By Colin Perkel
TORONTO (CP) - Deaths, paralysis and hundreds of illnesses from food poisoning spooked North American consumers in 2006 as headlines and water-cooler chat were dominated by word of some unlikely recalls: carrot juice, spinach, sprouts - even chocolate.
And who would have thought the health perils under the heat lamps at Taco Bell could be lurking in the lettuce? Outbreaks of botulism, E. coli and salmonella poisoning has many Canadians wondering why the food supply seems so vulnerable - and whether the banquet table will continue biting back in 2007.
While the threat of being poisoned by food or drink remains low, it will never disappear completely because pathogens occur naturally in the environment and can be tough beasties to eradicate, experts say.
``There's always a risk,'' said food-safety expert Doug Powell.
``Whatever food production and distribution system we come up with, some smart bacterium or micro-organism is going to figure out a way to flourish.'' The dangers inherent in undercooked hamburger or poultry have long been recognized. But botulism from fresh carrot juice and E. coli in spinach have pushed the issue of food safety to the top of public consciousness.
Yes, fresh veggies are good for you. These days, however, it seems they can also paralyze or kill you.
``Fresh produce is (perhaps) the most, significant source of food-borne illness today,'' said Powell, scientific director with the Food Safety Network at Kansas State University.
The spinach outbreak was caused by the same strain of E. coli that killed seven and sickened 2,500 through bad water in Walkerton, Ont., six years ago.
After more than 200 people fell ill and three died, investigators traced the tainted vegetable to producers in California's Salinas Valley. They also found the same strain of bug in a nearby stream, in cattle feces and in wild pigs.
The botulism outbreak that prompted a recall of fresh carrot juice bottled in California in September sent shivers among the health conscious.
Two Toronto residents were left paralyzed, and in the U.S., three people were killed.
Also in the seemingly never-ending parade of recalls - mandatory and voluntary - were California lettuce and crab meat from Indonesia. Fast-food purveyor Taco Bell had to find a new lettuce supplier in the U.S. Even Oh Henry! candy bars and Reese peanut butter cups made in eastern Ontario were on the list.
But is the threat posed by contaminated food growing? Experts say it's a difficult question to answer, if only because most incidents of mild food poisoning go unreported, often manifesting themselves as little more than an unpleasant case of diarrhea.
Figures from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency show no clearly definable trends.
In the first half of 2006, there were a total of 144 cases of contamination that prompted recalls, compared with 218 in all of 2005.
Of those, 26 incidents over six months this year related to pathogens such as E. coli, compared with 65 for all of last year.
``It's probably more dangerous crossing the road than eating spinach,'' said Mansel Griffiths, director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety at the University of Guelph.
Griffiths said authorities are getting better at detecting outbreaks and finding the cause, but keeping the food chain safe remains a daunting task.
``It's a difficult task to monitor everything that's happening and to keep on top of all the issues around food safety,'' he said.
And when something does go wrong, the impact is likely to be widespread.
``You get into food that's produced on large farms or meat for many millions of people that is slaughtered in just a few establishments,'' said Kevin Freeborn, a food-safety consultant based in East Caledon, Ont.
``The scale of the problems becomes bigger proportionate to the scale of the organization that's producing the food.'' That's why, despite trepidation among public health officials, consumers such as Judith McGill, of Richmond Hill just north of Toronto, prefer to buy organic produce and unpasteurized milk directly from a farmer she knows personally.
``We're interested in coming back to human-scale and much smaller productions,'' McGill said.
``The groups that this is resonating with are people that spend a lot of time doing research and are really health-conscious consumers and that's certainly a growing trend.'' It's a trend that worries health officials tasked with ensuring the safety of the country's food supply, who have blamed raw milk for E. coli outbreaks in recent years.
The issue shot to the forefront in November when armed officers descended on a farm south of Owen Sound, Ont., belonging to Michael Schmidt, an organic farmer who, like his customers, believes raw milk is perfectly safe if properly handled.
Selling unpasteurized milk has been illegal in Ontario since the 1930s and across Canada since the early 1990s because of the ``risk of contracting a serious foodborne disease,'' according to Health Canada.
To circumvent the ban, Schmidt had been selling unpasteurized milk to determined and willing consumers, like McGill, who become ``investors'' by buying shares in his cows, entitling them to share in the milk.
In response to the raid, Schmidt went on a hunger strike; supporters such as Toronto-based celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy rallied to his cause.
``So many more people are waking up and realizing how difficult it is actually to have that basic right (to buy raw milk) established again,'' Schmidt said.
``It is a growing thing, definitely.'' While avoiding unpasteurized milk is easy, it's a lot harder to avoid the risks inherent in eating fresh, raw produce such as spinach and other leafy greens.
E. coli, for example, is a hardy bacterium that requires serious boiling to destroy - hardly an appetizing way to serve lettuce, apples or oranges.
That's especially disconcerting to those consumers who deliberately choose natural or organic foods on the grounds they're healthier and safer.
``It's a predicament,'' said Powell.
``With a lot of these things on fresh produce, there is little consumers can do. Washing is largely ineffective. It has to be controlled at the farm. (And) you're only as good as your worst grower.''
Copyright © 2006 Canadian Press
TORONTO (CP) - Deaths, paralysis and hundreds of illnesses from food poisoning spooked North American consumers in 2006 as headlines and water-cooler chat were dominated by word of some unlikely recalls: carrot juice, spinach, sprouts - even chocolate.
And who would have thought the health perils under the heat lamps at Taco Bell could be lurking in the lettuce? Outbreaks of botulism, E. coli and salmonella poisoning has many Canadians wondering why the food supply seems so vulnerable - and whether the banquet table will continue biting back in 2007.
While the threat of being poisoned by food or drink remains low, it will never disappear completely because pathogens occur naturally in the environment and can be tough beasties to eradicate, experts say.
``There's always a risk,'' said food-safety expert Doug Powell.
``Whatever food production and distribution system we come up with, some smart bacterium or micro-organism is going to figure out a way to flourish.'' The dangers inherent in undercooked hamburger or poultry have long been recognized. But botulism from fresh carrot juice and E. coli in spinach have pushed the issue of food safety to the top of public consciousness.
Yes, fresh veggies are good for you. These days, however, it seems they can also paralyze or kill you.
``Fresh produce is (perhaps) the most, significant source of food-borne illness today,'' said Powell, scientific director with the Food Safety Network at Kansas State University.
The spinach outbreak was caused by the same strain of E. coli that killed seven and sickened 2,500 through bad water in Walkerton, Ont., six years ago.
After more than 200 people fell ill and three died, investigators traced the tainted vegetable to producers in California's Salinas Valley. They also found the same strain of bug in a nearby stream, in cattle feces and in wild pigs.
The botulism outbreak that prompted a recall of fresh carrot juice bottled in California in September sent shivers among the health conscious.
Two Toronto residents were left paralyzed, and in the U.S., three people were killed.
Also in the seemingly never-ending parade of recalls - mandatory and voluntary - were California lettuce and crab meat from Indonesia. Fast-food purveyor Taco Bell had to find a new lettuce supplier in the U.S. Even Oh Henry! candy bars and Reese peanut butter cups made in eastern Ontario were on the list.
But is the threat posed by contaminated food growing? Experts say it's a difficult question to answer, if only because most incidents of mild food poisoning go unreported, often manifesting themselves as little more than an unpleasant case of diarrhea.
Figures from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency show no clearly definable trends.
In the first half of 2006, there were a total of 144 cases of contamination that prompted recalls, compared with 218 in all of 2005.
Of those, 26 incidents over six months this year related to pathogens such as E. coli, compared with 65 for all of last year.
``It's probably more dangerous crossing the road than eating spinach,'' said Mansel Griffiths, director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety at the University of Guelph.
Griffiths said authorities are getting better at detecting outbreaks and finding the cause, but keeping the food chain safe remains a daunting task.
``It's a difficult task to monitor everything that's happening and to keep on top of all the issues around food safety,'' he said.
And when something does go wrong, the impact is likely to be widespread.
``You get into food that's produced on large farms or meat for many millions of people that is slaughtered in just a few establishments,'' said Kevin Freeborn, a food-safety consultant based in East Caledon, Ont.
``The scale of the problems becomes bigger proportionate to the scale of the organization that's producing the food.'' That's why, despite trepidation among public health officials, consumers such as Judith McGill, of Richmond Hill just north of Toronto, prefer to buy organic produce and unpasteurized milk directly from a farmer she knows personally.
``We're interested in coming back to human-scale and much smaller productions,'' McGill said.
``The groups that this is resonating with are people that spend a lot of time doing research and are really health-conscious consumers and that's certainly a growing trend.'' It's a trend that worries health officials tasked with ensuring the safety of the country's food supply, who have blamed raw milk for E. coli outbreaks in recent years.
The issue shot to the forefront in November when armed officers descended on a farm south of Owen Sound, Ont., belonging to Michael Schmidt, an organic farmer who, like his customers, believes raw milk is perfectly safe if properly handled.
Selling unpasteurized milk has been illegal in Ontario since the 1930s and across Canada since the early 1990s because of the ``risk of contracting a serious foodborne disease,'' according to Health Canada.
To circumvent the ban, Schmidt had been selling unpasteurized milk to determined and willing consumers, like McGill, who become ``investors'' by buying shares in his cows, entitling them to share in the milk.
In response to the raid, Schmidt went on a hunger strike; supporters such as Toronto-based celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy rallied to his cause.
``So many more people are waking up and realizing how difficult it is actually to have that basic right (to buy raw milk) established again,'' Schmidt said.
``It is a growing thing, definitely.'' While avoiding unpasteurized milk is easy, it's a lot harder to avoid the risks inherent in eating fresh, raw produce such as spinach and other leafy greens.
E. coli, for example, is a hardy bacterium that requires serious boiling to destroy - hardly an appetizing way to serve lettuce, apples or oranges.
That's especially disconcerting to those consumers who deliberately choose natural or organic foods on the grounds they're healthier and safer.
``It's a predicament,'' said Powell.
``With a lot of these things on fresh produce, there is little consumers can do. Washing is largely ineffective. It has to be controlled at the farm. (And) you're only as good as your worst grower.''
Copyright © 2006 Canadian Press