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E. coli Outbreaks at Taco Bell   Term Paper ID:38891 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: This two-page extension of involves an updating of the recent Taco Bell E coli ...... More...

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Paper Abstract: Discusses the Taco Bell E. coli outbreak, and a discussion of the fact that green onions may not have been the source of contamination after all. The paper concludes with an emphasis on the difficulty of determining the causes of such outbreaks. Paper Introduction: E Coli Outbreaks Since the beginning of human agriculture some twenty thousand yearsago there have been countless instances of people being infected by producecontaminated with bacteria viruses and other microbes Until the takeoverof small individual farms by huge corporate agricultural conglomerates inthe last half of the th century most outbreaks of food poisoning werelocalized But today of America\'s beef is produced by just fourcompanies of pre-cut salads come from only two corporations and athird of our national milk supply is produced by Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Beef is often contaminated, as well. coli) and related bacteria in the UnitedStates (Wikipedia, 2 6 North American E. Wikipedia, December 2 6.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2 6_North_American_E._coli_outbreak Coli Fears Inspire a Call for Oversight. coli. coli has had a devastating effect on California spinachgrowers, who are responsible for three quarters of national production ofthis plant. The cause of the outbreak was traced to the spinach-growing fields ofSalinas Valley, California, where investigators from the Center for DiseaseControl speculate that the dangerous bacteria entered the growing areathrough grazing deer or due to use of irrigation water contaminated withcattle feces from nearby livestock pens. But while these bacteria were found in association with the onions,it did not conclusively prove that they were the actual source of thecontamination, since they may have been infected indirectly by a foodpreparation surface already infested with the bacteria. By October of this year 199people had been infected, resulting in three deaths, and 31 cases of kidneyfailure caused by this organism. "As the number of confirmedor suspected cases of E. Federal Tests Find No E. In a refection of how dire the economic andpublic relations consequences have been, three major produce industrygroups with a long history of resisting any form of governmental oversightof the industry have joined forces to lobby for federal regulations whereup until now none have existed (Burros, New York Times, December 9, 2 6).The likelihood that the FDA will increase regulation of the industry isunlikely as long as the pro-business Bush Administration is in power. Just as the California spinach growers took a severe economic hitfrom the spinach outbreak, this one has caused financial fallout for YumBrands, which owns Taco Bell, as well as KFC and Pizza Hut, whose stock hasfallen more than 5% in the last few days (Hirsch and Cone, Los AngelesTimes, December 9, 2 6). Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and NaturalToxins Handbook. The U.s. coli bacteria had actually invaded the interior ofthe plants themselves, making washing automatically ineffective. The violent cramps and bloody stoolscaused by damage to intestinal cells, and particularly its grave potentialto permanently damage the kidneys (hemolytic uremic syndrome) make thisoutbreak more severe in its consequences than previous incidents of foodpoisoning. Until the takeoverof small individual farms by huge corporate agricultural conglomerates inthe last half of the 2 th century most outbreaks of food poisoning werelocalized. E. Wikipedia. Evidently the bagfound to be contaminated was determined to be a mislableed bag of whiteonions. A number of lawsuits have also been filed. Since the symptoms take up to a week toshow themselves, it is possible the rate of infection will go up. Coli in Green Onions). December 2 6.colihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coliEscherichia coli O157:H7. To compound the growers' troubles, on October 5, 2 6the FBI launched a criminal inquiry into the outbreak, This outbreak was soon followed by another in New Jersey, when inlate November nineteen people were sickened by food from a Taco Bellrestaurant in South Plainfield, with several found to have contracted thedreaded hemolytic uremic syndrome. New York Times Magazine, October 15,2 6.http://www.nytimes.com/2 6/1 /15/magazine/15wwln_lede.html?ex=11658132 &en=7b5676f63da643c3&ei=5 7 2 6 North American E. David Acheson, chief medical officer for food safety at the federalFood and Drug Administration. But today 8 % of America's beef is produced by just fourcompanies, 75% of pre-cut salads come from only two corporations, and athird of our national milk supply is produced by a single company. Los Angeles Times, December 9, 2 6.http://www.latimes.com/business/lafitaco9dec 9, ,4 86 98.story?coll=la-headlines-businessLambert, Bruce, and Ronald Smothers. Coli in GreenOnions. Furthermore, in the outbreak involving spinach, it has beendetermined that the E. New York Times,December 9, 2 6.http://www.nytimes.com/2 6/12/ 9/nyregion/ 9produce.htmlEscherichia. Witha typical lack of concern for consumers, they have recently reduced thenumber of inspectors. "We have not ruled out any food ingredient.We haven't ruled any in, and we haven't ruled any out, and that includesgreen onions." The story mentioned that Taco Bell's own food safety tests as well asthose by the states of New York and New Jersey had failed to back up theirinitial attribution of the outbreak to green onions. While healthy adults may showonly mild effects from this organism, for young children, the elderly, andthose with compromised immune systems such as HIV/AIDS patients, thedisease may be fatal. It has been estimated that the feces an individual humanexcretes in a day contain an average of between 1 billion to 1 trillionof these micro-organisms. The Way We Live Now. "Maybe the green onions were not the culprit after all" says the NewYork Times on December 12, 2 6 (Lambert, Bruce, and Ronald Smothers.Federal Tests Find No E. coli bacteria inhabit the intestinal tracts of all animals,including human beings, and are known as gut flora (Wikipedia, Escherichiacoli, 2 6). Initial indications were that abag of green onions that were about to be thrown in the trash at the firstrestaurant investigated by food safety workers were found to contain E.coli. There is one strain of E. coli O157:H7, produces toxins that have a similareffect to such dreaded diseases as cholera or dysentery. E. Sales of bagged and bulkspinach have declined 6 % since the outbreak (Burros, New York Times,December 9, 2 6). In September 2 6 this E. The economic fallout fromthis outbreak of E. Like thesediseases, once it enters host intestinal cells, it prevents the absorbtionof water, producing symptoms of diarrhea. Such a scenario has played out with increasing frequency in recentyears. coli outbreaks have been traced to a variety of foods, including"undercooked or raw hamburger (ground beef), alfalfa sprouts, unpasteurizedfruit juices, dry-cured salami, lettuce, game meat, and cheese curds" (FDA,October 5, 2 6). coli infestations. Taco Bell feels fallout from E. This on-going outbreak has been tentatively traced to green onions, possibly fromMexico, which played a role in the 2 3 poisoning of 6 people and thedeath of four who ate at a Chi-Chi's restaurant in western Pennsylvania. coli, however, that is particularlyvirulent and has figured prominently as the culprit in two widelypublicized recent outbreaks of food poisoning in North America. Statement before the Committee on Health, Education,Labor and Pensions,Burros, Marian. Since 199 there have been over 4 outbreaks of food-borne illnesscaused by Escherichia coli (E. New York Times, December 12, 2 6http://www.nytimes.com/2 6/12/12/nyregion/12coli.html?n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%2 Topics%2fSubjects%2fE%2fE%2 Coli%2 %28Bacteria%29Pollan, Michael. E Coli Outbreaks (73841) Since the beginning of human agriculture some twenty thousand yearsago there have been countless instances of people being infected by producecontaminated with bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. coli livingnaturally in us, and most do no harm, while some aid in the production ofcertain vitamins. coli infection rose to 4 yesterday, federalofficials said that their testing had failed to confirm preliminaryfindings by Taco Bell that some green onions in its restaurants werecontaminated..."There's nothing to implicate green onions right now," saidDr. Whatever the details of this or other cases, it is obvious thatthe time for greater scrutiny and regulation of dangers to our food supplyis long overdue.Works CitedBrackett, Robert E. Thisstrain, known as E. Food poisoning from microorganisms present in foods which are ofteneaten raw such as fruits and vegetables are particularly hard to control.It is well known that most poultry bought in the supermarket containsresidues of salmonella, a bacteria that can cause symptoms of foodpoisoning similar to E. As I write the attribution of the source of the on-going Taco Bellcontamination has taken an unexpected turn. coli outbreak). What is to be done to prevent more of these outbreaks, which seem tobe increasing in frequency? Food andDrug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition reportsthat E. Food and Drug Administration. There are hundreds of strains of E. The riseof industrialized agriculture with its centralization of growing,processing, and marketing has increased the potential for nationwideoutbreaks of food poisoning, since contamination at any of the stages offood production can result in widespread illness (Pollan, New York Times,1 /15/ 6). This confusion is inevitable in anything as complex as determiningthe cause of a food-borne illness outbreak, because the scope of potentialculprits involves the examination of thousands of tons of food from manysources, as well as the scrutinizing of many restaurants, employees, andkitchens. Half of the people infected have been hospitalised, compared to25 to 3 percent for previous non-O157:H7 E. While the washing of foods to be eaten raw is always advised, eventhe Food and Drug Administration admits that only some of the harmfulbacteria that may be present are removed, leaving potentially hazardousvestiges. colioutbreak. coli outbreak. coli strain was conclusively implicated ina nationwide outbreak of food-borne illness traced to uncooked bagged freshspinach that sickened people in 26 states. In response to the outbreak, theFDA called for all bagged spinach to be removed from supermarket shelves,and warned the public not to eat any fresh spinach, including that mixedwith other vegetables in ready-to-eat salads. It is estimated that losses could amount to over $75 millionfor a crop that in 2 5 brought in $258.3 million, which representsapproximately a $35 loss for every acre planted. October 5, 2 6.http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/chap15.htmlHirsch, Jerry, and Cone, Marla. But thefact that these foods are usually cooked minimizes the danger to theconsumer, since the high heat usually effectively destroys the vastmajority of these organisms. Apart from specific investigations after the fact,the most the FDA has done in response to the long series of food-relateddisease outbreaks is to write "guidance documents" for growers ofcantaloupes, lettuce and leafy greens, tomatoes, green onions, and herbs,commodities responsible for more than 8 % of the food contaminationsproblems (Brackett, FDA, November 15, 2 6). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.