A couple of months ago now the FDA came out and said that essentially all of the tomatoes were suspect for causing an outbreak of salmonella poisoning.  Everyone went crazy.  Tomatoes were taken off of store shelves and reporters across the country interviewed the many victims of the horrible sickness.

But wait!  It wasn’t the tomatoes after all!  It’s the jalapenos!

So the process starts all over again.  Stores trash case after case of jalapenos and the nightly news is filled with the anguished faces of outbreak victims. 

Now, I’ve got some real news for you; the FDA is a joke!  No body, governmental or private has the ability to monitor or screen all of the food that is sold in this country, the volume is far too large.  Although the FDA pipes-up every now and then about a mysterious link they’ve found in sick people, its more of a public relations move than anything, making it seem as if they could be counted on should something major happen to our food supplies.

It is my contention that food related sickness is extremely common, especially from fruits and vegetables because they are not handled as carefully as meats and fish.  Think about it.  Have you ever double bagged your tomatoes or jalapenos so you didn’t run the risk of spreading salmonella?  Of course not. 

That is why I believe that hundreds of people every week get sick from tomatoes, jalapenos, berries, lettuce and every other fruit and vegetable.  The incidents, however common that they may be, are isolated so they are never linked together to form a full-fledged “outbreak”. 

It is, unfortunately for us, a fact of life that many of the fruits and vegetables that we eat are grown in conditions that are also favorable to bacteria.  That doesn’t even take into consideration outside influences used to grow these items like pesticides, fertilizers and animal waste products (sometimes human too!). 

What can you do

1. Buy locally – If you can see the fields where your food is grown, you’re a step ahead.

2. Wash and wash again – Although you might not be ale to see it, fruits and vegetables are filthy, so make sure that you wash them well.  This is especially true for items that have spaces were dirt can hide (leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, etc.).

3. Add a little heat – if you are seriously concerned about getting sick from your fruits and vegetables or you have someone in the house with a weak immune system, cook your fruits and vegetables to kill off harmful organisms.

• Jalapeno Recipes – How to Use a Bounty of Jalapenos
• Abraham Linkin – Best Food Links
• What does your family eat in a week?
• Sprite Melons
• Oven Dried Tomatoes