Editor’s Note: What would Popeye do?

The nationwide recall of bags of fresh spinach due to the contamination of some brands by the E. coli virus might not have affected Popeye at all — he ate his essential greens out of a can. However, it’s obvious that the nation as a whole will suffer temporarily as the leafy vegetable disappears from grocery shelves for the time being. (Taking a chance, my fellow editor, Stephanie Jones, ordered spinach, mushroom and artichoke quesadillas in a restaurant a few days ago. They arrived at the table sans spinach.)

Nowadays, Olive would probably have told Popeye in no uncertain terms that he’s perfectly capable of securing (and cooking) another green veggie of his choice.

Nevertheless, the recall raises a few questions about the safety of our nation’s food supply, as well as the insurance industry’s role in protecting it.

As of Sept. 18, 114 persons infected with the spinach-related strain of E. coli O157:H7 had been reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 21 states. The states reporting cases are: California (1 case), Connecticut (2), Idaho (4), Illinois (1), Indiana (8), Kentucky (6), Maine (2), Michigan (4), Minnesota (2), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (5), Nevada (1), New York (7), Ohio (10), Oregon (5), Pennsylvania (4), Utah (15), Virginia (1), Washington (2), Wisconsin (32), and Wyoming (1), the CDC said.

Although it has been reported that the Federal Drug Administration has found no evidence that the E. coli contamination of spinach — which has been traced to farms in California — is deliberate, the crisis points to the vulnerability of agricultural products in the United States. Contaminated irrigation water has been identified as a potential source of the bacteria, although at this writing, investigators are still trying to determine how the spinach became infected with E. coli.

The recall also serves to underline the message conveyed by Dr. Jerry R. Gillespie, director of the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS), at the 19th Annual Insurance Skills Center Agribusiness Conference, which took place last spring. At the conference, Gillespie said the U.S. agricultural system is at great risk for agroterrorism (see page 66). Our country’s agriculture infrastructure “is probably more shaky than the public really knows,” Gillespie said. He said even if someone with ill intent claimed to have infected the food supply without really having done it, the claim itself could “bring the [food] industry to its knees.”

Case in point: Spinach farmers will realize substantial losses due to the halt in harvesting during the investigation, San Benito County Agricultural Commissioner Paul Matulich said. There’s no tally yet on what that will do to individual grocery store sales, but 75 percent of the nation’s spinach comes from California’s Salinas Valley.

Gillespie maintained that local political leaders, designated public agencies and first responders, such as fire and police departments, need to be trained not only in how to respond to agroterrorism, but also in what it looks like. He said the insurance industry, with its understanding of risk, should be involved in prevention and recovery efforts, too.

After all, without spinach, Popeye may not have the strength to beat up the bad guys.