This entire episode further reminds us of one of the consequences of an efficient agricultural system that creates and ships produce around the world; that sometimes it’s not cleaned or packaged properly.
We can, and always must strive, to do better; and it’s good to hear that local folks are still eating their vegetables.
An excerpt.
Region's restaurants yank a green standby off menus
By Mike Dunne - Bee Food EditorPublished 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, September 20, 2006
When Matt Woolston prepared branzino last Friday for 20 or so customers at his Sacramento restaurant the Supper Club, the crispy slice of the Italian fish was balanced on a dome of spinach just a little smaller than a hockey puck.
When he prepares the branzino this Friday, it will perch on baby arugula instead.
"Since last Friday, a lot has changed," Woolston said.
"Nobody is eating spinach, so until this thing is over we'll substitute."
He has plenty of company in the local restaurant community as chefs and diners alike adapt to concerns over a virulent strain of E. coli bacteria, traced to the spinach fields of the Salinas Valley, that has sickened more than 100 people.
Spinach has disappeared from salad bars, and dishes that previously called for spinach now are being made with chard, romaine or arugula.
"For every 100 cases of spinach we were selling last week, we're now selling one," said Jim Mills, a Produce Express representative who deals with several restaurants in the Sacramento area.
"Spinach is down, but chard is up."
Restaurants that have developed followings at least in part for their extensive salad selections report that customers are taking the absence of spinach in stride.
