Just a few more days until the election and I for one will be glad when it is over. I am sick of political attack ads from both parties. John Kerry did offer us a little comic relief with his statement to a group of college students which he now says was a poorly stated joke. I believe he made a mistake and didn’t mean it to come out the way it sounded. I have done that myself on more than one occasion. He should have taken the lead and admitted he was in error. Handling issues quickly in our business or in politics is the right way to go. He failed to react and has had to cancel several appearances on behalf of candidates. Admitting he made a mistake and taking responsibility early would have prevented this backlash.
I won’t post the story in the newsletter but if you get the chance google it.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A salmonella outbreak that sickened dozens of people in 19 states appears to be over, while investigators remain unsure how it began, a federal official said Tuesday. Health officials believe the outbreak may be linked to tomatoes or other fresh produce contaminated with the bacteria, but have been unable to pinpoint a specific product or source. There have been no deaths, but 171 people have fallen sick. Officials reduced the tally by one case Tuesday, following further investigation. (What is salmonella?)
Reports of illness peaked in late September, suggesting the outbreak is now over, said Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer in the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. There is little evidence of any ongoing risk, he added. Whatever was contaminated that caused the illness, it has either been consumed, destroyed or thrown out. So the suggestion there is a need to put out a consumer warning about produce on the shelf is unwarranted. It seems to be past," Acheson said.
By Larry Parson Herald Staff Writer
The group of 60 people lunched Friday on fresh spinach, Congressman Sam Farr said with pride. Then the Salinas assemblage of public officials, scientists and farm industry representatives returned to the table to talk about how to restore spinach's battered image after the September E. coli outbreak that killed three people and sickened 204 across the country. "People walked away with the feeling we are all on the same page," said Farr, D-Carmel, after the private meeting he convened at the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner's Office about food safety for spinach and other leafy green crops. The meeting came a day after federal and state investigators pointed the finger at wild pigs as a possible source for the E. coli strain that contaminated bagged fresh spinach processed by Natural Selection Foods of San Juan Bautista. The outbreak and voluntary recall of bagged spinach last month left the Central Coast produce industry reeling from depressed consumer demand and increased pressure by regulators to improve food safety practices.
Farr said he would seek $6 million for more research on E. coli contamination of fresh produce, and said a new task force, taking its cue from the beef industry's response to outbreaks, will be helpful. Farr said participants at Friday's four-hour session agreed that the research now being done is practical and helpful.
But Tom Nassif, president of the Western Growers Association, said, "A lot of science is being done,... but we're told it will be years away.” “We're working very hard," Nassif said. Nassif said the outbreak cost the spinach industry at least $100 million, while fallout is cutting demand for fresh produce, even beyond the United States.
