I've lost my appetite Posted by Daniela at 06/20/08 02:36 PM

If you’ve stopped eating a particular food, temporarily or permanently, as a result of a recent recall, you’re not alone. According to recent Deloitte survey, 57 percent of us have done so, and 76 percent of us are more concerned about the foods we eat than we were five years ago.

Beef recalls particularly concern us, followed by recalls of chicken, fresh fruit and vegetables and dairy products. Read other findings from this survey.

These survey results aren’t shocking in light of all the recalls in the news. Average Americans don’t have time to keep up with the details in this FDA recall archive, so sometimes we give up products instead.

Last year the FDA instructed us to trash the spinach if it came from Metz Fresh, whose leafy greens tested positive for salmonella. Earlier this year we may have skipped the beef after watching a depressing video of animal abuse at Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. The following month, manufacturers recalled bacteria contaminated chicken. Now we’re rightfully worried about salmonella laden tomatoes, as more people get sick. Not even our pets are immune to foodborne illness; an estimated 1,500 pets died and thousands more became ill after eating food with contaminated wheat gluten grown in China.

“Simply put, our food-safety system is broken,” said David Kessler, who ran the FDA for seven years.

The reality is that there is currently no mandate, no leadership, no resources, nor scientific research base for prevention of food-safety problems.

In the future, Americans may buy more local. Nearly nine out of ten of us would like to see more locally produced fruits and vegetables at retailers and two-thirds are willing to pay slightly more for such produce. Expat Chef at Eat Local Challenge writes: “I’ve just got one phone call to make directly to the farmer who grew it. And that’s nice to know.”

comments (11)

1 Posted by Kim young sook at 06/24/08 09:21 PM

Hi!

100% inspection and We will buy your beef. from Korea

2 Posted by Stephen Kovash at 06/27/08 08:00 AM

What I don't grow in my small backyard garden, I buy directly from local farmers. So far, there have been no issues of tainted food and it keeps the fuel costs low buying locally. The food tastes better too. No more Mega Mart tomatoes for my family.

3 Posted by Karen Shifflet at 06/27/08 08:10 AM

What is there left to eat? How you be sure I won't be effected?

4 Posted by Carol Thornton at 06/27/08 08:24 AM

As a public health professional for over 40 years, I can tell you that the dismantling of the public health infrastructure has been going on for decades. There just aren't enough people to do what you need them to do in a profession that is underfunded and underappreciated until something goes wrong. All levels of the structure, Federal, State and local need to be supported by us all or things will continue to get worse as the public health workforce retires.

5 Posted by Sally A at 06/27/08 08:45 AM

There's no reason we need "out of season" food. As a child I remember when apples were sold in the fall, peaches, plums and grapes in the summer and berries in the spring. We have done ourselves in by importing food from other parts of the world to sate our greed. Let's buy more local so we can control our food supply realistically. Meat will always be a concern but if it's locally raised by our neighbors they are more likely to be responsible about how they do it. After all, it will be what they are eating themselves.

6 Posted by RooCat at 06/27/08 09:22 AM

Doh! Isn't it interesting that almost all tomatoes pulled from the market are gassed with nitrogen to quick ripen them and apparently no one has yet thought to check the nitrogen gas for salmonella? How is it that we can track a cow from Canada with Mad Cow disease but can't find where our tomatoes are being contaminated with salmonella? How can we track that same Mad Cow and yet can't find aliens living in the United States? Canned is no alternative since the food companies can get away with almost anything including rats, mice and caterpillars in your canned vegatables as long as they have the FDA "Get Out Of Jail Free" card of making their products "commercially sterile". Apparently, consumer revulsion counts for nothing.

7 Posted by Kirk at 06/27/08 10:05 AM

Although anyone with more than a room temperature IQ knows you dont irrigate salad crops with black water we see continuing recurrences. Could it be we are being socially engineered to accept irradiation of the food supply? The gvt has already agreed to label such food as "pasteurized".

8 Posted by Keith at 06/27/08 10:50 AM

The Democrats and Republicans have had control of our governments long enough to get it running right. Instead they have dismantled the rightful functions of government, and so we the people are left relatively unprotected from corporate irresponsibility. I have had enough !!!!!!
How in a "democracy" can the government disregard the wishes of a majority of it's citizens in favor of the wishes of corporations ? AARP & Consumers Union are way too timid to accomplish much of anything.

I'm voting for Ralph Nader.

9 Posted by Tony at 06/27/08 07:02 PM

hmmmm ever think we are just guinea pigs for the FDA???

10 Posted by Leticia at 06/30/08 06:55 PM

It truly scares me to see how little people know about the food process. I've grown up on a ranch my entire life, and I can assure you that the men and women of the American beef industry have worked hard to deliver to you, the consumer, a safe, wholesome product that you and your family can consume. We utilize several production practices, such as the Beef Quality Assurance program, to ensure that our beef is safe. The process from the farmer's gate to the consumer's plate is watched carefully, and I can personally say that I still have complete faith in the food inspection system. Over the past year we have worked hard to correct the errors that a small handful have created for us.

11 Posted by Anne at 07/29/08 03:55 PM

One food I do not worry about now is eggs. I buy pasteurized eggs. I don't mind paying the extra for them..they taste great and no worries! So go ahead and eat the cookie dough..no worry. If your store doesn't carry them..ask them to stock them. Anyone with a compromised immune system should definitely eat them.