Ten years ago the California LGMA partnered with STOP Foodborne Illness to create a motivational training video for leafy greens producers. In May 2022, the California LGMA and STOP Foodborne Illness provided an update to the original video.

The original video features the stories of two young women, Rylee Gustafson and Lauren Bush, who became seriously ill with E. coli after eating contaminated spinach in 2006. 

The video, titled The Why Behind Food Safety, is shared before each food safety training class held by the California LGMA to help those in the leafy greens farming community understand why food safety is important. The video is also used across the globe by other food producers, beyond leafy greens farmers and the produce industry.

The new video, produced in May of this year, provides an update to the original video and continues to tell the stories of Rylee, Lauren and Dan. The updated video is available in English and English with Spanish subtitles and can be used in concert with the first to drive home additional food safety culture messages.

About California LGMA

The California LGMA is a food safety program that brings farmers together to make lettuce and leafy greens safer. LGMA members produce over 70% of the Nation’s lettuce and leafy greens – adding up to over 30 billion servings a year. In an effort to provide consumers with safe leafy greens, the California LGMA verifies food safety practices, enforces through government audits and requires a commitment to continuous improvement.

About STOP

STOP Foodborne Illness is a public health non-profit organization. Since 1994, it has focused efforts on telling the “why” of food safety with personal advocate stories. 

“We are a small but mighty team of six and work tirelessly to end illness and death due to something as basic as eating because we are all at risk of foodborne illness,” according to the group’s website.

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