After 1,300 people have fallen ill due to the latest Salmonella outbreak, it looks like the smoking gun has turned up. Investigators found one jalapeno pepper in a Texas warehouse that tested positive for the bacteria. The jalapeno pepper is believed to have come from Mexico.
Chasing Unsafe Food
It’s been a long road to get to this point. Tomatoes, then jalapenos, serrano peppers and finally cilantro have all been suspected, causing huge financial losses, especially for tomato growers. The long delays have shaken consumer confidence and challenged our nation’s perception of food safety. As state health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and the FDA sought out the source of the problem, they were hampered by many obstacles. Among the difficulties, ill patients didn’t always remember meals they’d consumed and questionnaires used in patient interviews didn’t include specific references to jalapeno peppers.
The produce marketing industry is starting to evaluate implementing a better tracking system to trace produce as it enters the national food supply. Even the FDA is being forced to review its own practices in conducting such an investigation. Improvements in both of these areas are positive, but are only aimed at identifying the origin and limiting the extent of future outbreaks. A future outbreak can still spread rapidly, carried through the national food supply and distribution system. While Salmonella can originate just as easily from contaminated crops on a small, local farm, it is clear that the area of influence would be much more limited.
True Food Safety
Like many other locavores before me, I have discovered that food quality and food safety are integral parts of a covenant between the small, local farmer and consumer. How can they not be? In most cases, these farmers are eating from the same harvest. Most likely, they sell their products face-to-face at markets, CSAs or farm stands. And they are counting on every customer to return the following week. When consumers know where their food is coming from, a genuine foundation of mutual trust and respect is spawned.
It’s actually something you can feel safe about.
References:
Learn more from the CDC.
