This is not good news for anyone, really.
Less than a week after the Food and Drug Administration lifted its warning on fresh spinach grown in California’s Salinas Valley, a popular brand of lettuce grown there has been recalled over concerns about E. coli contamination.
At the risk of sounding insensitive, there are some questions I'd like answered.
Let's look on the bright side.
The lettuce does not appear to have caused any illnesses, the president of Salinas-based Nunes Co. Inc. said.
Also, the recall is voluntary.
Executives ordered the recall after learning that irrigation water may have been contaminated with E. coli, said Tom Nunes Jr., president of the company.
So far, company investigators have not found E. coli bacteria in the lettuce itself, Nunes stressed.
There seems to be some agreement about what the source of the E. coli isn't.
It’s unlikely that the bacteria in the lettuce fields share the source of the E. coli found in spinach that has sickened nearly 200 people and has been linked to three deaths nationwide, Nunes said.
But news elsewhere isn't much better.
Epidemiologists also warned consumers last week to stay away from some bottled carrot juice after a Florida woman was paralyzed and three people in Georgia experienced respiratory failure, apparently due to botulism poisoning.
Also on Friday, an Iowa company announced that it was recalling 5,200 pounds of ground beef suspected of having E. coli. The government said no illnesses have been reported from consumption of the beef.
But possibly the worst news of all...
The outbreaks have sparked demands to create a new federal agency in charge of food safety. Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, both New York Democrats, are sponsoring legislation authored by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., to create the unified Food Safety Agency.
Why does this not surprise me.
“This recent outbreak must be a wake-up call to get our food safety house in order, because right now it’s in pure disarray,” Schumer said at his Manhattan office. “We need to have one agency take charge to ensure the next outbreak isn’t far worse.”
Why is another agency the answer? The last one didn't seem to prevent anything. I mean any time someone suffers, we all should mourn, but even bad things happen with the most sincere of efforts. Is perfection possible? "Pure disaray"? That seems a bit inflamatory.
“There’s a high level of urgency in our industry, and we’re being very proactive,” Nunes said. “It’s obviously based upon recent events in the produce industry and concern for customers. We just don’t want anything to happen.”
It's in the best interest of the industry to make sure their product isn't going to kill anyone. Getting more beaurocrats involved in the process isn't likely to make things safer. History is not on their side.
This reminds me of an airline disaster. It's awful, it's scary and it's all over the news. But it's still safer to fly than it is to drive your car.
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