Increased consumer awareness of the health aspects of the diet has influenced consumption of vegetables. Due to the fact that these products, especially leafy vegetables, are often consumed raw and are usually not subjected to processes that reduce their microbiological contamination, they become a source of infection and transmit pathogens causing food poisoning in humans. One of the microbial contamination could be Escherichia coli bacteria which possess many mechanisms to colonize the plants. An important aspect to avoid the contamination is maintaining the microbiological purity of raw materials in the primary production. It is essential to maintain appropriate sanitary conditions and cultivation practices during the primary production of vegetables in the field in order to avoid microbiological contamination and ensure high quality of raw material. In the sustainable production there are some environmental friendly methods which could control microbiological contamination of vegetables.  The aim of this study was to review the current state of knowledge regarding the prevalence of E. coli in vegetables. Attention is paid to sources of the contamination during cultivation and also to mechanisms by which these bacteria adapt to colonize plants. Pre- and postharvest control methods are demontrated, e.g. organic acid sanitation, lactic acid bacteria application or sonication.