As potato farmers nationwide dig up and truck in this year's crop, they're being held for the first time to guidelines aimed at preventing a food safety scare similar to the deadly E. coli outbreak in spinach last year.
Besides watching the weather and keeping their equipment in good shape, they must also ensure that their fields have portable toilets, and that their workers know the importance of washing hands.
For the most part it's not the government making the demands — it's food companies like J.R. Simplot Co. of Boise. Farmers say they see the need to ensure food safety, but they're wary of too much oversight by people who have never set foot on a farm.
