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Salmonella prompts cilantro recall

December 10, 2011

Cilantro samples from a Salinas-based company have been found to be contaminated with Salmonella and a seven state recall has been initiated, according to Pacific Cilantro.

On Friday, Pacific Cilantro said the Food and Drug Administration found salmonella in a sample of cilantro.  No illnesses have been reported in connection with the cilantro, known as coriander, that was grown in the Phoenix area.

Pacific Cilantro distributed the herb in California, Arizona, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Indiana, South Carolina and Missouri through retailers.

Pacific Cilantro voluntarily recalled 6,141 cilantro cartons containing 30 to 60 bunches each. Officials are asking consumers to return cilantro purchased after November 16 and before December 10 with UPC code 40695 80104 and the word “Pacific” on the twist ties.


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Barring the fowl and animals, or the water system, when in the hell are our brothers from the South going to learn how to use a portable toilet? At what point is enough, enough?!


“Yet his food will turn sour in his stomach; it will become the venom of serpents within him.” (Job 20:14)


“I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” (Revelations 10:9)


Is our Christian God trying to tell us to grow our own with these continued examples of Salmonella outbreaks? I think He is.


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Or….God has nothing to do with it.


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Ted is right. “Barring the fowl and animals, or the water system, when in the hell are our brothers from the South going to learn how to use a portable toilet? At what point is enough, enough?! ”


I’m tired of hearing about wild hogs and all kinds of bizarre stories. We know how the contamination is taking place and it needs to be stopped. Move the porta potties along with the pickers. They are not always going to walk to the end of the row to use the restroom. Make everyone wash their hands or santitize them after using porta potties or the restroom in the processing plant.


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Methinks thee doth conflate Salmonella wit E.coli, Brother


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R.Hodin,


A word please. Before you remove one of your feet to insert the other again, do you know more than the Mayo Clinic on this topic? I think not.


http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/salmonella/DS00926/DSECTION=causes


Do you think that a godly man of my stature would purport anything that wasn’t true? Next time, do the simple math.


You’re welcome.


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SLANDERS: “Do you think that a godly man of my stature would purport anything that wasn’t true? Next time, do the simple math.”


=========================


I don’t know which “god” you are a “godly man” of, but I suspect it is the same one Hitler worshipped.


You don’t even attempt to hid your xenophobia and, because that is the basis of your reasoning, your reasoning is flawed.


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Thank to thee for the informative link, Brother Slanders, even though it did not come from the Good Book. I stand corrected!


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Citizen,


Of course we’re right because we actually have the FACTS upon our side, whereas the others, well you know the ones, only pull them out of you know where!


I can see it now, a “Porta-a-potty” Hefe in the lead tractor pulling a sting of movable toilets, all the while watching for the braceros that look like they need to do their business! I can see the Hefe shouting; “ Alejandro Fernandez, it looks to me that you need to use one of our facilities since you ate at Taco’s Hildago last night, and used too much Cholula on your tacos, get over here now to save these gringos from any more Salmonella outbreaks, andale amigo!”


Furthermore, as you expected, it is against biblical practices for any Christian to leave your excrement above ground!


GOD STATED: “And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee. For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee” (Deuteronomy 23:13-14)


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TED SLANDERS: “Barring the fowl and animals, or the water system, when in the hell are our brothers from the South going to learn how to use a portable toilet? At what point is enough, enough?!…..”


===========


1. Salmonella and E. coli 0157 (the strain that can cause fatal illness in humans) can contaminate salads and vegetables if they are fertilized with contaminated manure, irrigated with contaminated water, or if they come into contact with contaminated products during cutting, washing, packing and preparation processes.

2. The problem of fecal coliform, especially the pathogenic E. coli, is not only because of farmworkers’ fecal waste. Indeed, in the Nipomo rural residential area, horses were felt to be a large contributor to the fecal pollution flowing from Nipomo Mesa to Oso Flaco.

3. Sometimes there are no portable toilets provided. Even in the case quoted, below, about human waste in Nipomo Creek, the reality is downplayed to the favor of the agriculture contractor. The report indicates that there were toilets available. However, the toilets seen were obviously very recently placed. I had visited the creek at this agriculture site and saw there were no toilets. I saw a few other things, too, which are outlined, below.

4. Sometimes, to save money, or to discourage the workers using the toilets, the ag contractor will place the toilets at an inconvenient location. Since the workers are paid by piecework, they don’t want to spend half an hour walking to the toilet and back to the field they are working.

5. The report referenced, below, downplays the findings associated with the public health violation by an ag contractor on land bordered by Nipomo Creek. One could easily see where the workers had hung their rearends over the creek, defecated, wiped with toiletpaper, then threw the toiletpaper into the creek, as well. At that time, there were no toilets on the fields. In addition, the irrigation lines, which also carried fertilizer, were not closed at the ends, but extended out over the creek, and the fertilized water went right into the creek.


You might find the following draft report interesting. It demonstrates the source of fecal coliform contamination for bodies of water in the Santa Maria watershed. Salmonella can be spread in much the same way, except Salmonella has a unique way of attaching and hanging on to the salad leaves that makes it problematic to get rid of once it is on the produce.


As you can see, it is a complex issue.


http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb3/water_issues/programs/tmdl/docs/santa_maria/fib/smof_fib_tmdl_att2_prjrpt_nov2011.pdf

“Total Maximum Daily Load for Fecal Indicator

Bacteria For the Santa Maria Watershed Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura Counties, California,” draft report for the March 2012 meeting of the Central Coast Water Board Meeting).


Nipomo Creek, for instance, is one of the Santa Maria Watershed bodies of water that is considered impaired for fecal indicator bacteria (level of contamination with feces).


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MaryMalone,


This treatise of yours only confirms that my “Hefe on a tractor pulling portable toilets” along side the braceros should be a part of all agriculture in the USA!


I will write my Congressman post haste!


Thank you.


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TedSlanders, you are not just WRONG, you are as well-informed as a troglodyte and, worse, you lack in even the most basic compassion one would expect from the most common of vermin, such as the rat (“Rats Show Empathy and Free Their Trapped Companions” (http://tinyurl.com/7jkpj6g).


Worse, you defile the Bible by pimping its words to support your mean-spirited, hateful cause.


It has been mandatory in California, since 1992, that farm workers have access to potable drinking water, toilets and facilities for hand washing, all within a five-minute walk of where the work is occurring. There must be one toilet for every 20 employees.


Yet I can state as a fact that, in 2007, in farm fields abutting the Nipomo Creek, contracted out by the land’s owner, there were NO toilets. None. Not one. These fields are located a ways up the creek, towards the hills behind Nipomo, so it is not like the workers can zip over to the local McDonalds to relieve themselves and wash their hands.


If you were a farm-worker in that situation, what would you have done when nature called?


I can also tell you that there was human feces on the creek bank next to the fields, all the way down to the water-line, as well as used toilet paper.


It was very difficult to get the contractor cited. The contractor was finally cited by public health, and it was kept hush-hush because the goal in citing a contractor is not to “get” them. It is a last resort. The goal is to get the contractor to comply with state law. The citation was sought only after many attempts, over years, at education of the requirements and the possible results from refusing to comply with state-mandated requirements.


The fine was around $1000. This is much, much less than the contractor would have spent to comply with STATE LAW and provide portable toilets for his workers.


Is there any wonder the contractor didn’t take the law seriously?


Adequate access to toilets and hand-washing facilities have been legally required since 1992. So there is no “hefe on a tractor” scenario, as you state in your latest xenophobic screed.


And, while I’m at it, it’s spelled “Jefe,” not “Hefe.” The fact that you cannot even spell your racist insults correctly indicates the base mentality from which you operate. After all, I think even Hitler could spell “Jew” correctly.


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excellent post.


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Better check the fridge.


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I grow my own…


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Me too.


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Salinas seem to have a lot of issues with their produce.


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It was grown in Phoenix.


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The story says it was grown in Salinas.


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Sorry, I reread the story. It is confusing, but you seem to be right. It was grown near Phoenix.


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I stand corrected. But it’s still a Salinas company. I wonder if Salinas farmers take liberties with their businesses that put the rest of us at danger. You’re right though, I read it as a Salinas farm.


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It is less likely that the big growers in Salinas are taking risks with their produce and public safety. Not after the resulting economic disaster pathogen-contaminated produce caused to the region, most notably in the spinach E. coli outbreak of 2006.


Both E. coli and Salmonella are pathogens that can cause illness and death if contaminated produce is consumed. The mechanism for both pathogens’ contamination is similar. Once the produce is contaminated by these pathogens, washing them with water and/or sanitizers may not get rid of all of the contamination.


Salinas is considered a large part of California’s “Salad Bowl for the World” region. After the previous outbreaks of E. coli, state officials have been quite focused on inspecting that region’s farming practices. Still, many researchers consider the entire water supply of the Salinas region to be contaminated by E. coli.


The E. coli in question is found in the manure of animals, and in bird droppings, and was isolated from dust blowing in from the wildspaces adjoining the fields… so that is one possible source.


Another possible source is farmworkers not using the provided facilities. Using the facilities can be a problem for workers harvesting spinach and some other leafy vegetables, since it is done at night and the workers may be less inclined to walk in the dark to access the toilets.


In addition, baby spinach is not harvested by hand, but by machine, so there is more chance for soil (which may be contaminated) to be “harvested” with the spinach.


Another source is contaminated wash-water (i.e., from a contaminated pond or other source), which can leave behind pathogens.


But, again, since Salinas has suffered such big economic hits from the previous contaminated produce incidents, and since inspectors are more focused on that region of produce production, Salinas produce is probably more safe than other areas.


I would not knowingly eat anything produced in Texas.


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I grew up in the Salinas Valley and developed allergies when I was in high school, which can flare up anytime for me now days, some 40 years after high school. When I drive through the Salinas Valley I do occasionally have flare-ups then as well. There are a couple of companies in the Salinas Valley that their entire focus in on the chemicals (pesticides and herbicides) that the commercial produce industry uses quite heavily. I had an uncle that worked for awhile for the John Pryor Company which is located between Gonzales and Soledad, I believe, which is one of those companies that either makes or services the chemicals those commercial farms use so much of. When you drive by their operation, notice the large number of tanks and vats, as well as the “steam” being released by the operation there. If you ever notice a tractor in a field with large tanks mounted on the machine, you will usually notice that the operator of that tractor is wearing a respirator, with good reason. Thankfully the old fashioned crop dusting that is done by fixed wing aircraft and helicopters isn’t done as much now days, too much “drift” from the sprays being applied. GO ORGANIC!


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Don’t just “go organic” – that market is for fools, it’s already been bought and sold and bribed into a false sense of safety for people with more money than brains.


No, instead, grow your own – as much as you can, whatever you can. Even if it has to be in a “community garden” – trust me, you’ll want to know how to produce your own food in the next 2 years or so. Just sayin…


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I do have a small garden, I do grow some of the vegetables that I eat, but not all of them. I buy at farmer’s markets, asking the seller if the produce has any sprays or not, and I buy at the Natural Food Co-Op in San Luis, as well as other local markets. I do buy organic most of the time, and I do not feel that wasting my money; I certainly know that I don’ have more money than brains however.


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Cal Poly’s organic food co-op is another source.


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Food co-ops are great! I was referring to the “labeled organic” crap we see in most markets, WalMarts, etc. Many of these fine organic products started out honest, small, and with good intent; however, one is hard-pressed to find one that isn’t ultimately owned by the giant food industrialists. In fact, in some countries, it is simple to be called organic, one just pays for it… I really wonder if that happens here, as well. The food industry has so many “dirty little secrets” that it sets off my paranoid delusionalism…


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