Prof. Jeff Farber appeared in a May 2 CNN story talking about why lettuce is often the culprit behind illness outbreaks linked to E. coli bacteria.
A food science professor and director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety at U of G, Farber talks about how leafy greens can become contaminated in the field by soil, dirty water, animals or improperly composted manure. Produce can also become contaminated during handling, storage and transportation, he said. He said lettuce eaten raw may expose consumers to sources of infection.
Farber formerly worked at Health Canada, where he was director of microbial food safety and helped develop federal food safety policies. He heads the U of G master’s program in food safety and quality assurance.