Richard Ha writes:
It’s no secret that E. coli and spinach have been in the news recently. News stories about the recent spinach recall have been making me think about how Hamakua Springs Country Farms came to be Food Safety Certified, and how we always try to prepare for the future.
More than 15 years ago, when we started to expand our banana operation, we knew that being environmentally friendly was the right thing to do. And so we set out to make sure we operated that way. In 1992, we were the first banana farm in the world to be certified “Eco O.K.” by the Rainforest Alliance, the world’s largest third-party certifying environmental organization.
Next, we were certified as a “sustainable farm” by The Food Alliance, a sustainable certification organization from the Pacific Northwest. Later, our company was one of six finalists for the national Patrick Madden award, a sustainable farming award sponsored by the USDA.
About four years ago we applied to get our banana operation “food safety certified.” We were not required to do this; we just knew it was the right thing to do. To be food safety certified, there were approximately 60 line items to address in each of the growing and processing operations. Each time we are recertified, the requirements are stricter. We have learned from this and become better operators.
When we started our hydroponic tomato operation four years ago, we already knew what critical food safety points needed to be addressed. Most of the line items in being food safety certified for tomatoes were similar to what we already followed for our banana operation. Though we wanted to be sure to address the fact that people eat tomato skins, which the Food Safety certification does cover.
Two years ago, we started planning to grow lettuce and other leafy greens. Because we have experience in food safety issues, we were able to plan and implement a system that specifically addresses growing lettuce, herbs and spinach. Basically, all the food safety issues pertaining to growing tomatoes also apply to growing leafy greens.
But safety is even more critical with lettuces and similar crops. First, because the leaves are eaten. But also because such plants usually grow in soil, and any microbes found in the soil, or in irrigation water, could readily contaminate the plants. Furthermore, once the plants are contaminated, it is difficult, or even impossible, to decontaminate them in the processing operation.
As we planned our leafy green crops, we were very conscious that since 1995 there had been more than 15 cases of E. coli contaminating leafy vegetables in the mainland U.S. Some knowledgeable people we respect feel such contamination likely comes from contaminated water associated with the cattle industry—mostly irrigation water, flooded fields or even just rain splashing contaminated water onto the edible parts of the plants.
We wanted to avoid the risks associated with contaminated water and contaminated soil. That’s why we chose to grow our lettuce and similar crops hydroponically, using sanitized water, sterile growing media and overhead covers that protect against rain splash.
We started two years ago. It was not easy, largely because it was a new system that we had to develop on the fly, and it isn’t the cheapest way to grow crops. But this method of growing gives us the level of comfort we need for our customers and ourselves.
Obviously, we do not much like the idea of being dragged kicking and screaming into the future. We prefer thinking, planning and preparing for the future ahead of time. Which is what we have done with our leafy green crops.
We are relieved to realize that the extreme safety measures we set up from the start will help us avoid situations like the one now plaguing farmers, and consumers, in central California and beyond. And we continue to scan the horizon to see what might be coming up in the future that we need to focus on right now.