
                               companies connected to the nationwide spinach
                               scare.
                               Epidemiologists also warned consumers last week
                               to stay away from some bottled carrot juice
                               after a Florida woman was paralyzed and three
                               people in Georgia experienced respiratory
                               failure, apparently due to botulism poisoning.
                               Also on Friday, an Iowa company announced that
                               it was recalling 5,200 pounds of ground beef
                               suspected of having E. coli. The government said
                               no illnesses have been reported from consumption
                               of the beef.
                               The outbreaks have sparked demands to create a
                               new federal agency in charge of food safety.
                               Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham
                               Clinton, both New York Democrats, are sponsoring
                               legislation authored by Sen. Richard Durbin,
                               D-Ill., to create the unified Food Safety
Agency.
                               "This recent outbreak must be a wake-up call to
                               get our food safety house in order, because
                               right now it's in pure disarray," Schumer said
                               at his Manhattan office. "We need to have one
                               agency take charge to ensure the next outbreak
                               isn't far worse."
                               The outbreaks have also devastated the economy
                               of Salinas Valley, the self-proclaimed "Salad
                               Bowl to the World."
                               Farmers in the area, about 100 miles south of
                               San Francisco, began plowing spinach crops under
                               and laying off workers last month, as government
                               inspectors examined fields and packing houses
                               for the source of the deadly outbreak.
                               Nunes said he upgraded safety inspection
                               protocols in wake of the spinach scare.
                               "There's a high level of urgency in our
                               industry, and we're being very proactive," Nunes
                               said. "It's obviously based upon recent events
                               in the produce industry and concern for
                               customers. We just don't want anything to
                               happen."
                               ___
                               On the Net:
                               http://www.foxy.com
                               http://www.ebfarm.com
                               http://www.bolthouse.com

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