14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 22-28, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com After a years-long legal battle between the Yuma, Arizonabased grower Desert Premium Farms and the Salinas harvester and distributor Andrew Smith Company, a Monterey County Superior Court jury concluded on Jan. 14 that the grower is not responsible for a 2018 E. coli outbreak caused by romaine lettuce. According to court documents, in 2018, multiple individuals became ill with a strain of E. coli after consuming items containing romaine lettuce at Panera Cafes. Following an investigation conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration months after the incident, the bacterial strain was traced back to the Wellton growing area of Yuma, Arizona, where Desert Premium Farms and other growers operate. However, the investigators were unable to locate the specific point in the growing area where the lettuce was contaminated. At the time, the Andrew Smith Company—founded in 1973 by Salinas native Andy Smith and now defunct due to reasons unrelated to this case— was contracted with Desert Premium Farms and other growers in the region to harvest romaine lettuce and distribute it to Panera’s processing facility. During the 2017-2018 growing season, Desert Premium Farms supplied the distributor with 8 million pounds of romaine lettuce, roughly 125,000 pounds of which came from a ranch irrigated with water from the Wellton area canal, where investigators found E. coli samples that matched the strain that sickened 13 Panera customers in 2018. In 2021, the Allied World Insurance Company, acting for the Andrew Smith Company, filed a lawsuit in Monterey Superior Court to recover money spent defending three of the injury claims stemming from the 2018 outbreak, totaling roughly $8.6 million in settlements and $350,000 in defense costs from Desert Premium Farms. Desert Premium Farms argued that it wasn’t contractually obligated to pay the costs and pointed out that pre-harvest testing conducted by the Andrew Smith Company did not identify traces of E.coli on the lettuce that was ultimately distributed. The attorneys for Desert Premium Farms explained in court arguments that their client was one of several growers contracted to grow romaine lettuce in 2018 and that the Andrew Smith Company harvested the crop and mixed it with lettuce from other suppliers at processing facilities before it reached consumers. They also made the case that the Andrew Smith Company could not prove without a doubt that the tainted lettuce was harvested from land owned by Desert Premium Farms and that it never ruled out the possibility that the lettuce was contaminated through its own actions. Attorneys representing both parties did not respond to requests for comment as of press time. After a trial in Monterey, a jury concluded on Jan. 14 that Desert Premium Farms did not break its contractual obligations and would not be responsible for the settlement and defense costs. Leaf Out An Arizona grower wins a long legal battle with Salinas distributor over 2018 E. coli outbreak. By Aric Sleeper The lawsuit against Andrew Smith Company, a Salinas distributor, revolved around romaine grown in Yuma, Arizona. There were 56,400 acres of romaine planted in Monterey County in 2024. NEWS The company did not identify traces of E. coli on the lettuce. DANIEL DREIFUSS MONTEREY PENINSULA Col lege NEW YEAR. FRESH START. SPRING AHEAD! mpc.edu/findaclass Spring Classes Start January 27th ENROLL TODAY! *Early Spring Classes: Jan 6-25 MONTEREY PENINSULA Col lege NEW YEAR. FRESH START. SPRING AHEAD! mpc.edu/findaclass Spring Classes Start January 27th ENROLL TODAY! *Early Spring Classes: Jan 6-25 MONTEREY PENINSULA Col lege NEW YEAR. FRESH START. SPRING AHEAD! mpc.edu/findaclass Spring Classes Start January 27th ENROLL TODAY! *Early Spring Classes: Jan 6-25 26 MONTEREY PENINSULA Col lege NEW YEAR. FRESH START. SPRING AHEAD! mpc.edu/findaclass Spring Classes Start January 27th ENROLL TODAY! *Early Spring Classes: Jan 6-25 *Early Spring Classes: Jan 5-24 17 LIBRARIES ONE MISSION Three Bookmobiles Your generosity opens windows to a larger world. Thank you for supporting us through MCGives! Su generosidad abre puertas a un mundo más grande. ¡Gracias por apoyarnos a través de MCGives! With your gift, we can reach families across all branches of our Monterey County Free Libraries. Help us fund literacy, access, and continued growth of all our unique communities. LIBRARIES Three Bookmobiles 17 ONE MISSION Con su donación, podemos llegar a familias en todas las sucrusales de nuestras Bibliotecas Gratis del Condado de Monterey. Ayúdenos a financiar la alfabetización, el acceso y el crecimiento continuo de todas nuestras comunidades únicas. Total Raised $57,787 Donors 162
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