US: cattle ranch near spinach farm had same E. coli

The FDA says the connection made between a nearby cattle ranch and the fields where E.coli tainted spinach originated in California does –not- help pinpoint the source of the contamination. The California health department’s Kevin Reilly says the genetic strain types of E. coli that were traced from the farm to the victims could have come from several things including cattle feces and pig feces. Three people died from eating the contaminated bagged spinach. Heat-treated manure was used on one of the fields where the spinach was grown and commercial synthetic fertilizer was used on three others. The FDA issued its final report last week, stressing “good agricultural practices” as the number-one way to prevent any future E. coli outbreaks.

Source: brownfieldnetwork.com