Food-Borne Diseases and Recalls Rising
In the later part of 2007, recalls and illness as a result of bacteria and E. coli O157:H7 soared - greater than any year since 2000.
2006 - There were eight recalls totaling 156,235 pounds of ground beef
2007 - There were twenty-one recalls of over 30million pounds of ground beef
Theories About Food-Borne Illnesses Rise
There are many theories why there is such a massive increase in the number of recalls and illnesses:
Better Reporting - more doctors are able to recognize the symptoms of E. coli, therefore leading to detecting outbreaks and forcing recalls.
Complacency - possibility of meat processors 'slacking off' causing them to be less likely to detect tainted beef.
Global Warming - The dry weather in the Southeast and Southwest may cause fecal dust to be blown and waft through the beef-slaughtering plants. In other regions where excessive rainfall causes muddy holding pens where E. coli will be more likely to thrive.
Other Pathogens
E. coli is one of the most popular bacterial agents to find its way into the media spotlight, there are also others agents that sicken the public. These would be salmonella, campylobacter, shigella and listeria. The nation has seen outbreaks of each of the illnesses. It was E. coli that sickened and killed many people who ate the tainted spinach in the beginning of 2007, and helped shut down food producer Topps. However, while it is primarily the stereotype, E. coli O157:H7 to blame there are other non-O157 toxins that are just as deadly, specifically 026, 0103, 0111, and 0145.
While most of these letters and numbers mean nothing to the average consumer, the implication is that there is more than one kind of E. coli that may rise in the future to harm and kill the public. The elderly and very young are susceptible to the illness and those with at risk immune systems; This should lead us to ask the question - "Why does this continue to happen and are there definitive ways to keep America's food supply safe?"
