Features Production Research
E. coli scare may hurt Canadian veg producers

June
7, 2011, Toronto, Ont – While officials desperately try to pinpoint the cause
of a deadly E. coli outbreak in Germany, some Canadian farmers are worried the
crisis could hurt their businesses as concern over the safety of produce
increases.

June
7, 2011, Toronto, Ont – While officials desperately try to pinpoint the cause
of a deadly E. coli outbreak in Germany, some Canadian farmers are worried the
crisis could hurt their businesses as concern over the safety of produce
increases.

The
European outbreak was initially attributed to Spanish cucumbers but officials
later ruled them out. Suspicion was then cast on sprouts from Germany, but
authorities backtracked again, though they stopped short of giving sprouts a
clean bill of health.

The
outbreak has killed 22 people and sickened more than 2,300 across Europe. An
Ontario man who visited Germany and consumed local produce has Canada’s first
suspected case of E. coli linked to the outbreak overseas.

George
Gilvesy of Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, an organization that
represents 224 members who grow tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers, says a
serious scare like the one in Germany
is bound to make some people think twice before putting certain items in their
shopping cart.

“Because
of this kind of news, the comfort of the shopper who would go to the store and
just pick these things up on a regular basis, it puts some thought into their
mind of should they or shouldn’t they,” he said.

Gilvesy
says he has noticed a slight dip in demand for some items on the east coast of
North America.

“We
are seeing some impact because obviously people have been getting a fair bit of
news on this,” he said.

Mississauga,
Ont.-based Sprout King Corp., tests its sprouts monthly for E. coli and
salmonella, said plant manager Vina Quyen. Sales haven’t fallen since the
European outbreak was first detected in late May, but every time there’s a
story about tainted sprouts, his business suffers so he’s concerned.

“Of
course we’re worried about it,” said Quyen.

Independent
grocery stores haven’t reported a drop in vegetables sales, but shoppers have
made in-store inquiries about where produce is coming from and whether it’s
safe, said a spokesman for the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.

“Those
things happen from time to time around the country,” said federation president
John Scott. “We’ve seen that before on this continent as well. People back off
certain products for a certain period of time but usually in the localized
market area.”

The
Canadian Food Inspection Agency has increased sampling and testing of
cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes from the European Union. There is no indication
any contaminated product has been shipped to Canada, it said.

Gilvesy
says his organization has also received inquiries from the public about what
Canadian farmers are doing to ensure food safety. He says Canadian growers are
required to meet strict food safety requirements and consumers shouldn’t be worried.

But
Prof. Rick Holley, a food microbiologist at the University of Manitoba, doesn’t
believe Canada is any safer than Europe because farming practices are similar.
More should be done to separate animal agriculture from plant production, he
said.

The
housing boom has created a shortage of farming land so animal and plant
operations, which are becoming larger and more intense, end up being
consolidated, he said.

“So
there’s opportunity for movement of organisms from the animals… salmonella
and E. coli… to produce,” said Holley.

In
the 1970s and 1980s, one or two per cent of food-borne illness outbreaks were
caused by produce but now it’s up to 15 to 24 per cent, he said.

With
the cause of the outbreak still a mystery, German authorities are warning
against eating tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and sprouts, after European
patients reported eating those vegetables before becoming ill.

Gilvesy
says he’s particularly concerned that scientists are having so much difficulty
determining the cause of the outbreak of the particularly nasty strain of E.
coli that has led to kidney problems in more than 600 people.

Tom
Demma, general manager of the B.C. Vegetable Marketing Commission, said he
hasn’t heard of any drop in demand on the West Coast, but noted that demand for
greenhouse vegetables can vary from week to week.