Recently, one of the biggest food contaminations has occurred the US (possibly the world); depending on how far Jenson Farm Cantaloupes have been shipped. According to Time magazine and the CDC, so far, 76 illnesses and 16 deaths have been recorded due to listeria found in cantaloupes.
Listeria, or more specifically listeria monocytogenes, is a major human pathogen that, when infected with, can cause “Recently, one of the biggest food contaminations has occurred the US (possibly the world); depending on how far Jenson Farm Cantaloupes have been shipped. According to Time magazine and the CDC, so far, 76 illnesses and 16 deaths have been recorded due to listeria found in cantaloupes.
Listeria, or more specifically listeria monocytogenes, is a major human pathogen that, when infected with, can cause Recently, one of the biggest food contaminations has occurred the US (possibly the world); depending on how far Jenson Farm Cantaloupes have been shipped. According to Time magazine and the CDC, so far, 76 illnesses and 16 deaths have been recorded due to listeria found in cantaloupes.
Listeria, or more specifically listeria monocytogenes, is a major human pathogen that, when infected with, can cause “fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Other symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.” It mainly affects those that have a compromised immune system, a.k.a. the elderly, pregnant women, children, those infected with HIV/AIDS, those on chemotherapeutic drugs, etc.
The real problem this causes is that due to globalization and frequency of trade, farms in the US ship their goods out to the entire world (depending on the crop); and because of this listeria scare, many other farms and farmers are deciding to recall their crops as well. For example, a California based lettuce company has recently recalled. Thankfully, none of the 4.5 million cantaloupes that were shipped out have been exported to other countries; however, many other farms that have begun recalling their crops may have.
As this development is still fairly recent, and still ongoing, many other farms are likely to start recalling their crops. This will take a lot of resources, not only to ship the crops back to the source, but also to have the CDC and FDA test each harvest for traces of listeria. Also, as a lot of crops are being recalled, they are obviously not going to be redistributed, meaning that the agriculture sector is going to take a huge hit.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Listeria in Cantaloupes
http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/29/illness-deaths-from-listeria-tainted-cantaloupes-expected-to-rise/
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Because of globalization, it is fairly easy to spread diseases. Found along trade routes, germs and illnesses assimilate into regions all over. By discovering the contamination in the crops, the extent of the damage can be reduced with the recall of exporting such products. Although the effects of globalization tend to be beneficial, there are negative consequences that can occur such as the exportation of contaminated crops.
ReplyDeleteIt was good that the farms in the US have not ship their goods out to the entire world. If it shipped, the real problem this cause can be serious due to globalization. Listeria does not grow in cantaloupes it comes directly from the manure they use to grow them in and from unsanitary conditions. Farms that use manure for fertilizers need to be a lot more careful about their sources and to check them more closely for deadly bacteria. Otherwise, contamination in the crops will cause a lot of money in order to solve the problems. Because ship the crops back, further research…etc these need time and money.
ReplyDeleteListeria is a serious health concern and has affected many farmers. It is causing a huge upset in the food industry which will hurt the global economy. Food producers need to find an effective way to fight this pathogen. Also shipment on a global scale needs to find a way to prevent listeria from spreading.
ReplyDeleteFoodbourne diseases are always difficult to control due to its wide distribution and the errors that are possible when handling the food. Cantelopes in particular are one of the most difficult foods to handle when it comes to dealing with foodbourne pathogens. Because of its many crevices, it is one of the most difficult produce items to wash. Since there is no easy way to trace back the source of the Listeria and rid each cantaloupe from contamination, the CDC must take quick action to alert the public about the produce and retrace all of its steps in distribution.
ReplyDelete