Germany's E. coli Outbreak: A Global Lesson

I recommend this report which has insightful information.


http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/06/germanys-e-coli-outbreak-a-global-lesson/

Quoting from the report:

".....the biggest shift should be instituting safer growing practices, particularly for fruits and vegetables because fresh produce does not receive enough attention under the current food safety system.

Indeed other harmful, Shiga toxin-producing strains of E. coli have been detected on vegetables other than sprouts over the course of the current outbreak investigation, raising questions about the prevalence of E. coli contamination in European produce.

"They found an EHEC (enterohemorrhagic E. coli) in the Spanish cucumbers and they alerted the public, but the cucumbers were subsequently deemed 'innocent,' " said Wall, adding "but you don't want EHEC on your cucumbers."

In recent days, E. coli was also found on lettuce from Bavaria, Dutch beet sprouts and on lettuce from Frankfurt, although none of the pathogens was the O104:H4 outbreak strain that has been wreaking havoc in Germany since May 1.

"I think we're going to have to rewrite the whole script on produce," Wall said.

In both the United States and Europe, meat undergoes testing for pathogens (albeit not for E. coli O104, the serotype causing this outbreak). "We are paranoid about microbial quality and testing of cooked meats [in Europe]," says Wall. 

But produce on the continent is monitored less frequently.

And while all meat sold in Europe must meet certain microbial standards, meaning that pathogen levels must be kept below a specified limit, these thresholds are imposed for only two types of produce: pre-washed lettuce and, ironically, bean sprouts..............."

".............Wall notes, there is "no time to fix [food safety problems] when the event is happening."

This is why he says it's important to use "peace time," when a major outbreak is not taking place, to implement measures necessary to cope with the next outbreak.

The problem with "peace time," is that during these periods, foodborne illness does not appear as threatening............"

We need to pay more attention to the microbial food safety of our fresh produce, especially now we are having food from all over the globe.