Nov. 23, 2005 – In an analysis that raises more questions about the safety of food-processing and food-handling regulations in the United States, a public-health advocacy organization this week revealed that the most widespread and dangerous Salmonella outbreaks in the nation are now being caused by produce that has come in contact with byproducts of the meat, poultry and fishing industries.
According to data compiled by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a health and food-safety advocacy group, produce-associated Salmonella outbreaks have been traced to lettuce, melons, sprouts, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables. Between 1990 and 2003, contaminated produce has triggered at least 554 food-poisoning outbreaks, with about a fifth of those coming from Salmonella.
Salmonella contaminates produce after contact with animal carcasses or feces, according to CSPI, such as raw meats, contaminated irrigation water or manure used as fertilizer. Animal rights groups have long cited the inherent risk of Salmonella and other bacterial pathogens, even to people who abstain from consuming meat products, as a reason to abandon animal agribusiness altogether.
CSPI offered more moderate recommendations. "Fresh fruits and vegetables are at the center of a healthy diet, so it’s critical that steps are taken to improve their safety," CSPI food safety director Caroline Smith DeWaal said in a statement. "FDA should require growers to limit the use of manure to times and products where it poses no risk. And packers and shippers should mark packaging to ensure easy traceback when fruits and vegetables are implicated in an outbreak."
Normally connected with undercooked or improperly handled poultry, Salmonella is one of the top three food-borne pathogens, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Together with campylobacter and E. coli, Salmonella accounts for the majority of the estimated 76 million cases of food poisoning annually.
According to state health departments, washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly will help protect consumers from sickness.
In recent years, CSPI found, produce-related outbreaks have surpassed those arising from poultry. Between 2002 and 2003, contaminated produce accounted for 31 such outbreaks while poultry caused just 29.
Five thousand Americans die from diseases associated with contaminated food each year, the CDC estimates.
