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Experts fear listeria may be moving into produce

lpast

lpast

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Listeria, the culprit in an outbreak linked to cantaloupe that's killed at least 13 people in 18 states, is one of the most severe foodborne infections there is.


In my entire life...there hasnt been food borne killer sickness like there have been in the last 10 yrs or so....WHY????

Is it foreign labor that do not have our sanitary standards...like washing your hands after defecating...but this just gets scarier
and scarier especially for parents of young kids that are trying to feed them more fruits and vegetables...as this scare is going on
Theres a new one with hundreds of thousands of lbs of ground beef that may have E-coli....this cant be taken lightly.


Experts fear listeria may be moving into produce - USATODAY.com
 
We need to seriously consider irradiating food. I support a clearly marked irradiated alternative for those of us who want to avoid these risks.
 
Scarey.....especially if you have children and you want them to eat fruits and veggies..because they are good for you

16 dead and climbing and 90 sickened and climbing
 
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Helix said:
We need to seriously consider irradiating food. I support a clearly marked irradiated alternative for those of us who want to avoid these risks.
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People are utterly terrified of even the mention of the word radiation. They freak out over radiation exposures that are less than spending a day at the beach. I say irradiate the food and don't tell them :D
 
I did some searchs and Im not seeing that listeria is passed to fruit and veggies by humans...its passed by a bacteria in animals bowels..Im assuming via their feces...thats in the soil
Ive also read that you can protect yourself from it by not buying bruised of damaged fruit and veggies that allow the listeria bacteria to enter the interior...scrubbing the outside of fruit before you cut it is imperative and my wife and I have been doing that for years along with veggies..
You have to look at what you buying..turn the fruit over, look for any breaks in the skin...buy a good salad spinner...like Oxo or kitchen aid and thoroughly wash your salads and veggies before cooking...and you will mininize greatly any risks to you or your family....
 
Deuce said:
People are utterly terrified of even the mention of the word radiation. They freak out over radiation exposures that are less than spending a day at the beach. I say irradiate the food and don't tell them :D
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It's better to label it to placate those who subscribe to the woo that irradiation poses a greater threat than the real threat of foodborne pathogens.
 
From the CDC:

Which foodborne diseases could be prevented with irradiation?

Treating raw meat and poultry with irradiation at the slaughter plant could eliminate bacteria commonly found raw meat and raw poultry, such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Campylobacter. These organisms currently cause millions of infections and thousands of hospitalizations in the United States every year. Raw meat irradiation could also eliminate Toxoplasma organisms, which can be responsible for severe eye and congenital infections.

Irradiating prepared ready-to-eat meats like hot dogs and deli meats, could eliminate the risk of Listeria from such foods. Irradiation could also eliminate bacteria like Shigella and Salmonella from fresh produce. The potential benefit is also great for those dry foods that might be stored for long times and transported over great distances, such as spices and grains. Animal feeds are often contaminated with bacteria like Salmonella. Irradiation of animal feeds could prevent the spread of Salmonella and other pathogens to livestock through feeds.

Disease Listing, Food Irradiation | CDC Bacterial, Mycotic Diseases
 
Irradiating food? You've got to be kidding me. That would just kill anything nutritious in it. If you enjoy eating dead food then be my guest. Our food is already crap in this country, might as well add some spent plutonium to the mix. Honestly.

How about we actually enforce inspection laws on production plants, something that is currently lacking? The industrial food industry makes shortcuts galore and abuses antibiotics, and when the public gets sick from superbugs the government AND food industry acts like the reasons are isolated.

The problems are systemic. Profits take the priority to human health.
 
Nothing is perfect. And our food supply certainly never will be. We're hearing about it more frequently probably because of better communication...the doctors/hospitals/CDC and the FDA...as well as advanced diagnostic methods. If I had to guess, I'd say there's probably less contamination now than ever, but we just identify and publicize it more.

We're very fortunate that our food is as safe as it is, in my opinion. What a target for sabotage THAT would be.
 
I don't remember where I heard this, but I thought some brands of canned foods had been being irradiated for years. Libby's products?
 
Temporal said:
Irradiating food? You've got to be kidding me. That would just kill anything nutritious in it. If you enjoy eating dead food then be my guest. Our food is already crap in this country, might as well add some spent plutonium to the mix. Honestly.

How about we actually enforce inspection laws on production plants, something that is currently lacking? The industrial food industry makes shortcuts galore and abuses antibiotics, and when the public gets sick from superbugs the government AND food industry acts like the reasons are isolated.

The problems are systemic. Profits take the priority to human health.
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Oh, I'm not so sure you can overgeneralize in this way. I agree with so much of what you said, but it's just not always true that profits take priority over human health.

There have been problems such as the peanut-product contamination, and as I recall, one reason was that there weren't enough federal or state inspectors. So that should be worked on. You're so right about this.

Contaminated water sources create problems, and so does contaminated manure. These are all fixable problems. All states should require inspection of Mexican cattle for tuberculosis, all of them.

There is only so much money, and where we spend it indicates our priorities. It's just that there are competing first-priorities.
 
A lot of our food is now genetically engineered in the US. I wonder if this coupled with the heavy use of pesticides and herbicides the engineering allows (to cut down on manpower needed to produce the foods) could be the reason for the increase in food-borne pathogens. Perhaps 'good' bacteria now being killed off by the chemicals was keeping the food-borne pathogens at bay or the non-genetically engineered plants had a natural resistance that has been lost.
 
Temporal said:
Irradiating food? You've got to be kidding me. That would just kill anything nutritious in it. If you enjoy eating dead food then be my guest. Our food is already crap in this country, might as well add some spent plutonium to the mix. Honestly.

How about we actually enforce inspection laws on production plants, something that is currently lacking? The industrial food industry makes shortcuts galore and abuses antibiotics, and when the public gets sick from superbugs the government AND food industry acts like the reasons are isolated.

The problems are systemic. Profits take the priority to human health.
Click to expand...


Food irradiation is a food safety technology that eliminates pathogens, including disease-causing germs, from foods. Like pasteurization of milk, and pressure cooking of canned foods, treating food with ionizing radiation kills bacteria and parasites that would otherwise cause food-borne diseases, a world-wide concern. For example, the food that NASA astronauts eat is sterilized by irradiation to avoid the possibility of food-borne illness in space.

reduces or eliminates disease-causing pathogens
does not make food radioactive
does not change the nutritional value of the food.


Food Irradiation | RadTown USA | US EPA
 
Frolicking Dinosaurs said:
A lot of our food is now genetically engineered in the US. I wonder if this coupled with the heavy use of pesticides and herbicides the engineering allows (to cut down on manpower needed to produce the foods) could be the reason for the increase in food-borne pathogens. Perhaps 'good' bacteria now being killed off by the chemicals was keeping the food-borne pathogens at bay or the non-genetically engineered plants had a natural resistance that has been lost.
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What heavy use of pesticides and herbicides? Details?
 
Temporal said:
Irradiating food? You've got to be kidding me. That would just kill anything nutritious in it.
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incorrect. nutrient loss is generally less than freezing, storage, or other processing.

Temporal said:
If you enjoy eating dead food then be my guest. Our food is already crap in this country, might as well add some spent plutonium to the mix. Honestly.
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it's usually cobalt 60.

my own diet already includes probiotics. i don't want E. coli 026, 0157 or Salmonella enterica to be a part of that mix, however.

Temporal[/quote said:
How about we actually enforce inspection laws on production plants, something that is currently lacking? The industrial food industry makes shortcuts galore and abuses antibiotics, and when the public gets sick from superbugs the government AND food industry acts like the reasons are isolated.
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i agree that inspection and enforcement should be stepped up.

Temporal said:
The problems are systemic. Profits take the priority to human health.
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agreed. but people have been encountering foodborne pathogens for a lot longer than commercial food processing has been a part of the equation. i would like to have an irradiated choice so i can minimize the risks to my health. if others want to purchase non-irradiated foods, i have no problem with that.
 
Temporal said:
Irradiating food? You've got to be kidding me. That would just kill anything nutritious in it. If you enjoy eating dead food then be my guest. Our food is already crap in this country, might as well add some spent plutonium to the mix. Honestly.

How about we actually enforce inspection laws on production plants, something that is currently lacking? The industrial food industry makes shortcuts galore and abuses antibiotics, and when the public gets sick from superbugs the government AND food industry acts like the reasons are isolated.

The problems are systemic. Profits take the priority to human health.
Click to expand...

You should see if the food industry will accept you as a volunteer food inspector, this would help them immensely in regards to the profit problem, you could also possibly bring friends to volunteer as well that way you do not miss a bacteria ...
 
nota bene said:
What heavy use of pesticides and herbicides? Details?
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Monsanto has genetically engineered plants that can tolerate high levels of pesticides and of its primary herbicide product, Round-up. Being able to use Round up to kill off unwanted vegetation means it takes fewer farm workers to manually remove the weeds. Being able to use high levels of pesticides means less loss of product to insects and small animals so higher yields. Avoiding these chemicals and genetically-altered fruits and vegetables are the reason many people have switched to organic food - and why supermarkets now have whole sections devoted to organic products. Here is a link to a website that gives an understandable overview and seems to present a balanced view of both the pros and cons viewpoints on this technology : Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?
 
nota bene said:
I don't remember where I heard this, but I thought some brands of canned foods had been being irradiated for years. Libby's products?
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I don't know about canned products. It seems to me that the canning process itself would kill any pathogenic bacteria so there would be no need for irradiation. However it is common practice nowadays to irradiate many fresh foods. There has been many studies done that show that irradiation doesn't significantly affect the nutritional content of foods. The one exception is thiamine (vitamin B1) and that is not affected enough to cause a deficiency.

FYI

Any food that has this symbol on the packaging has been irradiated.

radura.jpg
 
Frolicking Dinosaurs said:
Monsanto has genetically engineered plants that can tolerate high levels of pesticides and of its primary herbicide product, Round-up. Being able to use Round up to kill off unwanted vegetation means it takes fewer farm workers to manually remove the weeds. Being able to use high levels of pesticides means less loss of product to insects and small animals so higher yields. Avoiding these chemicals and genetically-altered fruits and vegetables are the reason many people have switched to organic food - and why supermarkets now have whole sections devoted to organic products. Here is a link to a website that gives an understandable overview and seems to present a balanced view of both the pros and cons viewpoints on this technology : Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?
Click to expand...

Your link's from 1999. Are there any legit studies since then?
 
Many, many vegetables, fruits and grains are grown in an environment where they are literally exposed to hours of thermonuclear radiation everyday.
 
Muhammed said:
I don't know about canned products. It seems to me that the canning process itself would kill any pathogenic bacteria so there would be no need for irradiation. However it is common practice nowadays to irradiate many fresh foods. There has been many studies done that show that irradiation doesn't significantly affect the nutritional content of foods. The one exception is thiamine (vitamin B1) and that is not affected enough to cause a deficiency.

FYI



Any food that has this symbol on the packaging has been irradiated.

View attachment 67116316
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Check post *13 I posted an entire article on it...
 
nota bene said:
Your link's from 1999. Are there any legit studies since then?
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Good catch. I rejected several more recent links because they were skewed to one side or other on this issue. I'll see if I can find some recent studies regardless of their position on GM foods.
 
Frolicking Dinosaurs said:
Good catch. I rejected several more recent links because they were skewed to one side or other on this issue. I'll see if I can find some recent studies regardless of their position on GM foods.
Click to expand...


I searched FD and I couldnt find a single article dated later than 2009...it seemed like it stopped dead there...strange
 
You can't make everything 100% safe 100% of the time - so many opportunities for bacteria and so on to fester and infect from the way to the field to the table. But I do take necessary cautions - now that it's a listeria outbreak I'm not *stopping* out food consumption - I'm just ensuring everything is cooked fully and cleaned well (fruits/veggies - and cookware/storage areas).

If something is hard to make safe with cleaning/cooking (like cantaloupe) - then I just avoid that and eat something else for a while - honeydew mellons are far easier to clean. However - they can't be cooked so we're sticking to fruits that can be cooked as an alternative. Since it's starting to get cold outside it's working out fine.
 
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