The first thing everyone needs to admit is that food borne illnesses are unavoidable. By this I mean there is no way to eliminate this problem. So it is always going to be about risk management and reducing the problem as much as is practical (not possible).

Sources

The first thing to ask is where do pathogens come from? There are three major sources of pathogens.

First, they are bred intensively in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). We know for example, that taking cattle off their usual high corn-soy ration and putting them on hay/grass for 5 days allows them to shed 80% of their E.Coil 157. But this is not the solution. Banning CAFOs is the solution. Not only are pathogens being intensively bred in CAFOs, but novel strains that are antibiotic resistant are being created. It’s been estimated that up to 75% of all antibiotics produced in the world are fed to animals, not used for medical treatments.

Second, they come from irrigation water. I saw one study at a recent conference where 100% of the samples tested positive for E.Coli. Should we ban irrigation? Perhaps. Water access is turning out to be a huge problem. Banning irrigation certainly takes some of the fuel off the fire. Plus it would give “local” a huge boost as so much of our produce is grown on irrigated land in California and other warmer areas. The last big spinach scare has been blamed on “feral pigs”. I find this hard to believe. I also haven’t seen any physical evidence. Blaming irrigation water is too risky politically. Feral pigs can’t answer back so they get the blame–just like butter.

The third source is processing facilities. And this really gets to the crux of the problem. It seems that we just can’t keep processing facilities clean, despite millions in equipment and heavy use of toxic chemicals. Even pasteurization isn’t fool proof as the many deaths from pasteurized milk can attest. Even the financial incentives are correct, yet they can’t stay clean. The spinach industry lost $100M in sales after just one well publicized outbreak.

There are competing stereotypes. One is that the low-tech little guy can’t keep it clean but the big, modern guy can. The other is that the little guy, “who has to look the customer in the eye” is cleaner. The sad reality is that no one can stop pathogens and size doesn’t matter on this narrow point–everyone is dirty. But in the end size matters and little is better. The reason is that when a single plant is supplying all the lettuce to thousands of Wal Mart stores, if it has a contamination issue, millions of people are at risk. But the local guy at the farmer’s market can only sicken a handful of people.

Solutions

The solution is to get rid of big processors. They are just too risky. They are food WMDs. The problems with this solution are manifold. For one, the big guys have a lot of political clout, so getting rid of them is easier said than done. It’s worse than taking on big tobacco–big food is bigger and more powerful. The other problem is that regulators think they can inspect this problem away and the mere thought of mushrooming the number of sites to inspect is just too overwhelming.

Banning CAFOs is part of getting rid of big processors. Banning irrigation is part of getting rid of big produce. It is encouraging to see that the USDA is working to develop regional food hubs. This is a step in the right direction. Also, the Justice Department is investigating anti-trust violations in the food industry–don’t hold your breath. But they are going after Dean Foods.

Other solutions are to develop food handling guidelines and training programs for growers. If we are going to be successful in transitioning to a locally based food system, this is an essential element.

But the best solution is actually getting the message into the home. There are numerous studies showing that home-based food preparation is a major cause of food borne illnesses. Cross contamination of raw food and improper cooking are just two examples. Another is the loss of traditional food preparation knowledge. Lacto-fermentation is an excellent way to keep foods safe as the lactic acid produced by bacteria suppresses pathogens. Also, the bacteria are probiotic and help strengthen our guts. We’re turning into a nation of microwavers and this has to change.

Hidden Truths

As with so many other topics of nutrition, health and medicine, when you actually look at all the available data you have to wonder how certain conclusions are being drawn.

For example, food is regularly contaminated, yet outbreaks are not as common. The conclusion: Just because the food is contaminated, doesn’t mean people will get sick.

Also, why is it that when an outbreak is investigated they find that most of the people who ate the contaminated food didn’t get sick? The conclusion: it’s not the germs, it’s the eater’s terrain. A truly detailed investigation should show that the people who got ill had underlying medical conditions, genetic mutations or nutritional deficiencies. But when someone gets sick, it never occurs to anyone to check the victim’s vitamin A and D status, etc.

Please let me know what you think about this.

Paul Ericson is a certified Liberation Wellness Educator and the Weston A. Price Foundation chapter leader for Barrie, ON Canada