The Follow-up File: Leafy greens slowly making a comeback

Name: Richard Quandt Job: President

Business: Grower-Shipper Vegetable Exchange

What he said then: When The Tribune spoke with Richard Quandt a year ago, the president of the Grower- Shipper Vegetable Exchange was working with local farmers to regain the public’s trust of leafy green vegetables.

Demand for spinach and lettuce had plummeted after an E. coli outbreak killed three and sickened more than 200 people in late 2006.

Spinach was pulled from the shelves of local supermarkets and taken off menus at restaurants because of the scare.

The outbreak caused growers of leafy greens to create an industry-designed and government- supervised plan that established safety guidelines for farmers.

More than 110 growers signed the leafy green marketing agreement, which required growers to adhere to rules such as periodic monitoring of irrigation water, not using raw manure as fertilizer and preventing wildlife intrusion on the crops.

It was unknown at the time whether those efforts would win back the public’s trust.

What he says now: Quandt says he believes the leafy greens market has bounced back, although not entirely since the E. coli scare.

“I would say that the leafy greens marketing agreement was a success,” he said.

About 20 percent of the produce Quandt oversees is leafy greens.

Most growers from across California complied with the self-regulated plan during its first year. If they didn’t adhere to the guidelines, produce buyers wouldn’t purchase their leafy greens, he said.

“They’re all designed to eliminate the risk,” he said. “It’s not uncommon around here (now) to see these wildlife barriers to keep wildlife out of the field.”

Since the outbreak, Quandt said he has noticed a shift in the industry with more growers reverting to selling their produce by the carton rather than in sealed plastic bags.

He was unsure whether the shift was because of a consumer perception that bags of leafy greens are more likely to be tainted or that people prefer the natural appearance of uncut produce.

“It might just be a change in consumer taste,” he said.

The lettuce season in San Luis Obispo County started this week with a few farms already beginning to harvest. Lettuce and other leafy greens are among the county’s top agriculture crops.

—Dawn White