FDA and CDC alert

[JVO]

Do not eat Spinach or Spring Salads!!!!!!!!!!

[JVO]

Spring Mix salads have also been put on the list of possibly containing E Coli. You should dispose of all spring mix salads. To be safe it may be best to avoid all salads for a couple days.

Also note that washing of produce does not remove E Coli, so even if you wash your produce it will have no effect.

We have removed all salads from all of our dining centers per instructions from the FDA and CDC.

[JVO]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
P06-131
September 14, 2006
Media Inquiries:
301-827-6242
Consumer Inquiries:
888-INFO-FDA


FDA Warning on Serious Foodborne E.coli O157:H7 Outbreak
One Death and Multiple Hospitalizations in Several States
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing an alert to consumers about an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in multiple states that may be associated with the consumption of produce. To date, preliminary epidemiological evidence suggests that bagged fresh spinach may be a possible cause of this outbreak.

Based on the current information, FDA advises that consumers not eat bagged fresh spinach at this time. Individuals who believe they may have experienced symptoms of illness after consuming bagged spinach are urged to contact their health care provider.

“Given the severity of this illness and the seriousness of the outbreak, FDA believes that a warning to consumers is needed. We are working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local agencies to determine the cause and scope of the problem,” said Dr. Robert Brackett, Director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN).

E. coli O157:H7 causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop a form of kidney failure called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death. To date, 50 cases of illness have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including 8 cases of HUS and one death.

At this time, the investigation is ongoing and states that have reported illnesses to date include: Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin.

FDA will keep consumers informed of the investigation as more information becomes available.

[Soul Queen]

I know that JVO doesn't eat fresh spinach. Thanks for looking out for the rest of us! ;)

[JVO]

I know that JVO doesn't eat fresh spinach. Thanks for looking out for the rest of us! ;)

I think spinach is perhaps one of the top 5 nastiest things that humans consume. Unfortunately I love Spring Salads, and regular salads so I am pretty bummed about that. We have a link with the CDC and FDA and I have a hunch that in the next couple of days more vegetables are going to be added to the list. The FDA is hopping with activity. I have spent the entire day with our food service people nixing all recipes that we use that could be dangerous. We have over 25,000 recipes on file so it has been quite the ordeal.

[Soul Queen]

how does that happen? E coli is usually found in meat products, mainly from stomach contents of animals? At least thats what I thought.

[JVO]

how does that happen? E coli is usually found in meat products, mainly from stomach contents of animals? At least thats what I thought.

Manure (which carries E Coli) fertilizer is sometimes used in the growing of veggies. There are a number of things that they do to ensure that any e coli that is in the manure is removed during processing, but I guess there was some sort of problem. E Coli can be found in meat if it is undercooked, but can also be founds in fruits, veggies, milk and some juices.


I guess there are real tight restrictions on the type of fertilizer you can use and the amount of manure that it contains. Somehow something got missed. From what they have been able to tell, the problem started with Veggie growers in California.

[Soul Queen]

No matter what someone is always trying to poison me! :D

[JVO]

No matter what someone is always trying to poison me! :D

Ain't that the truth. It goes along with my theory that the number one cause of cancer is life.

[Ag Au]

i found this article and thought i would post it. i agree with most of the sentiments expressed in it. anyone else?

http://www.guerrillanews.com/articles/2555/Corporate_E_Coli

also, has anyone heard updates on the situation? its seems to have fallen off the radar. i need my spinach!

[mrjohnchimpo]

one of my friends got drunk at a concert one time and started yelling about how people only eat spinach because of Popeye and because they think that it's the proper thing to do. it was quite a funny rant (course, i was drunk too, so who really knows?).

i think one of the things he drunkenly said was "if i see spinach, i'm going to punch it."


(PS: ts and hotfoot, no it wasn't charlie. heh.)

[Soul Queen]

i found this article and thought i would post it. i agree with most of the sentiments expressed in it. anyone else?

http://www.guerrillanews.com/articles/2555/Corporate_E_Coli

also, has anyone heard updates on the situation? its seems to have fallen off the radar. i need my spinach!

Yesterday i read in the paper that the farmers are in the process plowing under fields of spinach as investigators are still trying to determine where the outbreak came from.

So I think the spinach is still a no...

[JVO]

Still no go on spinach. We have been told it may be several months. Certainly you can eat spinach grown locally, but the FDA recommends staying away from the bagged stuff.

[ElRiche]

i found this article and thought i would post it. i agree with most of the sentiments expressed in it. anyone else?

http://www.guerrillanews.com/articles/2555/Corporate_E_Coli

also, has anyone heard updates on the situation? its seems to have fallen off the radar. i need my spinach!

I might take issue with such a hypothesis. To suggest that this is squarely the result of the marketization of spinach, and in a broader sense the food industry, is incompatible with the idea that these same corporate behemoths mean to profit as much as possible. Bad press is bad for profits. Bad food is bad for the food industry. Bad spinach is bad for the spinach industry. I could probably agree that the system is more susceptible to quality standard degradation - which may be the aim of the article - but the hypothesis is overly extrapolated onto the whole system of commercialization.

This is small-fry stuff. Look elsewhere if looking for corporate misdeeds of a grander and more significant scale. There's just not enough umph in the spinach industry to warrant scrutiny. Think of it as a distraction.

Apologies to spinach consumers, of which I am one. Great spinach salad: much spinach, diced oranges, olive oil, walnuts, and salt and pepper to taste.

[Ag Au]

what exactly is small fry about agribusiness? it is one of the most controversial corporate sturctures in this country, as well as the world. what we eat, and how it is produced and distributed is of vital importance. there are constant battles being waged on this front: will japan take our beef for fear of mad cow disease; will the eu take our veggies for fear of gmo's, will the indian farmer drink his pesticides because the monsanto chemicals have already drained his livelihood and destroyed his land. these aren't small fry issues to me, and the article i presented was just one example of a symtom of a much greater problem.

[JVO]

I was going to post almost exactly what El Riche said. Take Mad Cow disease: There is no single group of people in America that are more horrified by the idea of mad cow than beef producers. That is why we have thus far been spared from a major outbreak. Certainly government restrictions and policies are important but honestly there is no greater incentive for producers to make sure their food doesn't kill people than the idea of going broke. That is why the Soviet Union starved to death despite the fact that they were a country of farmers who had been self sufficient for centuries before Communism. There was no money to be made from producing, and if there were problems with the food the only thing that took a financial hit was the Government. Lack of personal responsibility and lack of financial gain lead to apathy. Although it may seem repulsive, getting rich and staying rich make for a very good incentive. That is why America is the bread basket of the world.

[Soul Queen]

[quote=JVO]I was going to post almost exactly what El Riche said. Take Mad Cow disease: There is no single group of people in America that are more horrified by the idea of mad cow than beef producers. That is why we have thus far been spared from a major outbreak. quote]

I don't agree with this statement. I don't believe that this is the why we have been spared a major outbreak. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more outbreaks than we thought but the corporations cover them up because the bad publicity will affect their business. Why else was Oprah sued by the Beef Industry and had to go to Amarillo Texas to go through litigation a few years ago.

You should read Fast Food Nation. It discusses the beef industry in detail and the way corporations go about their business.

I agree with Ag Au that the way our food is produced is very important. I am against Corporate Farming. It is the process of eroding the farming industry today.

Have you talked to a farmer how they feel about the issue? They are against it too.

[Soul Queen]

Off the subject of Spinach...interesting article about developing technologies for meat products.

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=515

I also read in Cnn where investigators think they have narrowed the search of the contaminated spinach to one plant in California...

[007]

Terrific article, SQ.

The lead scientist is based right in Poof's neck of the woods [College Park, MD].

I definitely support such research. Far, far too many resources are wasted feeding animals for slaughter.

[slam]

to say that the spinach industry wouldn't allow ecoli outbreaks or the beef industry wouldn't allow mad cow to happen because they would lose too much money seems kind of far fetched to me. it all comes down to cost analysis.

"A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one." - Fight Club

there are acceptable losses. this ecoli outbreak was one such loss. i highly doubt they're out there dropping millions of dollars to ensure that this never happens again.

[JVO]

This outbreak is going to cripple the spinach market for years. There is no way spinach producers are not going to lose their shirts on this one. The sad thing is that a majority of spinach growers were growing responsibly, but now the entire industry is screwed. Also if the FDA and CDC are doing their jobs, it is impossible to cover up such a thing, since businesses have no control over hospital reports of consumers thousands of miles away. The growers with the bad spinach were in California, yet the first recorded death was in Connecticut. The hospital then referred the case to the CDC. I am not sure how "Evil Agribusiness" could stop this.

Considering the incredible amount of food that this country produces I think it is amazing how little ever goes wrong. We never have food shortages, even in times of drought, we are the largest exporter of food in the World, and you have a better chance of getting e coli from the shit residue on your toothbrush, than you do from eating food. All and all I would say we have it pretty good.

Although if it makes you feel better, DAMN YOU EVIL FOOD PRODUCERS AND BIG BUSINESS FOR PROVIDING US ALL WITH YOUR CHEAP AND PLENTIFUL BOUNTY OF FOOD. :p

[Soul Queen]

Cheap and Plentiful, it is that...

I'm willing to pay a little more to ensure that whatever I'm ingesting isn't sprayed to death with chemicals or that the eggs I get, the chickens were free range and fed an organic diet.

If I had the space, I would grow most of my vegetables.

I think the demand for organic grown veggies and meats are on the rise. If the majority of the public demands it to be so, then the "evil agri corporations" will have to change their practices to ensure that the food that they produce meet these standards so that they can make a profit.

But it first must start with education on how food is processed. Then people not choosing to buy contaminated produce or meat butchered in inhumane fashions.

I don't think the Spinach Industry is going to hurt that much from this. They may loose profits, however I'm sure that I will buy spinach again as soon as its cleared. To me this seems to be a freakish incident. This is different than the Mad Cow Disease which stems from the crap that the industries feed to the animals.

In the meantime if the investigation finds that the spinach processing plants need to tighten the cleaning process or regulate what is used for fertilizer then thats okay to as long as these business adhere to the findings.

I just have a problem with corporations that know that the products they are providing are hazardous in some way and do NOTHING about it. The meat industry is very hazardous for the employees and not to mention the animals. Both need to be changed.

I try not to support any corporation that I know treats their employees like shit and their products like shit and expect to sell it for dirt cheap prices because of this. Example Walmart...(but that was a different thread, different argument). It all ties together...

[Ag Au]

an interesting issue has come up with this e.coli outbreak. i guess this type of e.coli has maybe been around forever, but has really only become a problem since the early 80's. this is a direct result of factory farming of cattle where the animals are fed corn. this over consumption of corn, by an animal that can't truly digest it properly, aids in the formation of this more harmful strain of e.coli. the waste of this animal is then shipped off to be used as fertilizer for things such as spinach.

so big agribusiness is repsonsible for this problem on many levels. i also think it is interesting that when e.coli happens in the beef industry, we are told to cook the meat well and that should take care of it. when it happens to spinach we are told just to throw it out, even though the earlier statement should hold true in this situation as well. probably even easier to cook it out of spinach than meat.

what this seems to suggest is that a balk in the beef consumption is not viable, but in spinach it is. i suppose it is good to err on the side of protection, it just makes me more suspicious of the beef industry.

[JVO]

so big agribusiness is repsonsible for this problem on many levels. i also think it is interesting that when e.coli happens in the beef industry, we are told to cook the meat well and that should take care of it. when it happens to spinach we are told just to throw it out, even though the earlier statement should hold true in this situation as well. probably even easier to cook it out of spinach than meat.


I asked my boss about that (he has been a chef for over 40 years and owns a food management company). He said you can not cook E Coli out of veggies because the manure that is used in the growing of such plants becomes part of the molecular structure of the plant. No matter how long you cook it, as long as you have veggie you have E coli. The two are impossible to separate via cooking. With meat, because E Coli acts as a parasite as opposed to an actual part of the meat, the E Coli that is present is separate from the meat (although obviously it is in the meat) so simply cooking meat to at least medium burns off the E Coli while leaving the meat behind because the two are separate entities. Again I really don’t understand the chemistry behind all of that but that is what he said. I can't swear that is true, but he seemed rather convinced. It may be that you can separate E coli from veggies using different methods, but I am not quite sure how.

[Ag Au]

i just read the article SQ posted and it brings up some very interesting thoughts. my first reaction is that it is a horrible idea. it could be seen as treating the symptom of mass consumption, giving it a viable alternative held only by agribusiness. who knows what the hell could be in that stuff?

there is also the taste issue. i have heard from people who have visited iceland, where most of their food is grown in greenhouses, that nothing tastes as it should. apples look like apples, but just taste wrong. there really is something to the nature something is grown in to give it a complex and desireable flavor.

so what then would happen to the "meat"? in a time when the main thrust of the healthy food movement is towards purity and sustainablity, this doesn't seem to jive. i just am not a fan of asking industry to help solve a problem with chemicals and alterations that seem extraneous to the issue at hand.

but on the other hand, i am all for not killing animals. in the long run, getting rid of factory farms is a great idea. i suppose most people don't know what good meat tastes like anyway, so might as well grow it in a vat.

and i would assume that small livestock farms would still survive, maybe even thrive. as much as a vegetarian as i am, i see the need for sustainable farms, and that means keeping animals too. i don't begrudge anyone their meat, so long is it is consumed consciously and with the smallest environmental impact.

but still interesting thoughts. i will be curious to see what happens with this issue.

[Ag Au]

i have been hearing that cooking it out works for veggies as well as meat, but i will do some more research before doing such.

thanks for the input.

[JVO]

HHMMM! Maybe he was wrong. Here is what the hitchiker's guide says:

Prevention
Handwashing is the most effective way of preventing E. coli infections, although the 2006 bagged spinach scare in the U.S. showed that washing contaminated vegetables will not prevent an illness since not all bacteria are removed. Boiling contaminated vegetables does kill the bacteria, but public health authorities do not suggest reliance on this technique since there remains the risk of infection from the knife, cutting board, counter, and hands contaminated during preparation.

Hand sanitizers have been found to be extremely effective in killing coli on the skin, and are often available for public use at fairs, petting zoos, etc.

[ElRiche]

What I meant when I said this might be seen as a distraction is just that. Consider the issue as a matter of opportunity cost: what else you might be devoting your investigations to instead of focusing on the spinach industry? Everything else you could be investigating. You may think you are savvy for picking up on the agribusiness aspect of this controversial issue, but what else is going on right now?

And would you be surprised to learn that Monsanto conducted internal reserach that appeared to demonstrated that certain internal organs of mice fed GMO crops were significantly smaller and less capable than those in mice not fed GMO crops, and that a judge in the EU decided to allow entrance of certain Monsanto GMO crops to the EU apparently without knowledge of this over-1,000-page Monsanto report? And what might you conclude that this report was leaked to the EU, and the EU still went ahead with permitting the entrance to its markets of said Monsanto GMO crops?

Agribusiness explains trade barriers, but does it explain things like toxic spinach in the US domestic markets? I would suggest that this was inadvertent. True, there may be apples/oranges comparisons to other major industries and their apparent lack of interest in making secure their goods, but we must allow that some things happen without the need for initial, willful, and then sustained negligence. I believe someone remarked on this point: that companies tend not to be overly anxious with disseminating the truth about problems with their products.

Of course. Why would they? Why would Clinton have suggested he had intimate relations with Lewinsky when there was still the outside chance the debacle could be contained? Apples/oranges, but the same principle. Our corporate culture is one where spin is encouraged to limit damages as early as possible, because the option is to embrace fault immediately and possibly suffer consequences that a firm might otherwise have been able to avoid. Unfortunately, it's rational.

"He who fights monsters should see to it that, in the process, he himself does not become a monster. For when you look long into the Abyss, the Abyss also looks into you." - Nietzsche

[Ag Au]

elriche, if you are talking to me in this last post, all i will say is that i have been following agribusiness for a long time - it is not just something i am savvy to at the moment.

also, nothing monsanto does surprises me. one negaitve report? so what. it doesn't take a genius to realize that most of the projects they work are are a bad idea. terminator crops? i mean, please. and just because one e.u. judge decided that some gmo's could pass doesn't mean that the european people are happy about it.

just like in this country, we have to fight very hard to make sure that what corporations pass off as food is indeed healthy and edible.

[ElRiche]

elriche, if you are talking to me in this last post, all i will say is that i have been following agribusiness for a long time - it is not just something i am savvy to at the moment.

also, nothing monsanto does surprises me. one negaitve report? so what. it doesn't take a genius to realize that most of the projects they work are are a bad idea. terminator crops? i mean, please. and just because one e.u. judge decided that some gmo's could pass doesn't mean that the european people are happy about it.

just like in this country, we have to fight very hard to make sure that what corporations pass off as food is indeed healthy and edible.

Actually, though I appeared to cite your comments, I meant the proverbial you. Meaning anyone reading the post. Sorry for not being more clear about that.

FAO recently reversed its position on GMO crops. Previously, they had held that GMO should not be considered a cure for low crop yields in Africa. However, they now claim that GMO is the only way to address the food needs of Africa, basically in unison with the UN's 2050 population figures. There has been no Green Revolution in Africa, and part of reason hinges upon human error and poor judgment. However, it's also the case that sub-Saharan Africa presents problems for sustainable crop growth because of basic and easily identifiable natural causes, like soil composition, desertification, low rainfall, etc.

And though you (Ag Au) may be aware of fundamental issues in agribusiness, others may not. I tend to favor getting the message out and hoping that likeminded folk with pick up on the pressing issues for good reasons. I don't necessarily agree with your general concern about what threat, if any, GMO crops present in the long-run. I feel the markets will eventually hammer GMO producers into a relatively reliable groove in terms of quality and impact on human health. A more immediate concern is that people will continue to serve as guinea pigs until the science of quality assurance is roundly considered adequate. I don't believe it's there yet, and I can agree that's a cause for real concern.

I find that critics of agribusiness, and specifically GMO crops, also tend to have serious reservations about nanotechnology. How can we know that actions we are taking now will not ultimately be discovered to have had a deleterious effect on human or animal systems? I'm not sure we can. But I believe that the growth of each of these technologies will eventually help serve humanity's greater needs in a non-harmful way. Might be many years off, but I think it will happen.

There is a certain inevitability to the rise of GMO crops and nanotechnology. And globalization. The trick is to steer the growth of these phenomena in the right direction - to the equitable benefit of all. Regretfully, that's where governments and corporations come into the current mix - they tend to diminish efforts for an equitable distribution of goods among all peoples to achieve short-term gains. I am a fan of exposing the misdeeds of people in corporations and governments, not in labeling corporations, governments, or industries as bad. There are many good people in each of these, and they lose when the axes are wielded following the misdeeds of the few.

If things had been handled properly, then the perpetrators of the Enron collapse would have been dealt with swiftly and justly. Unfortunately, all those people at Enron who worked putting up power lines lost their pensions. Not everyone at Monsanto is bad, but there may be bad people calling the shots. So don't aim at Monsanto, aim at the people you suspect are most likely at fault at Monsanto. If one thing about corporate misdeeds is true, then it might be that people at the top tend to ruin things for the rest of the company. Scrupulous investigating can sometimes lead to a decisive, and just, victory.

And no, hoping for the SEC and other governmental bodies to provide this service is not always the best antidote. Rather, a bit of reasoned and sustained activism can do the trick. If you don't like what Monsanto is doing, investigate their SEC filings, read articles about them, become familiar with their market and the pertinent health issues, and then start firing off letters to your congressperson, local Better Business Bureau, UN, FAO, WHO, PAHO, OAS, IMF, embassies of affected countries, trade associations, Dept. of Agriculture, etc. One person can make a difference.

[Lori Burger]

Spinach claims the life of a celebrity:

http://www.stupidcaveman.com/popeye.htm

[poofdogg]

huckuckuckuckuckuckuck....ahoy there mistress olive oil

[ElRiche]

I had completely forgotten about Popeye. Pity. Food portfolio diversification is good in the long-run, eh?

[hotfoot]

I had completely forgotten about Popeye. Pity. Food portfolio diversification is good in the long-run, eh?

*Food portfolio*? God, what a horrible way to turn food into something boring. Portfolios are for artists, stock brokers, and trapper keepers.

[poofdogg]

speaking of having completely forgotten things: Trapper Keepers....

[Ag Au]

my art portfolio is not boring, thank you very much.

trapper keepers, that's funny. i haven't thought about those since the 5th grade.:) do kids still use them?

[JVO]

Just advancing the story:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061005/ap_on_he_me/tainted_spinach

[JVO]

And more:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061009/ap_on_re_us/lettuce_recall