Contaminated Foods Rise with Surge in Imports

As authorities in the United States seek to deal with the rising number of food imports and insufficient agency budgets to adequately monitor the safety of these products, consumers are exposed to an ever-growing risk for food-borne illnesses. As today's article points out, the inspection of the foods coming into this country falls dangerously short, and outbreaks of salmonella and other conditions with sometimes fatal consequences have become all too common.

This situation brings a couple of issues to light. First, it reinforces the benefits of growing our own organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs whenever possible, as this is the best way to guarantee the safety and nutritional quality of such foods. Even people who live in urban areas can practice container gardening. Secondly, as the problem of tainted food continues to grow, this opens up the door for the FDA and other government agencies to step in and seize greater control of the food supply, limiting sources only to ones they approve. Of course, this would likely mean a huge increase in genetically modified and irradiated foods, under the guise of protecting the food supply from contamination, and would also make it difficult, if not downright illegal, for individuals to grow their own food or raise their own farm animals and other agricultural products. We are already seeing this happen through the control of seed by such companies as Monsanto, with the full support and cooperation of the government.

When you do purchase produce, be sure to wash it thoroughly before consuming. I recommend washing your produce in a sink filled with filtered or distilled water along with a capful of hydrogen peroxide or a capful of our Oxy-SC. Be sure to allow leafy vegetables to soak for 10-15 minutes. It is also advisable to carefully choose your restaurants, as food can also be contaminated from unsanitary preparation or poor hygiene habits on the part of food handlers. Be particularly cautious if you or a family member suffers from a condition that compromises your immune system.


Surging food imports outpace inspection
Safety concerns rise as FDA looks at Mexico as a source of salmonella- tainted tomatoes.

By Laurence Iliff and Alfredo Corchado
DALLAS MORNING NEWS

LAREDO, Texas - Day after day, Mexican trucks line up as far as the eye can see for entry to the United States at the World Trade Bridge, carrying everything from raw tomatoes, broccoli and fresh basil to frozen seafood. They also bring in small amounts of salmonella, listeria, restricted pesticides, and other food poisons.

Customs and Border Protection officers take less than a minute per truck to determine which products enter the country and find their way into grocery stores and restaurants across North Texas.

Most trucks are waved through. The avalanche of imported goods, especially food from Mexico, is too much for the limited number of inspectors at the nation's 300 ports of entry to effectively screen, critics say. And the sheer volume makes it impossible for them to carry out their mission: protecting the U.S. food supply and American consumers.

Concerns about the nation's food inspection system are gaining urgency - especially as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration looks at Mexico as a likely source of salmonella-tainted tomatoes that have sickened more than 800 people in the last two months. The FDA last month sent inspectors to three Mexican states - Jalisco, Sinaloa and Coahuila - to check farms and packing plants.

The great majority of the food that crosses the southern U.S. border is safe, U.S. officials say. But a surge in imports in recent years means that the system of border inspections is badly strained and in urgent need of repair, the officials acknowledge.

"We have this huge growth in imports, this huge growth in trade; at the same time we have severely cut back on our regulatory agencies and their ability to do their job, especially the food portion of the Food and Drug Administration," said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine.

"If they are only checking 1 percent of the stuff and finding lots of problems, then ... there are a lot of problems that are never caught," she said.

Overall, about 15 percent of the U.S. food supply and 60 percent of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed are imported, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.

Mexico is the second-largest foreign source (Canada is No. 1) of agricultural products and seafood for the United States - moving to No. 1 during the winter months and filling about 60 percent of the supermarket produce aisle. And it's the worst offender when it comes to food shipments turned away at the border by U.S. inspectors, a review of food rejections shows.

The problem, officials and analysts say, is the result of sometimes substandard agricultural practices south of the border, and a U.S. food inspection system that has become so overwhelmed that President Bush endorsed a 50-step plan that would put more emphasis on inspections in the countries of origin.

The in-country system would put U.S. inspectors in foreign countries or use third parties to check products before they are shipped to the United States. It also would give the FDA mandatory recall powers over food products. Currently, the agency negotiates "voluntary" recalls.

Both consumer groups and an internal FDA study group said the proposed Bush plan to fix the current system "within available resources" was far too modest.

"We can state unequivocally that the system cannot be fixed 'within available resources,' " the agency's subcommittee on science and technology said in a report late last year. The subcommittee called the inspection rate "appallingly low."

In fairness to Mexico, U.S. food producers were the subject of far more expansive recalls last year than foreign producers, including recalls of California spinach that tested positive for E. coli and was blamed for three deaths, and of 22 million pounds of frozen beef hamburger patties, also because of a dangerous strain of that common bacteria.

"I must emphasize that by and large, the food traded is very safe," said Suzanne Heinen, the USDA's counselor for agricultural affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. "We have very few problems, especially when you consider the volume of trade that crosses the border every day."

Still, food imports remain on Washington's radar - particularly in light of the latest salmonella outbreak.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt announced plans recently to open a food safety monitoring office in Latin America, similar to three being planned for China. He did not say which country might house the office.

Another recent recall targeting Mexican agriculture is an example of what consumer groups say is wrong with the system.

In December, officials took a sample for testing from a 5,500-pound load of Mexican basil moving through the Otay Mesa border crossing in San Diego. The basil continued on its way and was sold to restaurants and other customers in California, Texas and Illinois the next day.

When the test results came back two weeks later, they suggested salmonella contamination, sparking a late recall.

Mexico has been the subject of other recent recalls as well:

In February 2007, the FDA recalled 672 cartons of Mexican cantaloupes after a sample analysis found salmonella, which can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and arterial infections.

In September, the FDA recalled a hard, dry cheese from Mexico that it suspected was contaminated with salmonella.

And in early December, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced the voluntary recall of several Mexican candies after tests showed high lead levels. Lead can harm mental and physical development in children and unborn babies. California had banned the candies in August.

A top Mexican health official acknowledged that some Mexican food producers cut corners to boost their profits or have simply not adopted modern safety measures, although they have made great strides in recent years.

For example, chile peppers are often spread out to dry on the ground, where they can pick up lead or pesticides only approved for other crops.

"In Mexico, we have a lot of work to do," said Maria Esther Diaz Carrillo, a chemist and food technician at Mexico's Federal Commission to Prevent Sanitary Risks, part of the Health Ministry. "We also have producers who are very conscientious ... of the risks associated with their products and truly dedicated to public health. In some cases, it's ignorance."

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/20080714_Surging_food_imports_outpace_inspection.html