Eat at your Own Risk

The CDC released a report indicating that the incidence of foodborne illness has not changed significantly over the past three years. The results of the study seem off-base given the recent Salmonella outbreak associated with tainted peanut products which has sickened nearly 700 people and killed 9. Many consumers may still be haunted by the illnesses derived from Mexican-grown jalapeno & serrano peppers (Florida tomato farmers sure are since it was their crop which was initially blamed) this past summer. And who can forget the outbreak of E.coli (caused by the potentially fatal O157:H7 serotype) from bagged fresh spinach in 2006.

Pistachio product recalls continue to trickle down in response to the current Salmonella threat traced back to Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. While it seems as if we have nipped a full-blown outbreak in the bud (no illnesses have been definitively linked to pistachio consumption even though strains found at Setton Pistachio match some detected in samples from patients in the CDC database), the damage to the consumer psyche has been done. The word “Salmonella” has appeared on the front page of newspapers across the country, the FDA has instructed people not to eat pistachios without first checking with the manufacturer to ascertain that they are safe; and President Obama has announced the creation of a new “Food Safety Working Group.”

So what is a health-conscious person to do when “natural” and fundamentally wholesome foods are making people sick? I am sorry to say that buying organic is not the answer. Large-scale organic agricultural operations (who are generally motivated by corporate greed as much as their conventional counterparts) are susceptible to the same biological (birds dropping “salmonella bombs” on fields) and environmental (water contaminated by animal fecal matter) threats as conventional ones. And the USDA Organic stamp of approval does not guarantee ingredients immunity from mishandling on the farm, in a truck or at a manufacturing facility. The recall of thousands of organic snack foods (like Luna bars, Clif bars and Nature’s Path granola bars) made with peanuts from a certified organic processing plant owned by PCA (Peanut Corporation of America) that was closed in February for health & safety violations has shocked many consumers and left the Organic Trade Association with the difficult task of damage control.

Since corporations can not be depended on to voluntarily safeguard the food supply, someone needs to step up to the plate. In the case of almonds, which were responsible for Salmonella outbreaks in 2001 and 2004, the USDA mandated (effective September 1, 2007) the sterilization of raw nuts. California almond growers, whether they use conventional or organic practices, must subject their crop to either heat or fumigation with propylene oxide (a toxic chemical with a pretty bad track record for causing skin irritation, depressing immune function and irritating lung tissue). A small but vocal group of raw foodists and pure food activists have expressed their outrage that almonds labeled “raw” will no longer be truly raw and untreated. Sprouters now need to seek out "really raw" almonds imported from other countries where no such law exists because the mandatory processing kills the nut’s vitality.

Non-profit groups like the Cornucopia Institute, concerned with protecting the integrity of sustainable & organic agriculture and educating the public about ecological principles, also warn that the sterilization of the food supply could be more hazardous to human health. They insist that eliminating all bacteria on the surface of foods creates an environment conducive to the survival of even worse pathogens.

The more recent salmonella scares associated with peanuts and pistachios clearly demonstrate the deficiency of the USDA’s "Band-Aid" approach to food safety. Since in both scenarios, the nuts that ended up on store shelves were both infected after being roasting. The roasting process is considered the "kill" step which should have destroyed all potentially harmful bacteria. Thus, the indiscriminate sterilization of nuts is obviously not the answer.

Until food companies can be trusted to handle their ingredients responsibly and are willing to adopt transparent health & sanitation practices, the government is likely to advise consumers to treat nuts as if they were potentially hazardous. Food safety authorities have set a pretty strong precendent with raw chicken. What cook would dare undercook chicken? Will the CDC now launch a similar public health campaign surrounding nut products?

It is such a shame when perfectly healthy foods like fresh produce and nuts are the source of illness. Many people turn to nuts and seeds when they crave a nutritious and satisfying snack (due to their fat and fiber content). Now that it is so easy to find nuts and trail mix at convenience stores and in vending machines, you don't have to go out of your way to eat healthfully. Unfortunately, commercially packaged nuts - even those which have no added oil or sugar - are not as beneficial as one would hope. Because nuts contain enzyme inhibitors which make them hard to digest, they should be soaked overnight (see my previous post about sprouting). After soaking raw nuts or seeds, you can then dry them out in a warm oven (or dehydrator if you have one) to make them crispy again and kill any harmful bacteria which could possibly be present. The Aztec practice of soaking pepitas in salt water (before drying them in the sun) is probably even more effective at ridding the seeds of pathogens since bacteria can't survive in a high salt environment (they shrivel up and die).

Here is a simple recipe for soaked & dried pumpkin seeds, which can be adapted for other nuts and seeds, courtesy Sally Fallon from her book Nourishing Traditions.

Crispy Pepitas

4 cups raw, hulled pumpkin seeds

2 Tb sea salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

filtered water

Dissolve salt in water and add pumpkin seeds and optional cayenne. Leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight. Drain in a colander and spread seeds out on a stainless steel baking pan. Place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for about 12 hours or overnight, turning occasionally, until thoroughly dry and crisp. Store in an airtight container.

How Did Poop Get in My Peanut Butter?

Feburary 13, 2009
I found this diagram on the FDA website. If this represents the "Simplified Peanut Product Distribution Pattern", what does the non-simplified version look like? Since nearly 2000 products produced by 200 or so companies have been recalled, the 2D drawing would probably span hundreds of pages. Once a product reaches a retail store, there are more routes a tainted product could reach a person's mouth than can be depicted simply on paper. Maybe you can think of a convoluted scenario which rings true for you? What would that look like on paper? Now multiply that by a thousand. Get the idea?

Update: January 31, 2009
Yesterday I read an exclusive AP article which revealed an even more disturbing tale of unsavory peanut commerce associated with the nationwide salmonella outbreak. Apparently, several weeks before any illnesses were reported; the Peanut Corporation of America attempted to ship putrid peanuts to Canada which were promptly rejected by Canadian inspectors. The FDA refused to allow the rejected shipment back into the States because the peanuts contained a "filthy, putrid or decomposed substance" that it deemed unfit for human consumption. The government agency charged with safeguarding the nation's food supply failed to follow up on the matter- no U.S. official tested the filthy peanuts for pathogens nor visited the original source of their production. While many insist that PCA be subject to criminal prosecution, what about the FDA?

Update: January 28, 2009
Gotcha! Today the public was informed that the Peanut Corporation of America KNOWINGLY shipped contaminated peanut butter to unsuspecting food manufacturers over the past two years. Not once, not twice, but 12 times! What is even more perplexing is the flaw in FDA and local health department policies which do not require companies to disclose results of internal testing. Also, inspectors from the state of Georgia failed to force PCA to clean up its act after finding unsanitary conditions. I don't know about you, but it doesn't seem to me like the government has made much progress in protecting Americans from lazy and negligent food producers since the time of Upton Sinclair. Will this saga cause consumers to shun ingredients sourced from the USA as vehemently as those China?

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Peanut butter (and products made from peanuts or "peanut paste") is not the most obvious culprit when a salmonella outbreak occurs. As unusual as it may seem on the surface, the current food safety crisis is not the first which can claim peanuts as the source. In 2006, 628 people became sick from eating Peter Pan and Great Value brand (a private label brand exclusive to Walmart) peanut butter. The present situation does not involve the recall of jars of peanut butter available at the grocery store (only King Nut brand peanut butter intended for institutional use has been implicated). Rather, a very diverse assortment of products made with peanut paste from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) has been pulled from the shelves of convenience stores, supermarkets, CVS, mom & pop shops, pet stores and even Whole Foods Market making the current recall list even more frightening.


Could there be a connection (or possibly a peanut conspiracy?) between these two recent nationwide salmonella-sickening scenarios? Probably not. However, the peanut itself is partially to blame for the recurrence. Peanut butter is a very good vehicle for the transport of salmonella around the country. A study conducted at the University of Georgia revealed that salmonella can survive up to 6 months at a storage temperature regarded as safe. Salmonella is not able to reproduce without the presence of water, but it is the absence of water that allows the bacteria to survive the peanut roasting process. Finally, the high fat content of peanut butter actually insulates salmonella from stomach acids allowing it to reach the intestines in virulent form.


So peanut butter has the potential to give pathogens the upperhand if they happen to enter the food supply; that still doesn't explain how salmonella got into the PCA facility in Blakely, Georgia in the first place. The bacteria is most commonly associated with undercooked eggs and tainted meat because it comes from animal feces (excuse me for stating the unmitigated truth). Produce, fish and spoiled dairy products can also contribute to salmonellosis as a result of cross-contamination anywhere along the chain from producer to consumer. Just in case you were wondering, the term "Salmonella" does not owe its name to the fish but rather to the veterinary pathologist (D. E. Salmon) who isolated the organism from sick pigs in the late 19th century. Since then, multiple types of Salmonella bacteria have been identified from many species of animal.


The strain of Salmonella that CDC investigators have found at the PCA plant does not match the one isolated from unopened containers of King Nut brand peanut butter by Minnesota and Connecticut health officials. Nevertheless, all products containing peanut butter and peanut paste from PCA are suspect, which is why well over 100 items have been recalled to date. On January 21, the FDA and CDC held a joint teleconference for the media in which they stated that traces of Salmonella were found in a floor crack in the plant near the washroom (hmm, sounds like a PCA employee may be the culprit).


Not knowing the ultimate source of this outbreak - which has made close to 500 people sick nationwide and killed 6 - is quite unsettling for the consumer. Americans tend to trust foods that are tightly packaged as opposed to things that are unwrapped and vulnerable to outside contaminants. The shiny silver foil or hermetically sealed bag encasing your favorite snack or indulgence - be it a granola bar, cookie or candy - seems to suggest sterility and gives the eater a false sense of security. The lesson we learn from this deadly outbreak of food-borne illness (and hundreds of others which have preceded it) is that invisible danger may lie within or without. We can thank the breakdown of food safety in this country on a system which rewards efficiency and mechanization as well as censure the government for poor enforcement of policies and procedures.
If this incident motivates you to do anything, I hope it will make you think twice about your reliance on packaged, mass-produced convenience foods. Perhaps you will take a little more time out of your day to buy a piece of fresh fruit and wash it thoroughly yourself. Or consider cooking your own dinner so you may personally prepare it safely and with care. Yes, there has been a breach of trust. Someone is to blame and should be punished. But the consumer must also take more responsibility for the food he puts in his mouth and gives to his children.