In light of the recent E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce, NEVA Hydroponic Farms in Landmark, says the demand for their lettuce has actually increased.

While Owner Denny Black is sad that his fellow produce-workers are struggling with E.coli, he notes the controlled indoor environment of hydroponic farms make them less susceptible to this kind of bacterial infection.

“We’ve had a significant uptake in demand for our lettuce. We are not typically producers of romaine lettuce and that’s where the recall is, but we are seeing an increased demand in our green leaf and our butter lettuce.”

Black recalls a similar E. coli crisis occurring about two years ago and says the popularity of the bacteria has caused him to begin searching for romaine crops his company can grow in case something like this happens again in the future.

Black explains that lettuce farmed in traditional ways often comes into contact with manure or even other animals, which can, on occasion, cause the bacterial infection. “All lettuce by nature has cracks and crevices that are difficult to clean,” he adds. Contrarily, when lettuce is grown hydroponically it floats on top of a nutrient-rich water solution and only its roots are in contact with the water. This means that no water or fertilizer ever comes into contact with the parts of the lettuce people actually eat.

The origins of this E. Coli outbreak have now been traced back to parts of California. All recent cases of E-coli infecting people have been found in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. No affected lettuce has yet been found in Manitoba.