E Coli Killer Vegetables infect Germany
- Thread starter Captain Kremmen
- Start date
There are several varieties of 'burpless' cucumbers which have become very popular because one can eat the tender skin, removing the chore of peeling the vegetable. These 'Mediterranean' cucumbers are frequently sold vacuum packed in plastic, and I personally won't buy them.
Seems like a germ vector to me. They go from firm to liquid compost in a tube quite quickly when they are timed out, I observe in local produce departments.
I'll buy the old fashioned English cucumber and scrub and peel it.
Cucumbers have been a problem for a while. Several months back there was a whole line of pickles and relishes on recall for a contamination issue and the source of those pickles was India. They are still not back on the shelf.
Makes one wonder if the two events may be related.
If it is an agribusiness war, who stands to gain by such an event?
I am suspicious by nature where the economy is concerned and everybody has to eat, so the food business is brutally competitive. But of course no one would stoop to such lengths in the name of profit, now would they? :bugeye:
I also note that they have lifted the warning on the Spanish cucumbers and that Spain may be considering legal action for the economic damages caused by such speculations.
The fact remains that science has not yet sourced the origin on this vicious E.Coli bacteria which is striking healthy young adults, predominantly female, instead of the usual young, aged and health compromised individuals.
Seems like a germ vector to me. They go from firm to liquid compost in a tube quite quickly when they are timed out, I observe in local produce departments.
I'll buy the old fashioned English cucumber and scrub and peel it.
Cucumbers have been a problem for a while. Several months back there was a whole line of pickles and relishes on recall for a contamination issue and the source of those pickles was India. They are still not back on the shelf.
Makes one wonder if the two events may be related.
If it is an agribusiness war, who stands to gain by such an event?
I am suspicious by nature where the economy is concerned and everybody has to eat, so the food business is brutally competitive. But of course no one would stoop to such lengths in the name of profit, now would they? :bugeye:
I also note that they have lifted the warning on the Spanish cucumbers and that Spain may be considering legal action for the economic damages caused by such speculations.
The fact remains that science has not yet sourced the origin on this vicious E.Coli bacteria which is striking healthy young adults, predominantly female, instead of the usual young, aged and health compromised individuals.
I would not quote the British Soil Association as a source. In spite of the misleading name, they are little more than the marketing arm of the organic food industry. Anything they say is geared to persuading people to switch to organic food, so as to make more money for their masters. A bit like quoting a pharmaceutical company to support the increased use of drugs.
I am more concerned about the India business, as stated by Dr Mabuse. The over-use of antibiotics for trivial human ills exposes bacteria that cause human disease to antibiotics, so they can develop immunity. While antibiotics in pigs is not good, it is less damaging than what we do to ourselves, since it is mainly pig diseases that get immune.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
It's not the cucumbers, they say now.
Sauerkraut.. We call it "zuurkool."
Yumm! Zuurkool met rookworst:
I've eaten it. The German version anyway.
With mustard, It's OK
More good news!
Factory farm cows have incubated a new mutated MRSA that eludes detection, and is apparently being passed to humans. You guessed it, in some way it was created by antibiotics. More questions about the specifics of where it came from than answers right now, but little doubt about how.
Factory farm cows have incubated a new mutated MRSA that eludes detection, and is apparently being passed to humans. You guessed it, in some way it was created by antibiotics. More questions about the specifics of where it came from than answers right now, but little doubt about how.
Germany thinks it MAY have traced to source of infection to bean sprouts (and possibly other salad vegges) to a particular farm in North Germany. They say it's also possible the bacteria may have arrived at the farm from seeds bought from other sources.
It's still to early to be certain, but they seem to have a trail to follow.
It's worth noting that even though this IS an organic farm, they don't use manure for fertilizer. However, two workers on the farm have been identified as infected. This entire "epidemic" as well as 22 confirmed deaths may turn out to be the result of poor personal hygiene on the part of just one or two people. If so, I think criminal charges should be brought.
Meanwhile, the saga continues...
It's still to early to be certain, but they seem to have a trail to follow.
It's worth noting that even though this IS an organic farm, they don't use manure for fertilizer. However, two workers on the farm have been identified as infected. This entire "epidemic" as well as 22 confirmed deaths may turn out to be the result of poor personal hygiene on the part of just one or two people. If so, I think criminal charges should be brought.
Meanwhile, the saga continues...
I don't think the infection could have been in the seeds.
Too dry, I think, for bacteria to survive more than a few hours.
An infected water supply would be a better bet.
I've made bean sprouts.
Well, I've created the condition for them to sprout anyway.
They need to be thoroughly washed in clean water three times a day.
Anyway.
It's good if they have found the source of the outbreak.
Too dry, I think, for bacteria to survive more than a few hours.
An infected water supply would be a better bet.
I've made bean sprouts.
Well, I've created the condition for them to sprout anyway.
They need to be thoroughly washed in clean water three times a day.
Anyway.
It's good if they have found the source of the outbreak.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
Bacteria can form spores in times of drought or during other unfavorable conditions. The spores later develop into normal bacteria when conditions improve.
Edit: Whoops.. It seems E. coli is non-spore-forming. Never mind then
The beansprout theory would explain why the infection is so localised.
To stay fresh, they need frequent washing.
Once packaged, they would last a day, or two at most.
To stay fresh, they need frequent washing.
Once packaged, they would last a day, or two at most.
Update: German officials have cautiously backed up a step from saying that farm is the source of the E. Coli: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4328543...als-sprouts-may-not-be-cause-e-coli-outbreak/
Incidentally, the farm says it uses no fertilizer of any kind on those bean sprouts - and that makes sense because they ARE just sprouts, not plants that depend on nutrients to grow. Sprouts are fed from what's stored in the seed itself.
But even that leaves questions unanswered - like the water supply and the fact that one employee (previous reports had said two) tested positive for the infection.
So the jury is still out, so to speak, and the saga continues...
Incidentally, the farm says it uses no fertilizer of any kind on those bean sprouts - and that makes sense because they ARE just sprouts, not plants that depend on nutrients to grow. Sprouts are fed from what's stored in the seed itself.
But even that leaves questions unanswered - like the water supply and the fact that one employee (previous reports had said two) tested positive for the infection.
So the jury is still out, so to speak, and the saga continues...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/03/30/bean-sprouts-bacteria.html
The transportation and handling of certain products is a weak point in getting products from the producer to the retail shelf, based on my six years of work in the retail grocery sector.
I do the temperature checks on our refrigeration units twice a night on my shifts worked and I can't begin to tell you how many times that I have called question on products and removed them for markdown and disposal. Ours is a diligent operation but I know of some local venues where I WILL NOT purchase dairy or frozen because in a small population, one knows the track record.
Truck reefers break down in transit, pallets may sit on the floor longer than suggested before worked to the shelf, over-filled shelves reduce air flow and result in uneven temperature maintenance. The list of avenues by which contamination can occur is a very long one. Of course there is the source and end user to consider as well.
My suggestion would be that a thorough 'Food Safe' course be taught in early school years. Many persons give themselves food born illness by unsafe practices at home or in restaurants. Eating that left-over piece of pizza that sat on the coffee table overnight is often NOT the best breakfast choice.
E.coli is an enteric bacterium. It lives in the gut of animals or humans. It is possible that the original source was a single person who went to the toilet, dropped a number 2, wiped his arse, and failed to wash his hands with sufficient thoroughness before handling bean sprouts.
Given the intensity of this event, I'd say it's actually more likely the individual(s) failed to wash their hands at all.
Sprouting seeds provide an exceptional breeding ground for all kinds of pathogens.
According to the Summer 1998 issue of The Sprouter's Journal (p. 14-15), contamination is often from the seed itself. Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria spp. have been found on seed coats. Escherichia coli, however, results from contaminated water or contact with manure from warm-blooded animals (rodents and birds) during production or storage or in the rinse water. Since bacterial populations thrive under normal sprout growing conditions, seed sanitation is absolutely essential to ensure a pathogen-free product.
Jay Louie of ISGA reports that the most successful seed treatment so far is seed chlorination. He suggests that a 20,000 ppm calcium hypochlorite solution is most reliable, but only California has approved use at this concentration. In most other states, the maximum concentration that can be legally used is 2,000 ppm. Mr. Louie noted that research has shown hydrogen peroxide and ozone treatments to be less effective, but irradiation looks promising. Attempts to use steam pasteurization have proved successful on larger seeds. With alfalfa and other small seeds, however, germination is compromised at a temperature very close to that which destroys bacteria.
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/sprout.html
According to the Summer 1998 issue of The Sprouter's Journal (p. 14-15), contamination is often from the seed itself. Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria spp. have been found on seed coats. Escherichia coli, however, results from contaminated water or contact with manure from warm-blooded animals (rodents and birds) during production or storage or in the rinse water. Since bacterial populations thrive under normal sprout growing conditions, seed sanitation is absolutely essential to ensure a pathogen-free product.
Jay Louie of ISGA reports that the most successful seed treatment so far is seed chlorination. He suggests that a 20,000 ppm calcium hypochlorite solution is most reliable, but only California has approved use at this concentration. In most other states, the maximum concentration that can be legally used is 2,000 ppm. Mr. Louie noted that research has shown hydrogen peroxide and ozone treatments to be less effective, but irradiation looks promising. Attempts to use steam pasteurization have proved successful on larger seeds. With alfalfa and other small seeds, however, germination is compromised at a temperature very close to that which destroys bacteria.
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/sprout.html
Another interesting article that keeps things in a fairly balanced perspective, IMO.
http://www.slate.com/id/2296326/
http://www.slate.com/id/2296326/