Commentary: Food safety
What is the future for California grown?
Commentary from Christine M. Bruhn
Advice to buy locally grown has new appeal as California is associated with recurring outbreaks. Restaurants selling tainted food also suffer. A restaurant chain in Pennsylvania went out of business as a result of a 2003 hepatitis A outbreak traced to green onions. Food service establishments don't want to be part of a food-borne illness story. The public and the food service industry want this to stop. So do growers.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the proportion of illness traced to fresh produce is increasing. Growers can expect more outbreaks in the future. This is because one in four Americans are at increased risk for food-borne disease. People are eating more fresh produce. Fresh produce does not undergo a pathogen "kill step." When eaten raw, any pathogen would still be viable. Health officials also have better reporting and surveillance techniques than in the past.
