Drs. Linda Harris, Marita Cantwell, and Devon Zagory were among the invited speakers at the “Food Safety for Organic Production and Handling of Fresh Produce Conference” that was held January 22-23 at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove. The conference was organized by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) ­and focused on the challenges to organic farmers and food handlers since the E. coli outbreak in 2006. "We want to educate organic farmers about how they can impact food safety," said Peggy Miars, executive director of the Santa Cruz-based CCOF. 

The 2006 E. coli outbreak brought the Central Coast’s spinach growers to a halt after the Food and Drug Administration issued a two-week-long advisory against consuming the leafy greens. Some experts suggest the industry still has not fully recovered.  “That got everyone’s attention,” said Miars, who proposed creating a course that incorporated issues of food safety in organic farming. “Food safety is becoming a hot topic, not only in agriculture, but in all of the food industry.”  For more information about this conference go to: www.ccof.org/foodsafetyconference.php