Every time I turn on the news and hear about a new food-borne epidemic, or "foodemic" if you will, I can't help but think about one of my favorite episodes of the television show "Scrubs," "My Life in Four Cameras." The show begins with a newscaster reporting that 27 deaths have occurred due to an E. coli breakout, and people flock to Sacred Heart Hospital convinced that they are infected by the bacteria. While some of the patients are actually sick, J.D. (the show's protagonist) notes that the hospital's waiting room is mostly filled with "every hypochondriac in the city."
While it's common, unfortunately, to read of isolated incidents of E. coli, such as one that occurred last week in Denver that infected 20 people and is reminiscent of the Scrubs episode, it is much more unusual for national foodemics to occur. National foodemics are usually related to strains of bacteria found in fresh produce and raw meat. In Sept. 2006 there was an E. coli foodemic in fresh spinach, and over this past summer there was a foodemic of salmonella in tomatoes. It is even more atypical, however, for a foodemic to occur due to processed foods and for two of them to occur within a few weeks of each other. With recent reports of strains of salmonella found in peanut butter and traces of mercury in high fructose corn syrup, those waiting rooms must be packed.
Peanut butter sales have plummeted after over 125 products containing peanut butter produced by more than 70 companies were recalled due to a salmonella foodemic; as of Feb. 6, approximately 575 people had fallen ill and eight have died from the bacteria. The salmonella outbreak has caused our government to reevaluate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); last week, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced the Food Safety Modernization Act to Congress, which would restructure the FDA with an emphasis on more streamlined processes for monitoring food safety.
Meanwhile, a Jan. 2009 report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy shows that approximately 17 out of 55 brand-name products they tested that contain high fructose corn syrup were tainted with mercury. And I'm not talking about Jeremy Piven-esque "mercury poisoning." This evidence is in stark contrast with a recent advertising campaign sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association, a trade group that represents the U.S. corn refining industry, which attempts to convince consumers that high fructose corn syrup is natural, not harmful, and is nutritionally the same as table sugar. While this may be true on a chemical level, high fructose corn syrup has been frequently linked to obesity, and with the new claims of mercury contamination, it is going to take much more than a few commercials for consumers to feel comfortable purchasing food and beverages with the sweetener in it.
While these recent foodemics have caused many consumers to change their diets and double-check the labels on their favorite foods, researchers may have found an answer to the spread of dangerous pathogens. Ironically, it involves eating more food. A joint team of Canadian and Korean scientists has discovered that mustard seed oil may be a viable antimicrobial against certain strains of E. coli and salmonella. The oil alters the cell structure of the pathogens, making it harder for the bacteria to maintain homeostasis. Their research is still in its early stages, but if something as common as mustard seed oil can help fight foodemics, then pass the Grey Poupon.
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Caryn Horowitz is a junior majoring in history. She can be reached at Caryn.Horowitz@tufts.edu.
