Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

We had to do this story because it was just too easy. Doing this story we discovered a quartet of Killer Tomatoes films. Including the sequel we never saw that co-starred a young George Clooney. We know it's yesterday's news but Attack of Killer Tomatoes is a movie from yesteryear. While the tomatoes may be killers they only made us sick.

In the current criticism of the government we acknowledge that the government can't do it all. Our question is when the government doesn't why didn't they. We're all human and everyone makes mistakes. It's easier to forgive someone who in the course of the job overlooked something that they normally wouldn't. When this comes to food products this is a challenge. However if a problem is pervasive and there is an obviously omission done for financial concerns rather than health. Then "Houston, we have a problem!"

The following top ten list is from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI - video). A real group with real interests in the public's health, safety and welfare. It's a not for profit organization that checks to make certain that the mistakes aren't financial.

WedMD is a for profit organization that challenges the data and the results. "Foods like potatoes are almost always consumed cooked, so it is unlikely that potatoes themselves caused 108 outbreaks." Which ignores what the report (PDF) from the CSPI says. To which we remind WedMD and you that potatoes aren't purchased cooked. With the proliferation of the microwave oven that speeds the time for eating into minutes adequate cleaning isn't always the priority.

Illnesses caused by these ten foods may be as minor as stomach cramps and diarrhea for a day or two, or as serious as kidney failure or death. Notably, pathogens most commonly associated with meat and poultry—such as Salmonella2 and E. coli O157:H73—also have been repeatedly linked to these food items. In fact, Salmonella was identified as the cause in 33 percent of the outbreaks from the FDA Top Ten. Other pathogens causing the outbreaks associated with these foods include Campylobacter, Scombrotoxin, Norovirus, and Vibrio.4

#	FOODTYPE	OUTBREAKS	ILLNESSES	#	FOODTYPE	OUTBREAKS	ILLNESSES
01	Leafy Greens	363	13,568	06	Cheese	83	2761
02	Eggs	352	11,163	07	Ice Cream	74	2594
03	Tuna	268	2341	08	Tomatoes	31	3292
04	Oysters	132	3409	09	Sprouts	31	2022
05	Potatoes	108	3659	10	Berries	25	3397

"Outbreaks give the best evidence of where and when the food safety system is failing to protect the public," said CSPI staff attorney Sarah Klein, the lead author of the report. "It is clearly time for FDA's reliance on industry self-regulation to come to an end. The absence of safety plans or frequent inspections unfortunately means that some of our favorite and most healthful foods also top the list of the most risky."

"As consumers, we don't have the power to check on these products," said Kathleen Chrismer, whose 9-year-old daughter Rylee Gustafson was hospitalized for a month after becoming seriously ill from eating spinach salad contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. "Without a better system to protect us, we are totally at the mercy of the next outbreak."

We found the source of our sickness. We didn't make a report so we're certain that the reported numbers are substantially under reported. Indeed what's missing from the reports from both the CDC, CSPI and the FDA is a procedure for reporting illnesses. The reason, in our view, reports are made by hospitals and other medical facilities. Our take is that the illness reports from the public are discouraged. In this according to opponents to public options its the lawsuits that increases the cost health care. To us the solution is simple - have a public options for doctors AND patients.