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Public health officials on both sides of the border are still trying to determine the source of an outbreak of E. coli. Coli tied to romaine lettuce.
Many restaurants have stopped serving ceaser salads and stores have removed lettuce from the shelves, leaving some consumers looking for alternatives.
In artificial light, more than 20,000 heads of head and head lettuce grow in Landmark, Manitoba on Neva farms.
In less than eight weeks, the owner, Denny Black, observes them passing from tiny plants to fully developed greens.
"I think people are looking for an alternative to field crops," said Black, who followed the latest outbreak of E. Coli.
"While other lettuce can be grown in a field and exposed to weather, animals or birds, ours is inside a roof," he said.
Black says that her lettuce is never watered from top to bottom, which prevents it from getting into the crevices of the leaves.
Instead of using soil and manure, it uses a mixture of nutrients, such as calcium and nitrogen, associated with water.
To make sure her lettuce was grown as safely as possible, Black said all employees had to change shoes. The farm also follows the production date of its lettuce so that buyers know when it has been sown.
As he sells his vegetables to local stores and restaurants, Black thinks his products travel shorter distances and spend less time in short supply.
He said that romaine lettuce was not selling well under these conditions, but he is considering growing a similar variety called "Crunchita" to eventually fill a demand gap.
Claudia Narvaez, a food safety expert, said lettuce cultivation in a more controlled environment, such as a hydroponic farm, could be relatively safer than soil, depending on the source of water supply and the water supply. compliance with appropriate safety procedures.
Narvaez warns that hydroponic foods are not immune to E. coli, salmonella and listeria.
"If the seeds of this lettuce are contaminated with a foodborne pathogen, you will not be able to get rid of them even in a hydroponic production system," said Narvaez of the University of Manitoba, where she is an associate professor. in the food science department.
As of Friday, November 23, 22 cases of potentially dangerous bacteria have been confirmed in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. No cases have been confirmed in Manitoba.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says that online, the current strain is more likely to cause serious illness.
He added that green leafy vegetables can be contaminated on the ground by soil, water, animals or poorly composted manure.
This can also occur after lettuce is harvested when it is handled, stored or transported.
Contamination is also possible at the grocery store, the refrigerator or on a cutting board.
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