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Food Safety

By REBECCA WATTS

Warnings from consumer and industry groups heard by Congress earlier this year are echoing across the United States as more and more consumers suffer from bacteria-tainted food and deadly drugs. June’s outbreak of salmonella in red, round tomatoes has renewed the attack on the Food and Drug Administration for failing to do their job. The FDA is in the process of requesting an increase in funding to improve food safety, but in the meantime, consumers are left to fend for themselves.

But according to Don Plitt, Director of Environmental Health Services for the Brazos County Health Department, the threat of food contamination exists as close as the backyard. “If someone has a dog kennel or cattle and there’s a heavy downpour, the runoff can make it to the garden and contaminate it,” Plitt said.

In most cases of salmonella contamination, the source is traced back to contaminated water, which was the case with the 2006 salmonella contamination in spinach. The bacteria breeds upon fecal matter and through runoff or drainage can find its way into the water supply. Most often, this occurs in areas in or around high populations of animals and livestock. Fruits and vegetables are highly susceptible to bacterial contamination because of their exposure to natural elements. If a cut or break in the skin occurs, the bacteria contaminates the inside of the fruit or vegetable. In most cases, symptoms appear as flu-like symptoms, but for younger and older people and those that have a compromised immune system, the bacteria can be deadly.

However, some simple steps can be followed to prevent food contamination. Plitt said the simplest way to protect fruits and vegetables from contamination is to wash them, even if the skin is not consumed. For added safety he recommends washing them twice. “Fruits and vegetables have a lot of crooks and crannies you can’t always get the first time,” Plitt said. “We recommend washing vegetables with normal tap water or with a chlorine solution. The ratio [of water to chlorine] is often on the bottle or you can go to the website to find it.” He added that fruits or vegetables with a break or cut in the skin should never be consumed. Plitt said to throw the food away or return it to the store and to listen to and heed warnings issued by the government.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina have begun examining the possible benefits of establishing a sustainable food system within a 100-mile radius of a consumer’s home as a means of reducing the cases of food contamination. The idea behind the study is similar to reducing the chances of catching a cold. If long transportation times and the amount of people handling the food are reduced, the possibility of contaminating the food is reduced as well. The study has yet to produce results.

Dr. Jimmy Keeton, Department Head of Food and Nutrition Science at Texas A&M University, said the study is unlikely to produce scientific evidence. “Certainly [the food] is closer to the source, so you don’t have much handling involved. That’s not to say it’s any safer, you just have fewer people handling the product.”