FDA Says Salmonella Strain Found on a Mexican Farm
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Reuters, July 30, 2008
U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors have found samples of Salmonella bacteria at a farm in Mexico that produces serrano peppers, officials said on Wednesday.
They matched the strain that has sicked more than 1,300 people across the United States and parts of Canada, David Acheson, FDA associate commissioner for food protection, told a congressional hearing.
“FDA found Salmonella saintpaul in a sample of serrano peppers and a sample of water from a farm in Mexico,” FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek confirmed.
Mexican officials have repeatedly denied that the outbreak, originally blamed on tomatoes but later traced to peppers, could be traced to Mexican farms.
{snip}
Mexican officials have been angered by the FDA’s statements.
Last week, Enrique Sanchez, director of Mexico’s National Sanitation and Farm Food Quality Service, called the decision “arbitrary” and said it could have an “enormous” harmful impact on the local jalapeno industry.
{snip}
(Posted on July 30, 2008)
Comments
This is a real catch 22. If you avoid buying mexican grown produce then it will drive mexicans to come to the U.S. illegally.Or you could buy produce from mexico and risk getting sick. But why does the U.S. need to trade with anyone. We should just change our name from the United States to the the American European Union. That might make that nitwit George w. Bush happy.We can have free trade between places like the republic of Ohio and the federation of Georgia and and Alabama.
Posted by Tony Soprano at 7:24 PM on July 30
I said it right from the get go…the mex’s do their business in the fields….so where did the dirty water come from???? LMAO….guess!!!
Posted by lydia at 8:01 PM on July 30
Finally some help is on the way! Country of Origin Labeling for produce is finally being implemented in the U.S. in September, 2008. Congress has stalled on this implementation since passage of the law in 2002. The delay was, no doubt, to accommodate the free traitors who lobbied endlessly to try to stop it. When it is implemented, it will be up to the consumer to protect themselves. Perhaps people will remember this and avoid items such as Mexican serrano peppers. Just a thought.
Posted by at 8:09 PM on July 30
Stop the Mexican strain! You know, halepenos are actually very bad for your health. Very bad.
Posted by at 8:29 PM on July 30
Mexico would rather see Americans get sick than admit their unhygenic practices in farming caused the salmonella outbreak. We are all at risk in resturants that employ illegal workers. They are not checked for TB or any other contagious diseases. But our government seems not to care . We need to get rid of the pro-illegals and get into office those who put their citizens first.
Posted by June at 11:04 PM on July 30
I am not one bit surprised. Years ago that dumb Jimmie Carter complained about Montazuma’s Revenge and there was such an outcry from Mexico..I hope something is done so the US farmers won’t suffer economically.Sewerage probably is pumped into their water supply…..
Posted by at 1:06 AM on July 31
Let’s just avoid anything Mexican - it’s the only way to be safe from salmonella, murder, rape, child molestation, robbery and every other crime in the book. Before someone says “but Americans commit crimes too,” you need to realize the ones committed by illegals would not have happened had they not been here. As for food from other countries, why can’t this country produce its own? We did for hundreds of years. And why can’t we manufacture everthing we need here. Again, we did for years. I’m so sick of trying to buy decent clothing. It’s all made in Indonesia, Taiwan or some place that thinks we like sleezy, cheap goods. This is a universal complaint. We are supposed to accept the junk sent by these third world countries and like it. Why trade the talents of American manufacturers to accept the junk from third rate countries?
Posted by June at 7:57 AM on July 31
This whole salmonella “outbreak” reeks of FDA empire-building, at the expense of thousands of hapless farmers.
There are roughly 40,000 cases of salmonella in this country annually. The current incidence is well within statistical norms for this ailment, which is little more than an inconvenient GI tract malady in the great majority of cases.
I feel so much more secure knowing that I have these selfless federal regulatory agencies looking out for my health and safety.
Posted by john at 8:50 AM on July 31
Regarding the 40,000 cases of Salmonella: That’s not the whole story.
In 2004, CDC estimated that there are about 1.4 million illnesses, 15,000 hospitalizations, and 400 deaths from Salmonella infection in the United States every year. Approximately 40,000 of those infections are confirmed each year by isolation of the Salmonella strain. Salmonellosis is more common in summer than in winter.
So as John rightly pointed out, this really is an empire-building scam. I suspect the ultimate goal is the hastening of the North American Union, with “food safety” being used as an excuse.
Posted by Brutarius at 12:19 PM on July 31
“There are roughly 40,000 cases of salmonella in this country annually. The current incidence is well within statistical norms for this ailment, which is little more than an inconvenient GI tract malady in the great majority of cases.”
Posted by john at 8:50 AM on July 31
I don’t know where you get your information, but salmonella poisoning can kill and has. I think it is a matter of actual consumption amount. I had a big dose when I was 22, interesting from the same pepper and it was a horrible experience that went on for two weeks; 20 minute cycles of stomach cramps, diarhea, etc., incredible pain. I could not eat, hardly drink spent my time on my side on my bed until my parents learned of it and came and got me medical attention. I lost a lot of weight (and was not overweight - I belonged to a health club at the time - I was an competitive athlete). I was young and strong, but it felt like I was going to die. I later had an older patient who died of this in 1988.
You might be right about the FDA, but I cannot see how this would be occuring via random salmonella outbreaks. Knowing Latinos as well as I do, I know personal and community hygene is a likely factor.
Posted by Whiteplight at 1:15 PM on July 31
………”And why can’t we manufacture everthing we need here. Again, we did for years. I’m so sick of trying to buy decent clothing. It’s all made in Indonesia, Taiwan or some place that thinks we like sleezy, cheap goods. This is a universal complaint. We are supposed to accept the junk sent by these third world countries and like it. Why trade the talents of American manufacturers to accept the junk from third rate countries?”
Posted by June at 7:57 AM on July 31
You can blame the poor quality of goods on American entrepeneurs and capitalism. It is they who have engaged these people in their regulation free homelands and taught them to make what they do. This is especially true in China. But of course, the Chinese are far enough along to now have their own crop of capitalists who have even less ethics than the foreigners who started it all.
Just review the history of Wall Mart for starts. I believe that old “Wally” was a Bible believing conservative from Arkansas. Greed trumps all other considerations, I often find.
Posted by Whiteplight at 1:20 PM on July 31
“Jalapenos very bad for our health”? How so?
I cross-pollenated jalapenos with bell peppers. They’re very good. An ideal cross, they’re big, and still spicy.
Posted by at 2:37 PM on July 31
I avoid everything from the third world as much as possible. Fortunately here in the U.K. most supermarkets provide the ‘place of origin’ of most food products on the packaging. ‘Organic’ labels in third world countries have no meaning because of the corruption and cheating common in those nations. I rather support farmers markets as much as possible. You can build good relationships with farmers, thank them personally for their produce, reduce pollution and support the small farmers. Fortunately virtually no non-white works in farming in the U.K. Most big farmers use Eastern European labour if foreign labour is used at all. In British villages, blacks and South Asians are nearly absent and all they do is run curry takeaways (Bangladeshis and Pakistanis) or smoke dope and live on welfare (Caribbean blacks). Farming here is totally White and thus the food much hygienic. However the same thing cannot be said about the food sold in those Pakistani takeaways.
Posted by Brick at 3:54 PM on July 31
Some people have said that this outbreak is caused by raw sewage in the fields. This is probably not true. Reviewing the evidence, it appears that the outbreak was probably caused by cow feces in the agricultural fields, or in the water. This is a serious problem both in Mexico and in the US. Cow dung can get into the water via ranching and from there to the fields. Salmonella in the US generally starts from animal feces and from there goes to humans. It’s not really transmitted by human feces, not this strain anyway.
Posted by Robert Lindsay at 7:27 AM on August 1