Taco Bell testing

Now Taco Bell says it will test lettuce for E. coli at the farm level.
The Dallas Morning News notes Yum Brands Inc. lost $20 million from an E. coli outbreak last fall.
From the story:

To help prevent a recurrence, the company launched the farm-testing program. The company did not offer additional information about the program. But Kathy Means, vice president of government relations for the Produce Marketing Association, said she's not surprised to see restaurateurs becoming more aggressive in the field. She said some restaurant companies may now require testing by their shippers. "I think every company is going to address it differently," she said. "Many are going to be having frank conversations with their suppliers and probing deeper to make sure that there are good food safety practices back to the farm." She said food service companies are increasingly questioning players along the food chain about their practices and requiring audits and certification to ensure that precautions are being taken.


TK: I think adding another layer of testing - how the testing will be done wasn't explained - is probably inevitable due diligence for Yum Brands. But testing for pathogens after fresh produce is grown is not as important as putting in place GAPs that would prevent their spread in the first place. Again, this highlights the importance of all growers putting in place science based leafy green GAPs standards that will in fact reduce risk.