Thread: U.S. searches for salmonella in Mexico

US searches for salmonella in Mexico
By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 06/23/2008 01:21:41 PM MDT


MEXICO CITY—U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said Monday the United States wants to open an office in Latin America to monitor food safety.
His comments came as U.S. inspectors combed Mexican farms and distribution sites to determine if a salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 500 people in the U.S. originated in Mexico or Florida.

Over the weekend, a team of inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration arrived and are focusing their investigation on tomatoes from three states: Jalisco, Sinaloa and Coahuila.

Leavitt said the inspectors were working with their Mexican counterparts to inspect farms, distribution centers and transportation methods.

U.S. authorities also are still looking at tomatoes from central and southern Florida. U.S. officials would not discuss exactly which sites were being inspected.

The outbreak halted almost all Mexican tomato exports to the U.S. That angered the Mexican government and flooded the local produce market with tomatoes. Some of the produce was left to rot in warehouses.

Inspectors, however, have cleared tomato exports from all but the three states that are being inspected. Most tomatoes this time of year come from the Baja California peninsula.

Leavitt said the main goal of the planned FDA office would be to ensure that food and other products from Latin America are safe for consumption or use.

The FDA recently reached an agreement to open
three similar offices in China, and would like an office in India. He said no agreement had been reached on where the FDA office would be located in Latin America.
"We've had two incidents in the last month and a half: the Honduran cantaloupe, and now the tomatoes," Leavitt said, referring to a March FDA warning against cantaloupes implicated in a previous salmonella outbreak. "What it demonstrates is that when these incidents occur, we need a quick response."

Leavitt said safeguards in producer countries were key.

"We simply cannot inspect our way to product safety," he said. "Our new strategy, as I proposed it, would be, rather than stand at the border, to roll the borders back, and to find those places where products are actually being produced for American consumption."

He spoke during a weeklong visit to Mexico and Central America for talks on food safety and other issues.




http://www.elpasotimes.com/nationworld/ci_9674752

Go to any market in Mexico and you will find it.
In the early 1980's I went with a group of friends down to Baja - I brushed my teeth with beer and drank nothing but beer and Tequila. ( Bottled water was expensive ) At a restuarant I had a salad with dinner. One week later I wound up in the emergency room in LA with Montezuma's revenge. (Bacterial parasite- an Ameoba )

Americans should not be buying any Tomatoes from Mexico as we can grow them here. Don't support this nonsense - grow your own tomatoes or buy them locally. They are very easy to grow - I bought 5 tomatoes plants this year and have them in pots on my patio.

We should NOT be forced to pay for foreign offices with our tax dollars - that is just stupid! We should be supporting US growers! If a country wants us to buy their products then THEY should have to make sure the products are safe - until they do that then we shouldn't be importing their produce and other imports.

Originally Posted by lateone

Go to any market in Mexico and you will find it.
In the early 1980's I went with a group of friends down to Baja - I brushed my teeth with beer and drank nothing but beer and Tequila. ( Bottled water was expensive ) At a restuarant I had a salad with dinner. One week later I wound up in the emergency room in LA with Montezuma's revenge. (Bacterial parasite- an Ameoba )

I'm assuming that it was all cleared up. I worked with a young woman who had the same thing, BUT the doctors didn't give her the right amount of medication to kill the parasites. Thus, the parasites became immune to the medications. She couldn't get rid of them. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, eat a salad in Mexico and I suggest to vacation somewhere else. I wouldn't go to Mexico unless it was to pick up a million dollar check and I would fast until I got back.

Originally Posted by Melissa

Americans should not be buying any Tomatoes from Mexico as we can grow them here. Don't support this nonsense - grow your own tomatoes or buy them locally. They are very easy to grow - I bought 5 tomatoes plants this year and have them in pots on my patio.

We should NOT be forced to pay for foreign offices with our tax dollars - that is just stupid! We should be supporting US growers! If a country wants us to buy their products then THEY should have to make sure the products are safe - until they do that then we shouldn't be importing their produce and other imports.

this is such a obvious dahhhhh! why can't our government see it.

had a bad experience in Mexico City over 18 years ago...actually stayed in what was then a five star hotel in the Zona Rosa , the last night of our stay we ate at one of the hotel restaurants, I had a "salad" and became violently ill...too sick to travel, missed our flights, when we finally arrived in Houston, my husband had to take me straight to the ER from the airport and guess what? I had gotten E-Coli. We haven't been back to Mexico since and vowed never to return again....I'd rather spend precious vacation dollars elsewhere.

Like they are going to tell us the truth....protect yourself and don't buy produce from Mexico!!

The outbreak halted almost all Mexican tomato exports to the U.S. That angered the Mexican government and flooded the local produce market with tomatoes. Some of the produce was left to rot in warehouses.

TOUGH COOKIES! Who cares how "angry" Mexicans get. I dont care if their tainted crap rotted in a warehouse!

Leavitt said the main goal of the planned FDA office would be to ensure that food and other products from Latin America are safe for consumption or use.

There is no need to have planned FDA offices all over Latin America. I would concentrate on Mexico where the food and water has ALWAYS been full of crap and parasites.

Why even take a chance? BOYCOTT ALL FOODS FROM MEXICO!

Duplicate: http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-120501-0.html