Salmonella Source Found

The FDA and the CDC have identified a source of the salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 1,000 since April, according to The Washington Post [1]:

Investigators discovered the Salmonella saintpaul strain in irrigation water and serrano peppers on a farm in Mexico, where jalapeno peppers are also grown…

The Food and Drug Administration, which earlier issued a warning about jalapeno peppers, is now warning consumers also to avoid raw serrano peppers grown and packed in Mexico.

FDA had initially linked the massive outbreak to tomatoes and issued a nationwide warning against the consumption of certain types of tomatoes. Then, the list of risky produce grew to include jalapeno peppers. Now, it turns out serrano peppers are to blame.

But serranos may not be the only culprit. The Post reports that officials "still believe tomatoes could have been involved as well, even though they have not found a contaminated tomato."

So the investigation will continue, but at least consumers have regained a modicum of confidence that their food safety system can come up with results.

As the investigation winds down and the salmonella story fades from the headlines, let's hope the experience does not similarly fade from the memories of food safety officials and the food industry.

The salmonella outbreak has made clear [2] that American consumers need a robust food tracking system. One of the subplots of this story has been the revelation that the food industry lobbied the Bush administration in 2003 and 2004 while regulators were developing a congressionally-mandated food traceability regime.

The product of that cozy relationship, a feckless tracking system, caused some major headaches for both federal officials and the food industry. FDA was the subject of much criticism for its handling of the situation, even though investigators on the ground were probably working as diligently as they could with the resources they had.

But criticism aimed at FDA higher-ups was warranted, since the salmonella crisis was at least partly preventable. According to the Associated Press [3], "Tommy Thompson, who was health secretary during the industry's lobbying campaign, acknowledged that a more robust food-tracking system — opposed by business groups as too expensive — could have helped stem the current illnesses and business losses."

And those business losses were pretty serious. Representatives from the tomato industry estimate they lost hundreds of millions of dollars as a result of the outbreak. The Bush administration and industry lobbyists should both remember this lesson the next time the door closes and the backroom negotiations over federal policy begin.