September 27, 2006

FDA ban lifted; farmers’ markets and growers gear up for spinach season

RICHMOND—Virginia-grown spinach got the green light last Thursday when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted its ban, tracing E. coli-tainted greens to three counties in California.

“While Virginia’s spinach production is very small, it is still a major income source for several farmers, and they have done an excellent job of keeping their commodity safe and healthy for public consumption,” said Bruce L. Hiatt, president of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “We appreciate the government’s speedy response to the E. coli outbreak, and we are very pleased that the ban has been lifted.”

California produces 74 percent of the United States’ fresh-market spinach, while the 2002 Census of Agriculture shows only 16 commercial spinach farms on 550 acres in Virginia.

“Hearing that the tainted spinach came from California will hopefully open people eyes to buying locally,” said Amy Hicks, an organic spinach grower in New Kent County. “When they buy from local farmers, they know who’s grown it and where it’s coming from.”

Hicks is a vendor at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market in Richmond and the Williamsburg Farmers’ Market, which is doing its part to educate customers about spinach.

“At the last few markets, we had gardeners on hand to answer any questions customers had about spinach,” said Libby Oliver, market manager. “Our customers have already bought into buying locally, but when something like this happens, it only reinforces the point.”

As spinach returns to grocery store shelves and pops up in farmers’ markets, growers are afraid consumers will continue to avoid the leafy green vegetable even after the ban has been lifted.

“I hate to think this has turned people off to greens,” Hicks said. “It’s sad that something so good for you has gotten such a bad rap.”

Contact Hicks at 804-932-9221 or Oliver at 757-259-3768.