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Mexican Foods New Suspect in Ongoing Salmonella Outbreak 7-7-08
Tomatoes, Cilantro, Jalapeño Peppers, Serrano Peppers, Scallions and Bulb
Onions Now Being Investigation in Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak - Nearly 1,000
Sickened
According to CNN, “starting Monday, health inspectors will halt the shipment of
ingredients common to Mexican cuisine from Mexico to the United States” – this
will include cilantro, jalapeno peppers, Serrano peppers, scallions and bulb
onions. I assume that it may still include tomatoes?
As for illnesses, the CDC reports that 943 persons infected with Salmonella
Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 40 states,
the District of Columbia, and Canada. Nearly 150 have been hospitalized. The
number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2
persons), Arkansas (10), Arizona (45), California (8), Colorado (12),
Connecticut (4), Florida (2), Georgia (24), Idaho (4), Illinois (93), Indiana
(14), Iowa (2), Kansas (17), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Maryland
(29), Massachusetts (22), Michigan (7), Minnesota (8), Missouri (12), New
Hampshire (4), Nevada (11), New Jersey (9), New Mexico (98), New York (28),
North Carolina (10), Ohio (7), Oklahoma (23), Oregon (10), Pennsylvania (8),
Rhode Island (3), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (8), Texas (356), Utah (2),
Virginia (29), Vermont (2), Washington (4), Wisconsin (10), and the District of
Columbia (1). One ill person is reported from Ontario, Canada.
According to the CDC, for every one person who is a stool-culture positive
victim of salmonella in the United States, there a multiple of 38.5 who are also
sick, but remain uncounted. (See, AC Voetsch, “FoodNet estimate of the burden of
illness caused by nontyphoidal salmonella infections in the United
States,”Clinical Infectious Diseases 2004;38 (Suppl 3):S127-34). That means that
we are close to poisoning 38,000 people and we do not even know the vector.
The fresh vegetable industry has been beating up on the CDC and FDA in recent
days for picking tomatoes as the likely vector - some even ignoring the ill
people and asking for government handouts to tomato growers. So, why did the CDC
and FDA pick tomatoes? Well, according to the FDA, during the past decade, the
consumption of fresh and fresh-cut tomatoes has been linked to at least 12
different outbreaks of foodborne illness (most salmonella) in the United States.
Those outbreaks include 1,840 confirmed cases of illness. The majority of these
outbreaks have been traced to products from Florida and the eastern shore of
Virginia; however, tomato-associated outbreaks also have been traced to tomatoes
from California, Georgia, Ohio, and South Carolina. Some examples:
In 1990, a reported 174 salmonella javiana illnesses were linked to raw tomatoes
as part of a four-state outbreak. In 1993, 84 reported cases of salmonella
montevideo were part of a three-state outbreak. In January 1999, salmonella
baildon was recovered from 86 infected persons in eight states. In July 2002, an
outbreak of salmonella javiana occurred associated with attendance at the 2002
U.S. Transplant Games held in Orlando, Florida during late June of that year.
Ultimately, the outbreak investigation identified 141 ill persons in 32 states
who attended the games. All were linked to consumption of raw tomatoes.
During August and September 2002, a salmonella newport outbreak affected the
East Coast. Ultimately, over 404 confirmed cases were identified in over 22
states. Epidemiological analysis indicated that tomatoes were the most likely
vehicle, and were traced back to the same tomato packing facility in the
mid-Atlantic region.
In early July 2004, as many as 564 confirmed cases of salmonellosis associated
with consumption of contaminated tomatoes purchased at Sheetz Convenience Store
were reported in five states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, and
Virginia. Seventy percent were associated with tomatoes in food prepared at
Sheetz convenience stores.
In 2006 two outbreaks of salmonella-tainted tomatoes where reported by the FDA.
One was blamed for nearly 100 illnesses in 19 states. FDA also traced tomatoes
involved in another outbreak involving 183 people in 21 states. For more
information on Salmonella visit www.about-salmonella.com and
www.salmonellalitigation.com.
On the other hand I could not find a Jalapeno outbreak tied to salmonella at all
and only two possibly linked to Hepatitis ANorovirus. Heck, at Virginia Tech
researchers found that "Hot pepper oil may prevent salmonella in poultry."
Cilantro too, well, in fact studies have shown that salsa kills salmonella?
Researchers thought they had identified a compound in cilantro, a key flavor
component of salsa and a variety of other dishes, that kills harmful salmonella
bacteria and shows promise as a safe, natural food additive that could help
prevent foodborne illness, according to a joint study by U.S. and Mexican
researchers.
and
Salmonella Lawyer - affiliated with Marler Clark LLP
Comment:
Protect yourself and your family as you will never really know for sure if your produce is safe. How you buy and handle your produce before you get home is almost as important as where you buy it!
1. Buy Local! There is alot less chance of salmonella from your local farmer!
2. Buy Organic! The problem can even carry over to your organic produce however, when sold in the same market as conventional. Salmonella and germs from the conventional produce gets on the organic from customer and employee handling. So it is best to buy from a totally organic store or corner market if you can!
3. You need to immediately pack your produce in a separate plastic or cloth bag, keeping separate from other groceries and then sanitize your hands.
5. Do not allow produce to touch the conveyor belt at the checkout. That is a very germy place. This is why plastic bags work better the clerk can weigh it and read the tags without contaminating it! Save you plastic bags and recycle them back at that store or other recycling drop-off.
4. Before eating wash your produce with a solution of peroxide; this should kill anything that could cause any illness. This includes bagged or pre-washed produce.