To demonstrate the damaging effects of food safety incidents on the supply chain, a recent study has attempted to quantify the economic impact of a 2018 Escherichia coli outbreak that was linked to romaine lettuce. Through an analysis of pricing and sales data for leafy greens at all stages of the supply chain, researchers from the University of California, Davis estimated the total loss from the incident to be in the range of $276–343 million. The study also provides insight to various challenges caused by the incident that arose at different points in the supply chain.
The specific outbreak in question occurred from November 2018 to January 2019, involving romaine lettuce grown in Santa Barbara County, California that was contaminated with E. coli. Though the contaminated lettuce originated from a specific area in California, the impacts of the incident rippled throughout the national food chain due to initial advisories encompassing all U.S. romaine-producing regions. Historically, romaine lettuce grown in California has repeatedly been linked to foodborne illnesses, and the regional crop has come under scrutiny once again in recent months with Canada restricting imports from the state.