Taco Bell Closures Continue

Posted by
Judy Arbique
Dec 7, 2006

It would seem that Taco Bell officials were wrong when they suggested that the source of E. coli 0157 contamination, although unknown, had passed through the system and was no longer a threat.

According to the Food Safety Network, at least 65 people have become ill after eating at Taco Bell restaurants to date, and reports yesterday suggested green onions as the source of E. coli 0157 contamination.

There is speculation that the onions were imported from Mexico; however, this information has not been confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Bacterial and parasite contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables is not a new problem. These products are grown in or close to the ground on farms, often close to grazing fields. Organisms can be carried through ground water to produce fields. Careful handling and cleansing of produce is important to reduce the risk of ingesting organisms that can cause illness at the table.

In the past week alone, the FDA reported voluntary recalls for frozen strawberries in Arizona, S. Nevada and S. California because of the potential for contamination with Listeria monocytogenes; cantaloupes potentially contaminated with Salmonella distributed from Arizona to the U.S. and Canada; and fresh-cut fruit in Virginia potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The problem of contaminated produce will not go away, although the risk of illness can be reduced by careful consideration of where to plant produce, proper handling and thorough cleansing of products before they are served. One of the measures used by suppliers to reduce contaminating organisms on produce is to spray with a bleach solution. The recent outbreak of E. coli 0157 associated with spinach may actually have been related to failure to implement the bleach spray in an effort to get the product to market faster.

Sources:

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov

FDA: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html

Food Safety Network: http://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca/en/