| A Summer Without Tomatoes? |
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| Written by Heather McKee | |
| Tuesday, 10 June 2008 | |
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This week, after 16 states reported salmonella outbreaks attributable to big, sort-of fresh tomatoes, McDonald’s, Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, Chipotle Mexican Grill and multitudes of other grocers and restaurants abruptly pulled the red fruit from their menus and produce displays. Deja vu? Remember how you avoided spinach like the plague after 20 people died of E. coli infections in 2006? And how ground beef maintains a general aura of sketchiness after the latest February recall of over 143 million pounds? Nearly 60% of Americans say that they have avoided certain foods in the past year because of safety recalls – recalls which are, as of now, often voluntary on the part of the food producers. This latest "precautionary" tomato dumping is yet more evidence of the lack of our government's ability to trace foodborne diseases to particular sources, or to hold food producers accountable. Even when sources of tainted food can be identified, the FDA and USDA have a history of reluctancy in publicly releasing on whose plates that food ended up - even when it's elementary school kids. Contaminated industrial food continues to be swept through massive commercial rivers with anonymous tributaries and mouths. Knowing your farmer may be the only solution to food safety issues. It may also be the only way farmers can stay in business as grocers and restaurants - in order to avoid liability issues - pull enormous amounts of food that may or may not truly be tainted. I’ll be getting my tomatoes from Josh Slotnick of the PEAS Farm in Misssoula, Montana in a few weeks. In a month, I’ll have my own from my garden. Where will you be getting yours? |
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It's true what our moms said...we are what we eat. In fact, it's truer than they thought. What I eat doesn't just affect me anymore, it affects all of us.
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