Safefertilizer’s Weblog

A recent outbreak of food poisoning caused by salmonella bacteria lurking on fresh tomatoes served at an as-yet-unnamed chain of restaurants in the United States is just one major food-borne illness to cause symptoms in more than a handful of people at one time.   The tomato-salmonella outbreak was frightening to many.  Lots of people are now avoiding fresh tomatoes, just as they did during the Spinach Scare of 2006.  They might switch to eating more fresh tomatillos, or eggplants, just as spinach eaters switched to arugula.  Changing food types is not the answer to preventing future food scares or outbreaks of bacterial illnesses related to improper food handling.  The tomatoes did not cause the problem.  People caused the problem.  The only way to ensure that the food supply stays safe is to pay attention to how food is grown, harvested, cleaned, shipped, stored and sold.

Bacteria is Everywhere

Every time you eat a fresh fruit or vegetable—or any food that has not been cooked at very high temperatures—you take a risk that you could consume something harmful.  Washing helps remove pesticides, dirt and some harmful surface-dwelling residues on food, but it cannot kill bacteria.  A small amount of bacteria might cause an upset stomach, while a potent or large amount of bacteria can cause serious illness.  However, if you eat raw food, you will always risk eating something that could make you ill.

There is no possible way to rid every surface of everything of harmful bacteria.  With the advent of anti-bacterial everything—soap, shampoo, counter wipes, makeup brushes and more, we run the risk of creating super-bacteria that are resistant to anything and everything we use to stop them.  Living among bacteria helps our immune systems grow strong and build antibodies to fight off bacterial infections.  Being exposed to too little bacteria can potentially be as harmful as too much.

We’re Surprised That Outbreaks of Food-Related Illness Do Not Happen More Often

Commercially produced food including plant materials and animal products is awash in chemicals, fecal matter, dust, insects and more.  If you really think about what you are eating, you will never want to eat.  (Upton Sinclair, anyone?)  Non-organically grown meat products are filled with hormones and raised by feeding animals dubious food products—sometimes food products made from other animals.  Cereals and other processed grain products have insect parts in every box.  It is impossible not to.  (Extra protein!).  Organically grown crops could be fertilized with manure that has not been thoroughly composted to kill e.coli and other harmful bacteria.  There are many links in the food supply chain where food can be exposed to potentially harmful conditions.

Grow Your Own for Peace of Mind

The only way to truly know what is in or on what you put in your mouth is to grow your own.  You can be fairly certain that your lettuce is safe and your tomatoes can be eaten off the vine if you are the one controlling what inputs are used to grow the produce.  It is impractical to grow everything you eat—and impossible if you enjoy foods that do not grow where you live.  However, it can make a difference in the overall quality of your food, and can give you peace of mind.  To avoid bacteria related food-borne illnesses when growing your own vegetables, try natural fertilizer products to give your plant a boost, without introduction of toxic chemicals and harmful bacteria.