Worrywart

Sickening News: Food Recalls, Bird Flu

Worrywart's midwinter blues have deepened, thanks to some unsettling news: A colleague is home with the flu, a grim reminder that February is the peak of flu season and that avian flu (H5N1), though quiet thus far this year, remains a threat, as scientists said last week. And on Friday food giant Dole Fresh Food Company announced the recall of cantaloupes, some of which were found to contain salmonella, in the Eastern U.S. and Quebec. The day before, also due to salmonella contamination and a nationwide outbreak, ConAgra Foods recalled some jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter, which have been linked to illness in 288 people in 39 states.

As symptoms of flu and food poisonings like salmonella--vomiting, fever and chills--can be similar and deadly, it's worth paying attention, as much as possible, to what we eat, touch and breathe in this sickly season.

Not even baby food, on whose wholesome purity parents rely, has gone untouched: There's been a recall of tainted jars of Earth's Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley baby food, which may contain Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that can cause botulism and/or death. Organic or not, processed food can pose a risk of contamination at each stage of production and handling.

The Dole cantaloupes in question have been traced to a grower in Costa Rica. Once again, it's our multinational industrial food system, which makes it difficult to trace where food comes from quickly, that complicates matters and threatens our health. And even if you can trace it, as in the case of the polluted peanut butters, which all came from one Georgia facility, by then it's already been widely dispersed.

The same is true of avian flu, the most recent cases of which--in English turkeys--have been tentatively traced to poultry products imported from Hungary, not to migrating wild birds, as was originally theorized. And in order to protect the most vulnerable--the world's poor, who often rely on backyard birds for a meagre income--it's crucial that they be compensated generously for birds that are killed in flu prevention measures. It's equally important that countries such as Indonesia are assured, as they finally were last week by the World Health Organization, of plentiful, cheap supplies of flu vaccines, which are being developed using virus samples taken from their citizens.

What to do:

If you've bought any of the Earth's Best apple peach baby food, go to www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01566.html to check the expiration dates against those of the recalled jars. Or call 888-INFO-FDA.

If you've bought cantaloupe in the East since February 5th, don't eat it. Take it back to the store; you can also call Dole's info line: 800-232-8888.

If you've got the suspect peanut butter brands in your pantry, check the product codes on the jar lids. Those beginning with 2111 can be returned to Con Agra for a refund. Discard the contents but send the lid with your name and mailing address to: ConAgra Foods, P.O. Box 3768, Omaha, NE 68103.

Eat locally grown food from providers or stores you know you can trust. Whether animal or vegetable, it's fresher, has consumed far fewer fuel miles, and is more readily traceable back to the source.

Wash hands frequently with warm water and plain soap--you don't need antibacterial overkill, which contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the World Health Organization, American Medical Association and others have warned.

Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, or when someone does so in your vicinity.

Get as much fresh air and exercise as you can. And do wipe off the equipment at the gym.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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