The latest, hit 26 states and may be responsible for the deaths of three people and putting 97 in the hospital. The FDA says California's food industry needs to address the issue and may need to institute tougher regulations.
The recent outbreak was traced to fresh spinach that was processed by Natural Selection Foods LLC out of San Juan Bautista, CA. Many of the bags were sold under the Dole brand name.
A spokesman for the FDA said procedures at the plants need to be looked at, particularly keeping cattle away from fields where food is grown. E. coli is a bacteria often found in the stomach of animals.
