Food Safety

New Orleans, LA – In case you haven't heard, there was a recent E-Coli outbreak in Germany associated with sprouts. In this era of 24 hour news cycles and crises in the industrial food system, there's good reason to be eating with caution. While Germany may seem like a world away, when food hits the global distribution system it is very difficult to track down the source of problems. This is not the first time that sprouts were the cause. However, rather than fixating on the dangers of sprouts grown in warm water, maybe we should begin to seek ways to simplify and localize our food sources. Farmers markets are good places to start. After all, you can look a farmer in the eye and ask them yourself: How did you grow this product, when did you pick it, and for how long will it be in season? For the Farmers Market Minute, this is Richard McCarthy.