Driven by fresh-market use, the consumption of

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

(''Spinacia oleracea'') has been on the rise in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Per capita use of fresh-market spinach averaged during 2004–06, the highest since the mid-1940s. The fresh market now accounts for about three-fourths of all US spinach consumed. Much of the growth over the past decade has been due to sales of triple-washed, cello-packed spinach and, more recently, baby spinach. These packaged products have been one of the fastest-growing segments of the packaged

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient. They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm. Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a va ...

industry.

Production

The United States is the world’s second-largest producer of spinach, with 3% of world output, following

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

(PRC), which accounts for 85% of output.

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

(73% of 2004–06 U.S. output),

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

(12%), and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

(3%) are the top producing states, with 12 other states reporting production of at least 100 acres (2002 census). Over the 2004–06 period, U.S. growers produced an average of 867 million pounds of spinach for all uses, with about three-fourths sold into the fresh market (includes fresh-cut/processed). According to the 2002 Census of Agriculture, spinach was grown on 1,109 U.S. farms—down 17% from 1997, but about the same number as in 1987. The farm value of U.S. spinach crops (fresh and processed) averaged $175 million during 2004–06, with fresh-market spinach accounting for 94%. The value of fresh-market spinach has more than doubled over the past decade as stronger demand has boosted production, while inflation-adjusted prices largely remained constant. California accounts for about three-fourths of the value of both the fresh and processing spinach crops.

Consumption

Like other cool-season leafy crops, most (about 96%) of the fresh spinach consumed in the United States is produced domestically. Although rising, imports (largely from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

) totaled about 23 million pounds in 2004–06, compared with 3 million pounds in 1994–06. During the last 10 years, exports (largely to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

) have jumped 70 percent to 47 million pounds (2004–06), with much of the growth occurring earlier this decade. Per capita spinach consumption is greatest in the Northeast and Western US. About 80% of fresh-market spinach is purchased at retail and consumed at home, while 91% of processed spinach is consumed at home. Per capita spinach use is strongest among Asians, highest among women 40 and older, and weakest among teenage girls.

Food poisoning outbreaks

''E. coli'', 2006

In September 2006, an outbreak of disease caused by the '' E. coli'' strain O157:H7 occurred in 21 US states. Over 100 cases were reported, including five deaths. The ''E. coli'' was linked to bags of fresh organic spinach, after which the FDA issued a warning not to eat uncooked fresh spinach or products containing it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release updating the available information. According to the FDA release on 2006-10-4, 192 cases of ''E. coli'' O157:H7 infection have been reported to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georg ...

, including 30 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome; there was one death and 98 hospitalizations. The infection affected 26 states. By early 2007, there were 206 illnesses and three deaths attributed to ''E. coli''-tainted spinach. Based on

epidemiological Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evid ...

and laboratory evidence, the FDA determined the implicated spinach originated from an organic spinach field grown by Mission Organics and processed by Natural Selection Foods LLC of

San Juan Bautista, California San Juan Bautista (Spanish for " Saint John the Baptist") is a city in San Benito County, in the U.S. state of California. The population was 2,089 as of the 2020 census. San Juan Bautista was founded in 1797 by the Spanish under Fermín de Las ...

. The FDA speculated the spinach had been tainted by irrigation water contaminated with pig feces because feral pigs were seen in the vicinity of the implicated ranch.

''Salmonella'', 2007

On August 30, 2007, 8,000 cartons of spinach (from Metz Fresh, a King City-based grower and shipper,

Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley is one of the major valleys and most productive agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley. The Salinas River, which geologically ...

) were recalled after ''

Salmonella ''Salmonella'' is a genus of rod-shaped (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two species of ''Salmonella'' are '' Salmonella enterica'' and '' Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' is the type species and is ...

'' was discovered upon routine testing. Consumer advocates and some lawmakers complained it exposed significant gaps in food safety, even if 90% of suspect vegetables did not reach the shelves. NBC News, Spinach recall divides growers, lawmakers
/ref>

References

External links

Fresh-Market Spinach: Background Information and Statistics
USDA 2007
Factors Affecting Spinach Consumption in the United States
USDA 2004
US import/export data
{{Agriculture in the United States Agriculture in the United States Food and drink in the United States Agricultural production in the United States Spinach