E. coli exposes weakness in food chain

[OhioChick]

By LIBBY QUAID, AP Food and Farm Writer
1 hour, 8 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The recent outbreak of E. coli in spinach from California exposed a weakness in the nation's food chain: A system that quickly delivers meat, fruits and vegetables to consumers just as easily can spread potentially deadly bacteria.

Like most food, spinach travels from the field to a central facility where it mixes with spinach from other fields. If any is tainted, the threat to people is amplified as leaves are washed, dried, bagged and shipped throughout the country.

Within days of the first reported E. coli-related case on Aug. 30, illness from the tainted California spinach had spread to two dozen states. Nearly 200 people were sickened — one-third of them in the first 72 hours. Two elderly women and a 2-year-old boy died.

"When you open a bag of spinach, do you wonder how many different plants are in there, and how many different fields it came from?" said Dr. Robert Tauxe, chief of foodborne diseases at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

~snip~ The Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly told the entire industry to get the problem under control, but FDA does not have inspection or safety programs for produce like the Agriculture Department has for meat and poultry.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061010/ap_on_he_me/spinach_food_supply

[Donnachaidh]

1. the FDA is a toothless lion thanks to Bush

But has anyone asked if the problem might be in the water supply used to clean these pre-packaged foods? I wouldnt rule out anything that hasn't been tested at this point. These outbreaks are happening way too fast.

[GeorgeGist]

3. I was told recently by ...

a Monterey, CA County Supervisor that waste water from sewage treatment plants is used for irrigation there. FYI Salinas is in Monterey County, CA.

[pinniped]

2. Ya, just like the EPA punks telling the polluting companies....

to voluntarily control their pollution output.

The Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly told the entire industry to get the problem under control, but FDA does not have inspection or safety programs for produce like the Agriculture Department has for meat and poultry.

Useless maroons.

[depakid]

4. Buy locally grown produce

from responsible farmers instead of mass produced 3,000 mile salads.

Problem solved.

[warrens]

6. Easier said than done

There ain't too many local farmers growing spinach in October in Illinois.

[Phredicles]

8. Just eat twinkies and cheetos.

Never heard of them carrying e. coli.

[Gormy Cuss]

11. True. The other part of the rule is to eat foods in season.

People in Northern states can't have the variety of fresh produce in winter if they rely on local sources. What makes no sense is eating spinach or cardboard tomatoes from far away during the height of the summer growing season.

BTW, local spinach should be available in Illinois in October -- light frost doesn't bother spinach and using row covers or other protection would keep it safe down to the mid-20s. It probably isn't grown because of the cheap stuff shipped in from the West.

[Patchuli]

9. We just started our own crop in our garden

which is how you know exactly what goes in your food. Granted, we are lucky enough to live in CA and have mild weather. We are going bonkers without our spinach salads!

[Virginia Dare]

5. This is what happens when corporations police themselves...

and make up the regulations for us.

[Whoa_Nelly]

7. I place the blame squarely on the Bush Administration

Ever since he stole the WH from the people, his administration began deregulation of oversight and standards and cutting funding.

Here's one article (of many) that I found:
http://www.net.org/reports/cleanwater.vtml

[Supersedeas]

10. and where is the Federal competence....WHERE...heck of a food chain