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Posted By
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August 29, 2008, 9:22 am
Flag as Inappropriate skatss
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Subject
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It's Official, The Salmonella Scare (For This Summer) Is Finished
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Finally, after the US health officials called for us all to first stop eating tomatoes and then raw jalapeno and serrano peppers this summer, they have officially lifted the ban. They now say it's safe to eat these foods.
After not knowing what foods were making people sick and at first saying it was all raw tomatoes except for cherry and home grown tomatoes, and then saying it was just raw jalapeno and serrano peppers from Mexico, we can all heave a sigh of relief and start to eat tomatoes again. At least I know I can.
The outbreak made 1,442 people sick, hospitalized 286, and was supposed to be the reason for two deaths between April and August.
To stop this from happening again the FDA is asking Congress to give it the authority to require "industry-to-institute" mandatory preventative controls of high-risk foods. (I'm not sure what that means.)
The agency is also calling on the food industry to develop better tracking systems so they can identify where produce is sold and who it is sold to, so this type of mistake doesn't happen again. The ban ruined tomatoes for most of the population this summer and hurt the tomato industry terribly.
Let's just hope that they can tell what foods are really responsible when the next outbreak happens. I personally don't want to be afraid to eat such a great vegetable as fresh, raw summer tomatoes again!
If I can get a loan from the bank, I think I'll buy some tomatoes today and make some lettuce and tomato sandwiches -- my favorite!
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Comments
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August 29, 2008, 1:41 pm
Flag as Inappropriate bubble says...
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The only thing I can say is..are they sure it is now okay to eat these foods?
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August 30, 2008, 7:49 am
Flag as Inappropriate skatss says...
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From what I have read, the FDA is sure that it is safe to eat tomatoes and raw jalapeno and serrano peppers from Mexico. They have done the research and it is now safe.
All I really worry about is that I wonder what foods will be tainted next year. I still can't figure out how the veggies get infected and then how it spreads without anyone being able to pinpoint where it came from.
I hope the new regulations can help stop the next outbreak quicker than it was stopped this summer.
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September 5, 2008, 5:50 am
Flag as Inappropriate tjg0307 says...
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I was also wondering if there are REALLY safe. What's next? It's so scary to buy anything these days. This scar eis why it is so crucial to wash all of our produce really well before consuming!
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