A flurry of national recalls on produce has many asking how to ensure your produce is safe. A St. Louis lettuce farmer says it all starts with water.
"When you hear about E. coli contamination in lettuce, it has to do with the groundwater contaminated by runoff," explained Josh Smith, owner of Neon Greens, a local hydroponic farm and restaurant. At Neon Greens in St. Louis City, the lettuce is about as fresh as it comes. They harvest nearly 300 heads of lettuce each day, all grown on-site. Then it is delivered just a few feet to the salad bar.
"The important part of this is it is enclosed. So we have complete control over what gets in, what gets out. We don't use pesticides and it's just very highly controlled," said Smith.
Recent recalls over lettuce have many looking closely at where their food comes from. 98 percent of lettuce in the US comes from California and Arizona. Smith says buying local and knowing where your produce comes from is a big step in making your salad safer.
Read more at First Alert 4