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Growers, marketers, buyers, researchers and others will be taking a comprehensive look at production practices as part of the new Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force.

Four more deaths have been reported in connection with the E. coli outbreak linked to Arizona romaine.

Of course, it’s not just consumer groups that are frustrated with the lack of traceback success with the Yuma-E. coli-romaine lettuce connection.

The Food and Drug Administration is urging the produce industry and various organizations studying how E. coli came into contact with romaine grown in Yuma, Ariz., to continue working with the agency on the issue.

In the wake of an E. coli outbreak tied to romaine, numerous consumer groups are calling for the FDA to mandate more stringent traceability measures for companies that handle leafy greens and other “high-risk” food.

The Food and Drug Administration continues to investigate an E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown in California’s Central Coast region.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has added to the number of cases of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce in that country.

The FDA says romaine lettuce is now safe to eat following the “purge” of product on the market, and grower-shippers agreed to new labeling standards that will include where the lettuce is grown.

Indoor growers say their romaine should have been excluded from the FDA’s temporary blanket ban — although they agree consumer safety should always come first.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from coastal counties in California appears to be over.