Lettuce and Beef Recalls Show Food Safety Rules Can't Make Us Perfectly Safe All the Time

[rangerrebew]

Lettuce and Beef Recalls Show Food Safety Rules Can't Make Us Perfectly Safe All the Time

Despite the recent recalls, America’s food supply is remarkably safe. But it's not now, and likely won't ever be, perfectly safe.

Baylen Linnekin | December 8, 2018
 
This holiday season has not been a good one for food safety regulators.

In December, a months-old recall of salmonella-tainted ground beef (that initially passed USDA inspection) was expanded to include more than 12 million pounds. And widespread contamination of romaine lettuce caused the Centers for Disease Control to take the unusual step of warning Americans not to eat any romaine whatsoever.

Since the romaine outbreak began began two months ago, more than 50 people across the country have been sickened by eating lettuce contaminated with E. coli, a potentially deadly bacteria, according to reports. Those same reports indicate the tainted romaine was grown in California.

https://reason.com/archives/2018/12/08/lettuce-and-beef-recalls-show-food-safet

[GtHawk]

No, what it shows is that those who don't follow the food safety rules, or are incompetent at following food safety rules insure that we we can't be perfectly safe.

[Fishrrman]

Lately, there seems to be a shortage of iceberg (non-Romaine) lettuce here in southern New England.

When it can be found, iceberg lettuce is selling for $3 or $4 a head...

[berdie]

It makes me wonder why this is such a "new" thing. Maybe it's always been this way...but our immune systems were stronger?

[Free Vulcan]

This is why I grow my own, or get it from a local guy who does.

[RoosGirl]

It makes me wonder why this is such a "new" thing. Maybe it's always been this way...but our immune systems were stronger?

It's only 50 people that are sick across the entire country over the last two months, out of how many thousands have eaten it?

[berdie]

It's only 50 people that are sick across the entire country over the last two months, out of how many thousands have eaten it?

Good point.

[Wingnut]

This is why I grow my own, or get it from a local guy who does.

I did that back when they were dropping paraquat on crops.

[roamer_1]

This is why I grow my own, or get it from a local guy who does.

That's right.

[Applewood]

Lately, there seems to be a shortage of iceberg (non-Romaine) lettuce here in southern New England.

When it can be found, iceberg lettuce is selling for $3 or $4 a head...

The local supermarket pulled every lettuce off the shelf , not just the romaine.  Now the store has every other kind of lettuce, but romaine, only now the price is higher. 

This is typical.  Every time there is a calamity, the cost goes up.  I remember one year the orange crop in Florida was devastated by frost.  Suddenly, the price of orange juice doubled.  But there was a guy on TV who said the damaged crop could still be used to make orange juice.  If he was right, then why did the cost of OJ go up?    Did some government agency look into that?  Nah!