Congress to look into food safety failures

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16159412/

U.S. lawmakers vowed on Monday to make food safety a top priority when the new Democratic-led Congress convenes in January following a recent series of high-profile illnesses caused by the potentially deadly E. coli bacteria.

"We've just got to go in and have, really, a top to bottom look at what is going on," Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, said in an interview. The food safety system "appears to have broken down when you have these outbreaks almost every single week," she added.

DeLauro, who will be in charge of the House agriculture appropriations subcommittee starting in January, said her first hearing will focus on food safety.

A key part of reform could focus on legislation first introduced in 1999 by DeLauro and Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, that would place the food safety divisions of the Agriculture Department, Food & Drug Administration and others under one umbrella.

<snip>

"This is a game of Russian roulette. Unless you get very lucky there is the potential of more people getting sick," said Joe Shoemaker, a Durbin spokesman. "Sometimes it takes a situation like this to heighten public awareness."

Wow, I said "Russian Roulette in Taco John's thread. Go Dems!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Is this a real concern?

Because the articles I was reading a couple of weeks ago said that e. coli outbreaks are actually down and this is just media hype.

Like shark attacks.

[RamboLiberal]

2. Gee - do you want to guess if your salad or tacos

have e-coli in them? Or some other contamination that could make you extremely ill or kill you or your loved ones? And who expects e-coli in vegetables you normally eat raw? No excuse at all for that.

Yeah, I think it's a big damn deal and time for our congress to look in to and do everything possible to ensure the safety of our food supply!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. Gee- do I want to guess if I'm going to get eaten by a shark?

Maybe I should worry about getting murdered by Gary Condit while jogging through the park.

[RamboLiberal]

4. No maybe you ought to worry about food poisoning

Your chances of that are much greater than either of your dumb examples.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. And from what I've read...

my chances of getting food poisoning aren't any greater than they've been in years.

[RamboLiberal]

6. Read the stats

We estimate that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths. Three pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, are responsible for 1,500 deaths each year, more than 75% of those caused by known pathogens, while unknown agents account for the remaining 62 million illnesses, 265,000 hospitalizations, and 3,200 deaths. Overall, foodborne diseases appear to cause more illnesses but fewer deaths than previously estimated.

Hope you or your loved ones never experience what e-coli or hepatitis A in your food that could be prevented by better standards in the field or factories can do. Why don't you google some actual cases? Your ignorance is telling. I don't even know why people like you even bother to drop in to these threads.

I'm weary of your ignorance and you're on my ignore list so don't bother replying.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. So I've got a 1 in 50,000 chance of dying from food poisoning.

So there's less of a chance of me being eaten by a shark, but not significantly.

So with all due respect to people or their loved ones who've succumbed to e. coli or sharks, I'd hope Congress do something better with their time.

[LeftyMom]

12. The bigger problem is probably the number of people who get sick but don't die.

Both because it's an avoidable strain on health care resources and a real financial strain on people who unexpectedly have to take at least a few days off of work to live in their bathroom.

[GoneOffShore]

14. Well, if you're buying from big Agra

then you're right to be worried,
but, if you're buying local and know you're supplier you have far less reason to worry.

Let's hope that whatever Congress does it doesn't impact on the local organic farmers.

When the first EColi outbreak happened with the California spinach problem, we were still buying local spinach.

The safety of the food supply when it's entrusted to big corporations is at risk.

[Stargazer99]

8. A note to bornagainholligan

When corporate America gets through fooling with your food your chances will increase greatly. No one is sure of GM food and Europe bans it and for good reasons, but corp America will ram it down your throat and make you pay quite well...so wake up. Where do you think that e-coli spinach came from? IT WASN'T AN ORGANIC FARM, it was one of the corporate farms making a buck at your life and death. Dying from e-coli is not a pleasant thing to watch especially when it is one of your toddlers like in Seattle a few years ago. Just sit on your hands and get screwed royally by the powers that be. Since when do you believe everything the government has verified? I can think of several situations where food was ok'd and it made people sick. This administation and corporate America are in bed together and you think they are going to protect you? I've got a bridge you can buy.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. What's E. coli got to do with GM?

Seems to me to be two different issues.

"Where do you think that e-coli spinach came from?"

E. coli comes from shit.

"IT WASN'T AN ORGANIC FARM"

Are you sure. There are examples of E. coli coming from organic farms. There was a case a few years ago where a toddler was killed from E. coli after drinking contaminated organic apple juice.

[Odin2005]

11. Media-caused paranoia is annoying.

[w4rma]

9. Start testing beef for Mad Cow, so that I can eat steak and hamburgers again. (nt)

[Viva_La_Revolution]

10. you can eat steak now

only parts that come in contact with brain or spinal fluid are at risk.

Stay away from the hamburger.

[eppur_se_muova]

13. But self-policing has been working so well! The free market is the best solution!

:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:

for the sarcasm-tone-deaf