Finding out about lettuce sickness is a major pain!

This should be as simple as eating candy for the American consumer, 

but it is more like pulling teeth!

Money talks and the American consumer gets sick!

Cow Poop in lettuce is the problem!

 Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals.

 Most varieties of E. coli are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea. But a few particularly nasty strains, such as E. coli O157:H7, can cause severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/e-coli/symptoms-causes/syc-20372058

How Many Dairy Farms In Monterey County Ca

http://www.californiadairy.com/california_dairy_farms.htm

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an advisory cautioning both consumers and sellers to avoid romaine lettuce grown in the Salinas, California amid a multi-state E. coli outbreak.

The announcement came Friday, after 23 additional people were reported to have contracted the O157:H7 bacteria strain, bringing the total number of those affected by the outbreak up to 40 people, across 16 states. It was also noted that 28—more than half—of the people affected have been hospitalized for E. coli-related illnesses since initial reports of the outbreak came on Wednesday.

E. coli O157:H7 bacteria are believed to mostly live in the intestines of cattle but have also been found in the intestines of chickens, deer, sheep, goats, and pigs. E. coli O157:H7 does not make the animals that carry it ill; the animals are merely the reservoir for the bacteria.  It is hard to figure how one of these animals slipped into the Danville, Virginia plant and leave enough feces to sicken people in two dozen states.

2018 Crop Year —

 Top 10 Commodities for California Agriculture

In 2018, California's farms and ranches received almost $50 billion in cash receipts for their output. 

This represents a slight increase over adjusted cash receipts for 2017 1.

California's agricultural abundance includes more than 400 commodities. 

Over a third of the country's vegetables and two-thirds of the country's fruits and nuts are grown in California. 

California is the leading US state for cash farm receipts, accounting for over 13 percent of the nation's total agricultural value. The top producing commodities for 2018 include:

Dairy Products, Milk — $6.37 billion

Grapes — $6.25 billion

Almonds — $5.47 billion

Cattle and Calves — $3.19 billion

Pistachios — $2.62 billion

Strawberries — $2.34 billion

Lettuce — $1.81 billion

Floriculture — $1.22 billion

Tomatoes — $1.20 billion

Oranges — $1.12 billion