Salmonella via Tomatoes - AGAIN ! ?By now you it is old news: >150 cases of Salmonellosis across the country traced to tomoatoes – one of our favorite summertime fruits/vegetables(they are classified as fruits, you know?) This is tough epidemiology challenge this time of year with the lifestyle and culture of fast food – tomoatoes are almost standard ingredient of every sandwich and salad – at home and in restaurants.
I read about an AP investigation done last year that showed, for example that federal officials inspected companies that grow salad greens only once every 3.9 years. The FDA inspects <2% of imported produce and only a fraction of that 2% is sampled. The communication systems for recalls has its’ problems also. But protecting ourselves and our families from foodborne illness involves our understanding and behaviorial compliance too. Washing fresh produce (especially imported) is important. Soap and water washing of fruits and vegetables before cutting through skin or rind is good practice. Who knows what the fast food establishments do – but I bet they are not washing before slicing. To make matters worse- in the current contamination crisis with tomatoes – you can’t wash off the contamination because the tomatoes were contaminated in the fields and then plunged in to water (contaminating it) and then the salmonella gained internal access to the inside of the tomato through the stem attachment place when it was picked on a hot day. It doesn’t take a lot of heat to kill salmonella like with an egg but if the tomato is eaten uncooked - BINGO. I shop at a coop food market close to my house in Lincoln – Open Harvest. And I have bought into the concept of “Buy fresh – Buy local”. Buying local produce eliminates the risky practices used to preserve produce for shipping. It also saves the environment and all those greenhouse gases when we can limit shipping. Think about it.
This entry was posted on June 15th, 2008 at 12:00 am. RSS
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