Cleanliness of produce draws new attention
505627
Leafy vegetables are the second leading source of E. coli infections in the United States, behind ground beef, but the government relies primarily on voluntary safety steps by farmers and packagers to prevent outbreaks.
403599
Agents with the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration searched two produce-packing plants in California's Salinas Valley yesterday morning in connection with last month's outbreak of E. coli in fresh spinach that so far has sickened 193 people and killed at least one.
474286
A food safety expert says  it likely came from processing the produce right in the fields, a practice that's become much more common
34472
Spinach contaminated with E. coli. Frozen oysters tainted by norovirus. Peanut butter fouled by salmonella.
712104
Federal health officials told California farmers to improve produce safety in a pointed warning letter last November, nearly a year before the multistate E. coli outbreak linked to spinach.
517836
By Adam Mitchell  The organic revolution is sweeping across Europe, with the area of land dedicated to environmentally-friendly, pesticide-free food production more than doubling in the last decade.
618608
By Therese Poletti and Nicole C. Wo, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.  Sep.
312013
Science & environment: Environmental and social impact of producing the crops may be greater than originally thought
488565
By Martin Hickman  Shoppers are being encouraged to solve the problem of excess packaging by taking direct action and dumping trays and wrappers in their gardens.
721115
In the face of new competition, primarily from China, produce farmers have joined forces for the first time.
151096
Shoppers have backed traffic light coding for food so they can tell what is healthy and what is not, a study says.
294188
The latest food-contamination case raises the stakes for growers and public officials.
485447
Mealy apples, boxed mashed potatoes, frozen veggie mixes and suspicious meats drive many a college student to the cereal and bagel bins. But dining halls from Bates College in Maine to the University of California at Santa Cruz are improving their food and helping their local agricultural economies by going straight to the farm.
277269
Low maintenance topiaries in a menagerie of shapes can satisfy that urge to plant.
167799
Tough food safety precautions and produce-tracking systems implemented last year after a fatal E. coli outbreak were put to the test when spinach from a produce company came up positive for salmonella bacteria, prompting a new recall.
770105
Life & style: Green music fans will be able to track down food that doesn't go against their principles thanks to new guide.
686173
By Durham, Sharon  Using compost to make a foliar spray or soil drench to promote plant growth and suppress plant diseases has gained popularity in the United States during the past 10 years, especially among organic farmers.