Dr. Oz show gives romaine outbreak lesson

The Dr. Oz Show featured a segment on the romaine lettuce recall December 16 that included information from the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement.

Host Mehmet Oz interviewed food investigator Ali Rosen and the “vegetable butcher” Cara Mangini, who both presented information and facts related to the recall and the industry.

Mangini said much of the focus during recent recalls has been on irrigation water and making sure growers are using clean, sterilized water.

She also said that last year, growers began labeling lettuce with growing region, which Oz pointed out allows some lettuce to be recalled but doesn’t require it from regions unrelated to the outbreak.

LGMA sent the following message out to members:

We wanted to call your attention to a piece that ran on yesterday’s Dr. Oz Show about the recent e. coli outbreak involving romaine lettuce.

Although the show contained some concerning dramatic effects to illustrate how romaine may be contaminated in the field or processing facilities, we were very encouraged to see the show’s producers relied heavily on information provided by the LGMA to describe actions being taken by industry to protect consumers.

More importantly, the overall point of the segment encouraged continued consumption of leafy greens — in particular iceberg lettuce.

[iframe src=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fdroz%2Fvideos%2F735746270251715%2F&show_text=0&width=560″ width=”560″ height=”315″ style=”border:none;overflow:hidden” scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ allowTransparency=”true” allowFullScreen=”true”]

Additionally, the full written Q&A provided by the LGMA is posted on the Dr. Oz Show’s website.

You may remember the LGMA and other leafy greens industry representatives were featured on a Dr. Oz Show episode last year following the Yuma outbreak. That segment was also very balanced.

Although we will continue to be measured in our response to inquiries from the Dr. Oz Show, we are pleased the show’s producers are relying on the LGMA as a credible source of information for their audience.

The series is among the most highly rated daily television programs in the United States. It consistently scores ratings with daytime television’s primary demographic of women from ages 25-54 and is viewed by over 1 million households.

Contact: April Ward
Marketing Communications Director
California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement
916-947-0751 cell | 916-441-1240 office