On September 8, 2022, FDA announced that it was performing targeted sampling of leafy greens as part of its Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan (LGAP). Specifically, FDA is sampling leafy greens grown on farms and ranches in the Salinas Valley region of California during the 2022 harvest season.

The sampling will begin in mid-September and run through October. FDA intends to collect about 240 samples from farms and ranches in the Salinas Valley that were identified as being potentially associated with a foodborne illness outbreak. Along with leafy green samples, FDA may also collect environmental samples including water and soil. The samples will be tested for Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7.

The Agency also released its results from a 2021 sampling assignment, in which the agency detected Salmonella enterica in one green leaf sample and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in two other samples. The LGAP sampling effort seeks to detect and prevent contaminated products from reaching consumers and help leafy green growers to strengthen the safety of their operations. Further information on LGAP can be found on FDA’s website.