Attack of Killer Tomatoes

News Alerts

I am starting to wonder if it might not be a good idea to rototill our backyard. Thinking of perhaps building a nice little greenhouse, where we would keep some pretty basic plants, like Tomato Plants and maybe some other vegetables. I mean, you really can’t trust the Government or the Grocery Stores to insure our food is safe to eat.

DOBBS: And this is — you know, OK, let’s back up here. The FDA doesn’t know where the salmonella came from. The FDA doesn’t have any positive evidence in a tomato of salmonella. They don’t know anything about the distribution system; they don’t know anything about the packing operations, the farms themselves, are only this weekend sending inspectors into the field. You will recall I suggested they might do that here yesterday, might go to the tomato farms in Mexico and Florida to find out. Now they’re saying that this outbreak its origins are in both Florida and Mexico? That defies credulity. (source - Lou Dobbs Transcript June 20 2008)

Call me stupid, but how in the hell can any Government Agency NOT KNOW what they are dealing with, before issuing an alert, or anything? It is beyond me, and it worries the hell out of me too. Like yesterday we went shopping at Fairways. Now both Mom & I enjoy fresh tomatoes. They had some nice USA Beefsteak Tomatoes on sale, but I passed. Normally I would have bought a few, as they really were nice looking, but that label » PRODUCT OF USA « stopped me cold.

Tonight we were at Safeway and in the door was a notice, that there are NO TAINTED TOMATOES in their store. That they assure us, the customer, that all the tomatoes available come from areas determined to be free of this Salmonella. Nice, but if the FDA DOESN’T KNOW where the farms are, or if they were infected in some packing shed, some distribution point, how the hell do we know that OTHER products weren’t also tainted, or contaminated?

I suppose the other aspect of this entire mess, is that the Government continues to fail the people, by disclosing the truth, or at least the facts. I mean if you read the report, the FDA can’t even be sure that it was Tomatoes that carried the Salmonella, or created the sickness in OVER FIVE HUNDRED PEOPLE. When you consider that they estimate that for every REPORTED CASE THERE ARE FORTY TO FIFTY UNREPORTED, that is real scary.

I mean the FDA lists a page, of where Tomatoes are okay to use, if they are from there. Course that assumes that it is Tomatoes that caused all this. Then too there is the question of, if they can tell us which States and Countries are safe to buy tomatoes from, how come they can’t tell us where the source of the contaminated one’s is? Of course the next question that comes up is what about those companies that may have bought these tomatoes for use in their pre packed sauces, or whatever. Is that can of Stewed Tomatoes we bought yesterday made from these contaminated tomatoes or not?

HOW DO WE KNOW?

And that is the greatest problem of all this. The not knowing, not being able to find out, that makes you suspect everything. It may get a President Elected, but it sure as hell shouldn’t be used when it comes to Food Safety.

It really is coming to a point, where I am going to seriously consider asking my friend who lives on a farm, if we can’t work out a deal to get a cow, a pig, and raise them for our own use. At the same time, start planting our own crops of essentials foods like tomatoes, potatoes, onions, etc. because it is becoming obvious, the Government IS NOT PROTECTING OUR FOOD.

I mean if they can’t even tell us where the source of this outbreak is from, can’t be bothered to send inspectors out to check EVERYTHING, then how can they even protect us from the more determined crackpot like Osama?

Ian @ June 21, 2008