I was having breakfast with a friend, when she asked me why there have been so many recent outbreaks of foodborne illness from bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella. It was a good question, and one she’s not alone in asking.
There are two, main reasons why we’ve seen a spike in foodborne disease:
- People are eating more fruit and vegetables year round, leading to an increase in imports from countries with lesser safety standards than the U.S.
- The growing organic movement, where people are consuming more and more minimally-processed foods
What’s curious is, today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has fewer than one-tenth the inspectors used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to check for traces of bacteria in meat and poultry plants, and that’s ironic, since more than 85 percent of food poisoning is linked to fruit, vegetable and seafood products vs. meat and poultry. This begs a bigger question currently being debated on Capitol Hill, and that’s whether or not the FDA is being run effectively and if more than one food safety authority is needed.
Until that question is answered, there are things you can do to minimize risk of foodborne illnesses and keep you and your family safe:
- Don’t be the source of foodborne illness. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 30 seconds before preparing any food
- Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water, and remove and discard the outer leaves of leafy vegetables like cabbage and lettuce
- Scrub firm produce including melons and cucumbers. Cutting an unwashed melon can spread surface bacteria through the fruit
- Cook meat, poultry and eggs thoroughly. Cooking a food at 160 degrees will kill E. coli
- Don’t cross-contaminate one food with another. Wash hands, utensils and cutting boards after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry
- Refrigerate leftovers promptly
The above is just a primer, so if you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
You can’t be serious about pinning food-borne illness on organics. Does Burson-Marsteller (your sponsor) have a client with interests in trashing organics? Your comments lack factual basis and are irresponsible.
I was disappointed about your commentary indicating that organic food is a source of food contamination. I have seen no science on this yet. Can you provide a source since I’m now concerned.
I’m already concerned with the recent situation with peanut butter contamination. Those were large-scale commercial operations, where one would think quality control would be superior.
Michael, Thank you for your passionate comment. I enjoy discussing issues such as the above with someone like yourself. Being President of a marketing agency vested in advancing sustainability — not to mention having roots on a successful, organic dairy farm — gives you the credibility to offer a valuable perspective. If you read my blog entry more closely; however, I havent pinned foodborne illness on organics, more so, the increased consumption of fresh produce. One reason that outbreaks in produce are on the rise is because people are eating more fruits and vegetables than they did 20 years ago, and this is something I applaud. As a Registered Dietitian, I want people to eat more fresh produce. Further, no one I know is interested in trashing organics, and I, personally, am a huge advocate of the category. The bottom line, Michael, and I think youll agree, is that this is not an organic vs. conventional issue, but an issue with production, handling and transport, all of which can be improved on both sides of the border. Given my more detailed point-of-view, Id love to read your thoughts about food inspection, agricultural practices and potential ways we might be able to reduce contamination at the source.
As you most likely read in my reply to Michael, the rising number of outbreaks can be attributed to the increased consumption of fresh produce, not organically-grown food, per se. Foodborne illnesses such as those recently attributed to tomatoes, lettuce and spinach, underscore the need to prevent the contamination of produce, and its a top priority for the Center of Disease Control (CDC). During a press conference hosted last week by the CDC, they stated the organization is working to strengthen its ability to quickly detect and identify foodborne illnesses, since the faster contaminated products can be detected, the more quickly actions can be taken to protect the consumer. In the meanwhile, theres no reason to fear eating fresh foods. The United States has one of the safest food supplies in the world, and manufacturers are continuously being proactive to ensure that safety runs the entire continuum from farm to fork.