E. Coli Outbreaks Produce New Fears

This year’s onion and spinach scares reflect a rise in produce-borne illnesses, bringing calls for more rules on food producers. Fears over E. coli bacteria, for years, were focused on beef, but now outbreaks involving onion and spinach are prompting worries about the nation’s produce markets.

“Produce outbreaks have been consistently high since 1999,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.