In what may have been one of the biggest surprises in Salinas, Bill Marler, the Seattle attorney representing the families of people sickened during last year's E. coli outbreak, was recently invited to address growers and shippers regarding food safety.

Marler's talk, entitled, "Put Me Out of Business -- Please," may have been seen initially as a slap against growers and their practices. Instead, the lawyer focused on the opposite, that it was time for the food growers to take the proper steps that would put the attorney out of business.

Marler informed the audience that since 1995 there have been 21 E. coli outbreaks attributed to the fresh produce market. Those outbreaks have sickened more than 1,000 people and killed seven.

Having earned nearly $25 million from food-born illness settlements over that time, Marler insisted that it was time for the local industry to tackle its own issues.

For more on Marler's address to the food growers and shippers, see:
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/16808709.htm