FDA Releases Report on Salmonella in CEA Leafy Greens
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a report on its investigation of the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that caused 31 reported illnesses and four hospitalizations in the U.S. between June and August 2021. FDA worked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state partners to investigate the outbreak, which was linked through epidemiology and traceback to packaged salad greens during the summer of 2021. This outbreak is believed to be FDA’s first domestic investigation of a foodborne illness outbreak associated with leafy greens grown in a Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) operation.
The CEA operation produces leafy greens using common, commercial, high-density hydroponic growing techniques with deep water culture and floating raft production methods. The report includes an overview of the traceback investigation, results, and various factors that potentially contributed to the contamination of packaged leafy greens with Salmonella.