Gov't, Industry Join in E. Coli Fight

[Omaha Steve]

http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8mc45ag2&



Gov't, Industry Join in E. Coli Fight

Sunday December 31, 6:06 PM EST

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — In light of food poisoning outbreaks involving spinach and lettuce, the government and the produce industry are scrambling to make leafy greens safer before the spring planting season.

New guidelines from the industry are due in April on how to prevent contamination throughout the food chain, from before greens are planted until they reach the dinner table.

Members of Congress are asking federal agencies to report on what went wrong and how to fix the problem. Some lawmakers want to replace the patchwork system of federal food regulation with a single agency in charge of what people eat.

States are active, too. In California, where most of the nation's green leafy vegetables are grown, farmers are poised to approve new labeling by March for farms that follow stricter practices for raising greens.

In New Jersey, where small family farms were hurt by a nationwide spinach ban right at the start of September's harvest, the state has set up a task force to improve produce safety.

"This whole issue has gathered significant momentum in light of the recent outbreaks," said Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer for food safety at the Food and Drug Administration.

The spinach outbreak killed three people and sickened more than 200. An E. coli outbreak linked to lettuce sickened dozens of people who ate at East Coast Taco Bell outlets and Midwest Taco John's restaurants in November and December.

Two salmonella outbreaks blamed on tomatoes made about 400 people sick in October and November.

FULL story at link.

[kestrel91316]

1. They have a better shot at getting rid of, or at least decreasing

the toxic E. coli problem if they change how they feed cattle. Feedlot diets cause the rumen pH to increase (it should be extremely acidic, IIRC) and this allows toxic E. coli to get into the cows' GI tracts and set up housekeeping.

Quit feeding so much grain, dammit!

I am only buying grass-fed from now on, I think.

Why do people have to be so stupid?

[TygrBright]

2. You watch-- they'll use this as an excuse to dispense favors...

...to ADM and Cargill at the expense of small, independent, sustainable, integrated producers.

Just watch. They will. In the interest of "protecting the public" they'll find yet another way to screw consumers and sustainable farmers and enrich corporate agriculture.

forebodingly,
Bright