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Et Tu, Potatoes? Spud Is Among 'Riskiest' Foods

2 years ago

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Well, fellow WUppers, it looks like I may have to retire my fork and knife forever. First came Sunday's gruesome New York Times story detailing what happened to a young woman who ate a hamburger that was tainted with a virulent form of E. coli bacteria.

On Tuesday, the food watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest hit us with its Top 10 list of the riskiest foods -- that is, foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration that accounted for the largest number of food-borne outbreaks since 1990. Are you ready? They are: leafy greens, eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts and berries.

I must say, this list gives new meaning to the expression, "Let them eat cake," as cake seems to be the only safe food left for us to consume.

In the press release accompanying the report, CSPI is quick to point out that the report is "no reason to forgo the occasional salad Niçoise . . . [or] pass up tomatoes, sprouts, and berries." Instead, the group is using its list to urge Congress to pass improved food safety laws.

"It is clearly time for FDA's reliance on industry self-regulation to come to an end," the group said in its press release. "The absence of safety plans or frequent inspections unfortunately means that some of our favorite and most healthful foods also top the list of the most risky."

I agree that the FDA, which regulates 80 percent of the nation's food supply, needs more muscle to do its job properly (though there are apparently some real concerns about how enhanced regulations might affect small farmers and food producers). And I appreciate that CSPI is bringing attention to the fact that some of the very foods we should be eating more of may hold hidden hazards because of our inadequate food-safety system. But I also worry that singling out these foods in a "Top 10 Riskiest" list will send some people running back to the processed-food aisles at their local supermarket.

I have no intention of banning any of the foods on the list, not even oysters (I don't get to eat them often anyway because they are too expensive), and certainly not . . . potatoes? How on earth did such a benign vegetable make such a sinister list? Indeed, the report says potatoes were responsible for 108 outbreaks and 3,659 illnesses since 1990.

As it turns out, it's potato dishes, such as potato salad, rather than plain old potatoes, that contain the most risk, the report says. More than 40 percent of the potato-related outbreaks were linked to foods prepared in restaurants and other food establishments. At least I don't have to give up my own roasted potatoes.

But seriously, what is a food lover to do?

One option is to buy organically produced foods, foods that are locally produced, or foods from sources you trust, under the assumption that these hold a lower risk of contamination than mass-produced foods or prepared foods. But, of course, this is no guarantee, and as my colleague Linda so eloquently put it here, it is not even a question of choice for many people.

Another option is to arm ourselves with more information, which I suppose is what CSPI hopes to do with this report. Becoming a conscientious consumer and a more conscientious eater certainly can't hurt. As some astute readers pointed out in response to my post yesterday about the bacteria-ridden burger and its horrible consequences, simply cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees would have killed any food-borne pathogen. I agree, though there is more to it than that, such as what sort of "meat" the burger contained in the first place, where it came from, and how it was processed.

A third option, which is what CSPI is advancing, is better government regulation. But as my WU colleague Joann pointed out here, directing more resources toward food inspections in one area could result in fewer resources toward inspections in other areas. Beef? Or Spinach?

Or, as some advocate, we can ask the companies to voluntarily be more vigilant, even if it costs them 30 cents more to produce a better burger.

On second thought, I think I'll have that slice of cake now.

Filed Under: Woman Up

Tagged: Center for Science in the Public Interest, CenterForScienceInThePublicInterest, food, food and drug administration, food contamination, FoodAndDrugAdministration, FoodContamination

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