Lack of Testing Causes Huge Gap in Food Safety

Have you wondered why we keep having e coli outbreaks caused by contaminated irrigation?  Actually, there is no regulation that requires growers to test their water supply.  Yep.  Farmers can grow their leafy vegetables (the ones most likely to be eaten raw) next door to a cattle farm and share the water source which has been contaminated by cattle or wild animal poop.  They are not required to test for dangerous, toxin producing bacteria.  A law providing such regulation would have gone in to effect six months before the deadly Yuma romaine lettuce outbreak, but the present administration caved to disgruntled growers who felt that the government was overstepping by requiring testing. 

It would have cost growers about 12 million dollars to test.  The outbreak cost 108 million dollars and 5 deaths and many ruined lives.   As tragic as the Yuma outbreak was, it resulted in Arizona and California designing state, water testing regulations.   I think I know where my lettuce will originate. 

http://znews24.com/the-science-is-clear-dirty-farm-water-is-making-us-sick/