Don't eat the spinach

The growing investigation into the e-coli outbreak in bagged spinach is enough to scare you from eating produce. Where did the contamination occur? How can this be prevented in the future? Perhaps it's time for a re-examination of our farming practices, if indeed the problem occurred at the source. CNN is reporting that the guidelines set for produce are by and large, voluntary. That means people are being trusted to comply. Perhaps tighter regulation and more inspectors are needed. It's not just spinach we need to keep an eye on. Remember the mad cow scare? It hasn't happened here...yet. Or Avian Flu, again it hasn't hit us...yet. But some of the "factory farming" practices seem to be ripe for something to go wrong. I'll stick to the smaller "mom and pop" operations at the Farmers Market when possible. At least I'll know where my food is coming from.