Jalapeno: testing positive

A pepper reportedly purchased at Wal-Mart by a consumer sickened by Salmonella Saintpaul has tested positive for the same DNA pattern as the Salmonella Saintpaul pathogen involved in the multi state outbreak. Doug Powell of the Food Safety Network passes on this link from a newspaper in La Junta, Colo. with the story.
Meanwhile, here is the link to the Colorado Department of Public Health, and excerpts from that news release, which has been the foundation for most media reports:


DENVER - The Laboratory Services Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed that a jalapeno pepper provided by an ill individual from Montezuma County has tested positive with the same DNA pattern of Salmonella Saintpaul-the strain that has caused a large, multistate outbreak of salmonella.
The pepper was purchased at a local Wal-Mart, likely on June 24, and the individual became ill on July 4. This is the first pepper linked directly to an ill person in this outbreak.
The state health department is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine the origin of the pepper.
On Friday, the FDA advised consumers that all fresh jalapeno and serrano peppers grown in the United States are not associated with the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. However, jalapeno and serrano peppers grown outside of the United States should be eaten only if they have been processed or canned. They should not be eaten raw.
This advisory was based on evidence gathered during a multiweek, intensive investigation conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with the FDA and several states to find the source of the contamination that led to the outbreak.
State health officials advised consumers who are going to purchase jalapeno or serrano peppers to first ask their grocer’s manager where their peppers were grown.
The CDC reports that since April 1,304 people have been infected with a strain of Salmonella Saintpaul having the same genetic fingerprint. Cases have been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, with 16 confirmed cases reported in Colorado-Adams (2); Denver (2); Douglas (1); El Paso (3); Montezuma (2); Otero (2); Pueblo (3); Weld (1).
Salmonella causes diarrhea, oftentimes bloody, and is accompanied by stomach cramps and fever. Symptoms typically begin within one to four days after exposure to the bacteria. Although most people recover without treatment, severe infections may occur. In infants, people with poor underlying health and those with weakened immune systems, Salmonella can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections.
Consumers are advised to follow the general food safety guidelines below:
Refrigerate within two hours or discard cut, peeled or cooked produce.
Avoid purchasing bruised or damaged produce.
Discard any produce that appears spoiled.
Thoroughly wash all produce under running water.
Keep produce that will be consumed raw separate from raw meats, raw seafood and raw produce items.
Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot water and soap when switching between types of food products.
Consumers are reminded that vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet and that cooking vegetables kills bacteria, including Salmonella.
FDA information on this investigation can be found at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html.

COOL!

Just slid across the inbox at 4:50 central time, from USDA:
Developing....


USDA Issues Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) Interim Final Rule


The U.S. Department of Agriculture today issued an interim final rule for the mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) program that will become effective on Sept. 30. It will be formally published in the Federal Register on August 1 - but the pdf document can be viewed online at the Federal Register at the following page: http://federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2008-17562_PI.pdf
USDA News

Poll closed and new poll

Here is a wrap on the poll that ended today:


Would the U.S. benefit from a single food safety agency?
Yes 9 (45%)

No 5 (25%)

Perhaps in the long term but change would cause problems in the beginning 6 (30%)

TK: No overwhelming mandate, but the poll reveals more people than not believe a single food safety agency is a long term solution. Check out the results of all 47 previous Fresh Talk polls here.

Meanwhile, this week's poll question is easy: How much time do you think you spend on the Web during the work day?

In State-ly Fashion

Last week, whilst escaping the Vegas heat and my daughter's horrifying shopping spree, I lounged in the cool hotel room and grooved to a movie I'd seen many times before, 'The China Syndrome', starring Jack Lemmon. In it, Lemmon portrays a nuclear power plant worker that sees flaws in the system, tries to report the problems, and ends up taking over the plant by force to raise awareness and being shot & killed for his efforts.

I was thinking about this 'one man against the world' scenario when I read the fascinating article in last Thursday's Minneapolis Star-Tribune of how investigators from the Minnesota Department of Health, in true Agatha Christie fashion, got the focus shifted in the salmonella outbreak from tomatoes to jalapenos. The group is aptly named "Team Diarrhea":

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/25837094.html?location_refer=Most%20Emailed:President

Curiously, this clarifying article has also raised more questions. Add to the intrigue a name that has cropped up in the media repeatedly during the outbreak, Dr. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, who reportedly is set to testify at the House hearings this week.

Let's reconstruct the timeline from a critical point & proceed from there:

Before June 23: The state of Minnesota has had only 2 salmonella saintpaul cases, both came from people who traveled to other states.

June 23: Two cases are discovered, thought at this time to be from tomatoes.

June 24: Dr. Michael Osterholm's interview with Jim Prevor is published in Prevor's Perishable Pundit, in which Dr. Osterholm repeatedly & harshly questions FDA's methodology. We assume that the actual interview took place sometime before the 24th.

Between June 23-29: Seven more cases discovered in Minnesota, and on the 29th two of those victims named the same Twin Cities restaurant as a place they dined. Key here was the fact that the restaurateur said they had dumped all tomatoes weeks before, during 'the siege', as it will now be known to all tomato historians. And that's when 'Team D' focused on a jalapeno garnish served at the restaurant.

June 30: The Team began their own traceback, with the muscle of the State Ag Department, and probably Dr. Osterholm as well, at least in an advisory capacity. By July 2, their tracking led them to jalapeno farms in Mexico.

July 3: FDA and CDC were notified by the state of Minnesota of their findings, and were called again on July 9.

July 11: Jalapeno pepper collected in Texas for examination.

July 17: Press conference with Acheson (FDA) and Tauxe (CDC). In the transcript, Acheson states "...So, we stand behind that science that set us on the tomato track to begin with. The important thing is that it changes. It evolves. And we have to evolve with it." And, in response to a pointed remark, "...hindsight is really good at trying to figure things out. At the time, that was the best information that we had. There are certainly scenarios whereby it could have been both (tomatoes & jalapenos)".

Even with what appears to be the smoking gun, neither agency will come out and clear tomatoes, even today. Sure, they'll say that all tomatoes presently in the pipeline are fine, but they still will not admit that their screwed-up methodology allowed them to bark up the wrong tree in the first place.

Also interesting is the timing of Dr. Osterholm's interview with Jim Prevor. I'm dying to know what this guy, who may very well be the sharpest knife in the drawer of all the witnesses that will testify this week, knew at the time of his conversation with da Pundit. My guess is he couldn't reveal much of what his experience suspected.

Next up, the bright lights of the Guvment. What station is this TV show gonna be on, anyway?

Later,

Jay

When pushback comes to shove

There is a post on the Food Safe message board that talks of "industry pushback" relative to possible food safety reform, and particularly the idea that industry believes that traceback was not the problem in the outbreak investigation. From the board Roy wrote:


It does not take long for the spin doctors and lobbyists to go to work when Congress is considering mandating traceability. Of course traceback is critically important in an outbreak.


I followed on several comments on Roy's post by posting the column that Bryan Silbermann and Tom Stenzel co-wrote for this week's Packer. I noted that I don't see "pushback" in their words as much as a desire by industry leaders to have a say in how they are regulated. An excerpt from that opinion piece from Stenzel and Silbermann:



Long term, we all must accept the reality that our industry's days of "business as usual" are over. After the spinach outbreak in 2006, some said we were just one big outbreak away from mandatory food safety laws being passed by Congress. And now, that outbreak is here. In part because of its flaws, some very important stakeholders -- legislators, regulators and consumers -- have found our food safety efforts to be lacking and are demanding change. Thunder can already be heard from Capitol Hill to FDA headquarters. Hearings are being scheduled, bills are being introduced, regulations are being drafted. Meanwhile, consumers are showing their displeasure with their wallets. The Food Marketing Institute reports that 84% of surveyed consumers said they stopped buying some produce in 2007. While food safety brings added costs to our business, losing consumers is a cost none of us can bear. Our industry's key focus now should be to exert as much control as possible over our destiny moving forward. We are, after all, in the best position to lead the task at hand.


You want industry pushback? As one industry leader told me in a recent email about upcoming Congressional hearings....

"Still...the type of guy that needs to be heard is the shipper's salesman who had every load in gas room inventory sold on June 4, didn't pick after that date, then had them all given back to them by the 9th, and they rotted in the room.

Or the repacker who had (operators) empty their houses in reverse, sending every tomato they had back to the guy that sold it to them. In effect, 'take these back or we'll never do business again'.

Fresh produce Monday headline roundup

Here is a collection of headlines gleaned from the Web. The first links to the Food Safe discussion group, which questions the food industry's role in watering down traceability provisions in the 2002 bioterrorism law. There is also a report on the WTO talks and the link to banana tariffs in the European Union, reports of some design changes to Fresh & Easy, and New York's financial downturn. Plus, coverage from Hawaii reveals the continuing decline of the Hawaiian pineapple industry.

From the Honolulu Advertiser:

ML&P's pineapple production will drop by half, from about 2,000 acres to around 1,000 acres. Of the 274 jobs being cut, 204 are in the company's pineapple division of 441 employees.
And if the drastic reduction doesn't turn around the money-losing operation, then what's left of pineapple production in Hawai'i could disappear.

Traceability and a strong FDA: Is the industry listening?

Tomato farmers see prime crop go to waste

Safe to eat?

Change to tariffs on bananas splits the EU

New York concerned recession is coming

Tesco to freshen its stores for Fresh & Easy

Country of origin labels coming for food

After Iowa raid, immigrants fuel labor inquiries

Aldi wins converts

Pineapple could vanish from Hawaii

Obesity risk: being chained to your desk

Illegal immigration trashing southern Arizona desert?