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SALINAS, Calif. -- Federal agents searched two Salinas Valley produce companies Wednesday for evidence of a crime in the nationwide E. coli outbreak that killed one person and sickened at least 191 others.
Agents from the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration's criminal investigations office executed search warrants at Natural Selection Foods LLC plant in San Juan Bautista and Growers Express in Salinas to see if they violated food safety rules.
"We are investigating allegations that certain spinach growers and distributors may not have taken all necessary or appropriate steps to ensure that their spinach was safe before they were placed into interstate commerce," U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan said;

The searches are the first indication a crime may have been committed in the outbreak that killed a Wisconsin woman, sickened people in 26 states and led to a two-week FDA warning not to eat fresh spinach.

"We're definitely looking into the possibility that there was a criminal violation of federal environmental laws," which would be a felony, said FBI spokesman Joe Schadler.

He would not say what agents sought or seized at the two plants, but said they gathered enough preliminary evidence to get a judge to sign the warrants.

Federal officials do not think anyone at the plants deliberately contaminated spinach with the virulent bacteria and the searches do not mean there is an ongoing or new threat to public health.

"There is no indication there was any tampering of willful contamination or anything like that," Schadler said.

Natural Selection, which packages spinach sold under 34 brand names and supplies spinach to other food processors, was implicated in the E. coli outbreak after 11 bags of Dole brand baby spinach tested positive for the same bacteria strain found in people who fell ill after eating the leafy greens.

Growers Express grows and packs produce, including iceberg lettuce sold under the Green Giant Fresh label and Farm Day packaged spinach.

Spokesmen for both companies could not immediately be reached for comment.



Previous Stories:

• October 4, 2006: Lawmaker Can't Find Spinach To Celebrate Safety
• October 3, 2006: Spinach Outside Recall Now Considered Safe
• October 2, 2006: After Spinach Scare, Growers Examine Industry
• September 30, 2006: Spinach Scare Aside, Food Illnesses At Record Lows
• September 29, 2006: FDA: All But Recalled Spinach Safe To Eat
• September 27, 2006: Stores Begin To Carry Spinach Again
• September 26, 2006: Two Bags Of Spinach May Point To E. coli Source
• September 23, 2006: Five More Illnesses Blamed On Tainted Spinach
• September 22, 2006: Tainted Spinach May Have Killed Toddler
• September 21, 2006: Spinach Recall Widens As E. coli Probe Continues
• September 20, 2006: E. Coli On Spinach May Have Been Extra Potent

OUTBREAK

FDA: Outbreak Q&A
Recall: List Of Brands
Survey: Eat Spinach Again?

E. COLI

In Depth: Frequently Asked Questions
CDC: E. coli Info | Prevention
NIH: Signs And Symptoms
KidSource: Info For Parents
Library: Flu, Or Poisoning?

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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