Food Supply Fear Lingers Among Americans

While food safety has always been an issue, recently it has been brought to the front of every American's mind. Even after Missouri's tomatoes have been approved as safe by the FDA, shoppers still question food integrity at supermarkets. Many people have been switching to farmers' markets for their produce. At farmers' markets consumers can visit with the people who actually grow what food is ending up on their plate and be confident in the safety of their fresh products.

Poll Shows Fear Lingers for Americans on Food

The tomato scare might be over, but it has taken a toll - it has cost the industry an estimated $100 million and left millions of people with a new wariness about the safety of everyday foods.

An Associated Press-Ipsos poll finds that nearly half of consumers have changed their eating and buying habits in the past six months because they’re afraid they could get sick by eating contaminated food.

They also overwhelmingly support setting up a better system to trace produce in an outbreak back to the source, the poll found.

The people who feel that way include the growers.

Virginia’s East Coast Produce, one of the largest tomato growers in the country, has been hammered by slumping demand and falling prices, although Virginia tomatoes were cleared early on, said sales manager Batista Madonia III. He said he’s frustrated by the government’s inability to find the cause of the outbreak despite a nearly two-month investigation.

The salmonella outbreak has sickened more than 1,200 people in 42 states since the first cases were seen in April.

Read the entire story here.

The Safe Way: Farmers' Markets

Farmers' market season has arrived--and food safety is always an issue for both the consumer and the producer. Salmonella has been an issue in the tomato industry in years past, and so some seem to worry about how farmers' markets stand up to grocery store produce. This article from piseattle.com takes professional views on the salmonella situation.

Are Tomatoes Safer at the Farmers' Market?

With a tomato-related salmonella outbreak in 16 states, farmers markets got this interesting question:

"Are tomatoes from the farmer's market safe to eat, given the FDA's recent warning about tomatoes & salmonella?"

The FDA has linked the nasty illness to raw red plum, red Roma and round red tomatoes. The feds say it's OK to eat those varieties if they're sourced from regions that are not associated with the outbreak, clearing tomatoes from places like California and Canada. Washington did not make the all-clear-as-far-as-we-know list.

The markets are checking in with its greenhouse growers on the topic and came back with this:

"Yes, our local farm tomatoes are definitely safe. The outbreak is likely due to the wide use of some kind of composting medium on big factory farms that was contaminated - but none of our market farmers are connected in any way to those kinds of operations. In fact, the tomatoes at the markets right now are all hothouse tomatoes, which makes them even safer, as they are grown in wood bark. Also, our farmers are mostly growing heirloom varieties, both in their hothouses and in their fields.

The FDA web site also notes that homegrown tomatoes are safe. Our market farmers are essentially growing homegrown tomatoes: they are not huge operations but rather smaller family farms, using safe, healthy and sustainable growing methods. These farmers live on their farms, pick the harvest themselves and eat the food they grow as well as selling it to local markets."

I checked in with Doug Powell, associate professor and scientific director of the International Food Safety Network at Kansas State University on food safety.

His take on the farmer's market go-ahead? Not so fast. He wrote:

"Whether your produce comes from around the corner or around the globe, contamination must be prevented beginning on the farm. Ask your tomato supplier:-- What do you do for food safety?-- Do you or your suppliers test wash water for bacteria? Irrigation water?-- What soil amendments are being used?-- Do you or your suppliers train your staff on handwashing?"

But wait! Aren't the farmer's markets at least safe from the current salmonella outbreak, I asked, if the farmers are truly growing different varieties than the ones identified with the problem?

Powell said yes, although there's no basis (yet, I say) for the speculation that big factory farms caused the problem. In general, though, when it comes to food safety, "there is no evidence that sustainable and local is safer."

But wouldn't outbreaks from small local farms at least be easier to contain and easier to track?
Maybe, Powell wrote, but it's a tough comparison to make. "We have no sense how often they happen because they are small and don't get picked up."

So, talk to the people who grow your produce. Ask them questions. The advantage of the farmer's markets is, at least at the markets you actually get that chance.

A Great Resource: MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic

Farmers' markets are a great place to find high quality produce. The University of Missouri offers a little known resource for the producers at farmers' markets--the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic. The clinic offers a great chance for large or small scale producers to figure out what exactly is affecting their crop.

Submitting Samples of Problematic Plants to the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic

Whether you’ve got plants that aren’t growing well in your yard, garden, or field, or a client comes to you with questions about their plant and you can’t find an answer, the University of Missouri Extension Plant Diagnostic Clinic is here to help. With a properly submitted sample and detailed background information, we are able to diagnose your plant problems and give you useful management information. In addition, we can identify weeds and insects and tell you how to control those as well.

Our goal is to provide accurate, timely answers and management recommendations to plant health questions. Management recommendations reflect research-based results and an integrated pest management philosophy. We employ a variety of specialized testing procedures and can culture plant materials in order to identify the cause of the problem. We work with many specialists at the University of Missouri and other agencies to give you useful information whether the problem is your tomato crop, a shade tree in your lawn, the lawn itself, or an insect that’s invaded your home.

You can get more information on the plant diagnostic clinic, sample submission and fees through our website at http://soilplantlab.missouri.edu/plant/. We also accept digital submissions including digital photos through our website. Contact us at 573-882-0623 or plantclinic@missouri.edu with any questions about sample submission.