In case you were wondering why your grocery store or restaurant didn't have any tomatoes, it is because there is an outbreak of Salmonella in tomatoes. In July 2004 there was three outbreaks of Salmonella in the US and Canada from Roma tomatoes. So, this isn't a one time deal. In July 2007 it was spinach that was being pulled from the shelves and laced with Salmonella. In February 2007 Dole Cantaloupes were recalled after testing positive for Salmonella. The following Wednesday Peter Pan brand and certain batches of Wal-Mart's Great Value house brand of peanut butter also tested positive for Salmonella.
Salmonella is a bacteria that lives in the intestinal tract of animals and humans. Salmonellosis infection is caused by the Salmonella bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Salmonellosis causes an estimated 1.4 million cases of food borne illness and more than 500 deaths annually in the United States. The symptoms are: diarrhea (may be bloody), chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and fever within 8 to 72 hours after the contaminated food was eaten. Symptoms usually disappear within 4 to 7 days. A small number of infected people go on to develop pains in their joints, irritation of the eyes and painful urination, a condition called Reiter's Syndrome. It can last for months or years, sometimes leading to chronic arthritis, which is difficult to treat.
So, next you wonder how does Salmonella infect the vegetables? It can be contaminated by workers returning to handle vegetables and failing to wash their hands after defecating or handling raw meat, animal (especially reptiles) defecation, field workers defecating in or near the crops, irrigation with feces contaminated water. Note that at home you can contaminate your own vegetables and fruit by handling raw meat and not washing your hands, not cleaning your surfaces between cutting up meats and vegetables, improperly storing meats and vegetables together( allowing juices from meats to contaminate vegetables,) and handling your pets while cooking.
One of these topics that really disturbed me was the increasing number of field workers defecating in the crops. I understand these workers are sometimes in the middle of a field miles from the nearest bathroom and get paid based on the number of crops they pick, but come on….! It is inexcusable for hundreds of people to get sick because someone defecates on their food or doesn't wash their hands are defecating. Has the company/farm owner ever heard of port a potty?
