WHY ARE GRAPE TOMATOES CONTAMINATED?

An old friend in Australia asked me on my Facebook site whether I thought their grape tomatoes were also unsafe to eat. After I answered the question, something occurred to me. Perhaps she - and some other people - are thinking that the recently discovered Salmonella-bacteria contamination of some U.S. grape tomatoes has something to do with the nature of grape tomatoes themselves. That is, that grape tomatoes are less safe than other kinds of tomatoes.

That isn't the case. As far as I know, grape tomatoes are no more likely to carry pathogenic bacteria. And remember, in the current U.S. outbreak, all the tomatoes came from just one Florida farm which sent them to one Florida packer. Other grape tomatoes from other farms - as far as we know - are currently safe.

Any kind of tomato can become contaminated. Who knows, tomorrow we may hear of a recall of cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes or Roma tomatoes. Over the years, we have had many incidents of contaminated fresh tomatoes, and Salmonella has been a common culprit. While they are growing, bacteria can get into growing tomatoes through contaminated irrigation water, fertilizer (especially if composting has not been properly done), from birds or insects or wildlife (such as those squirrels which are always trying to take a bite out of mine). While being sorted and packed, workers who are carriers of bacteria, viruses or parasites can also contaminate them. There have been cases when even the washing water was found to be the cause. Although fresh tomatoes are most likely to cause food poisoning, processed, as well as fresh tomatoes can carry bacteria and viruses. In 2010 there was a somewhat unusual small outbreak of Hepatitis A in France caused by sun-dried tomatoes (imported from Turkey). Basically, anything can happen.

So how can you keep eating those delicious fresh tomatoes and still be safe? There is no magic answer. Growing your own would certainly help (the photo is of one of my heritage tomatoes). And if you can't do that, there are studies which have shown that tomatoes still on the vine are safer than those off the vine.

TSF

THE BIGGEST THREAT IN THE U.S. FOOD SUPPLY

I am just back from a neighborhood social event. One of the people there (a retired psychologist by the way) asked me what I thought was the biggest safety threat in the U.S. food supply. Trust a psychologist to ask a difficult question like that.

Really, I am not trying to evade the question, but the only answer I can give is "It depends." It depends on the specific food involved, on who you are (some kinds of people are more vulnerable to one kind of contaminant, some to another), and on whether we are talking about short term risks or longer term ones.

Mostly, what we hear about in the news, and what we tend to think about as food contaminants, are those microbes such as E.coli 0157:H7, Salmonella, Staphylococcus and Listeria monocytogenes which can give us a violent bout of illness (usually diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, weakness). Very nasty, but in the majority of cases, this kind of "food poisoning" will be over in a few days. Unless, of course, you are unlucky enough to be among the 2% or so of people who end up with a chronic health condition as a result.

Then there are those hazards in food which can threaten our long-term health and happiness - increasing our chances of certain cancers, damage our body organs, or give us milder, but still irritating problems such as skin rashes or degenerative conditions.

So which are the biggest threats? It depends on your point of view. If you are a professional performer or an athlete, who needs to be at their peak tomorrow, or the next day, you will naturally be more concerned about bacteria and viruses. If you are thinking long-term health, you may want to think more about drug residues and chemicals in your food.

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NO MAGIC PROTECTION AGAINST MRSA BACTERIA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has got tough on those over-the-counter hand sanitizer wipes and antiseptic gels, foaming soaps and lotions. And about time. Last week four U.S. companies were sent letters warning them not to make unproven claims. If they didn't stop exaggerating the magic power of their products in 15 days, they could be sued or have their products seized.

Many such products promise to wipe out 99% or even 99.9% of any germs sitting on your hands. In cases they even name bacteria we all know like Salmonella and E.coli, or, the flu virus. Some even claim to kill MRSA - Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is very, very resistant to just about all antibiotics, including all Penicillins, not just Methicillin (Methicillin used to be the drug of choice for treating S. aureus bacteria, but is longer used).

MRSA is the bacteria that we are all afraid of. It is a very infectious, very aggressive germ. From a small wound it can get into your bloodstream and even affect your heart. Close to 20,000 people are reported to die of MRSA each year in the U.S.

True, MRSA can be passed along on the skin of one person to another, on the tie or the lab coat of the doctor attending you in the hospital, and in many other ways. Food service workers with infected cuts on their hands have been known to pass such bacteria into food. I even read a study a couple of years ago (done in the UK) where vets were getting MRSA from pets they were treating.

Of course, we would all like to have a product that made us safer from this germ. But, as the FDA points out, the claims made by the manufacturers of many products on the market today are exaggerated. Quoting Deborah Autor, director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research: “MRSA is a serious public health threat. The FDA cannot allow companies to mislead consumers by making unproven prevention claims.”

Good. Personally, I don't want that cook or waiter in the kitchen at my favorite restaurant using one of these gels or lotions before he or she handles my food. I prefer thorough hand washing under running water, and wearing disposable gloves - particularly if that food-service worker has a cut on their hands. That is likely to work better.

By the way, here are the products that the FDA is clamping down on, but believe me, they are not the only ones out there:

• Tec Laboratories for Staphaseptic First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Gel;
• JD Nelson and Associates for Safe4Hours Hand Sanitizing Lotion and Safe4Hours First Aid Antiseptic Skin Protectant;
• Dr. G.H. Tichenor Antiseptic Co. for Dr. Tichenor’s Antiseptic Gel;
• Oh So Clean, Inc dba CleanWell Company for CleanWell All-Natural Foaming Hand Sanitizer, CleanWell All-Natural Hand Sanitizer, CleanWell All-Natural Hand Sanitizing Wipes, and CleanWell All-Natural Antibacterial Foaming Handsoap


TSF