Ugh... Rotten Cantaloupe

Nick Koenig
Article #3
North County Times
"NATION: Cantaloupe illnesses and deaths expected to rise."
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_ce6de4a3-87c7-5796-8155-a5da0706a3b8.html

     Cantaloupe Health Problems in the U.S.

     The Executive Branch is in contains the President, the President's Cabinet, and also the food and drug administration. Well, the cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Colorado contained with a disease or illness called listeria, has just begun the deadliest food outbreak in more than a decade, with 72 illnesses created, and 16 deaths in 18 states. Those states are California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Most of the illnesses reported were from Colorado, then Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Jensen Farms says it ships to 25 states, but the FDA say it could be more. By finding this illness in states that were NOT on the shipping plan, this means the illness may be very contagious, but another reason is a spokes person for the company said its products are often sold and resold. Not all the recalled fruit contained a labeling sticker. FDA said the fruit had been exported and shipped to many countries, and notified those countries of the problems the company are facing, but they won't tell the public what countries they are. Illnesses are expected to come because testing on listeria won't be active until another month or so. Fruit stands usually hold the fruit for about 2 weeks, so when the fruit came to a store on September 10, anyone who bought the fruit from September 10 to September 24 may catch the illness, but the illness doesn't act right away. It takes a while for the illness to actually strike the immune system. The more common victims are the elderly and infants whose immune system is low. Advisers are trying to figure out how listeria came into play, because knowing this bacteria grows in moist, muddy places and are also carried by animals. In 1998, 21 people died from listeria in hot dogs and other deli meats made by Bil Mar Foods. in 1985, 52 people died from a Mexican soft cheese. This bacteria can grow in room temperature and refrigerator temperatures.

     This relates to what we studied in class because recently we studied the 3 branches, Legislative Branch who creates laws, Executive Branch that surpasses the laws, and Judicial Branch that interprets the laws. The Executive Branch also contains the Food and Drug Administration, which the cantaloupe problem is all about. Because many people are getting sick from food poisoning, the F.D.A. must take part in this. If they can't figure out why listeria is in the cantaloupe, more and more people will get sick if the product keeps getting shipped around the nation. Take caution around foods in stores. You may never know. If you see or contain a sickness, limit your eating habits and figure out what makes you have the sickness.

     It relates to my life because many people have gotten food poisoning at one time or another. Whether it was at a restaurant or a store. I'm not positive I have ever exactly gotten food poisoning, but I have gotten tired after eating sometimes, and other times had gotten sick. This is also like expired food. Once they expire, they eventually turn bad, and some people don't notice and get sick. Also, I had just eaten cantaloupe on October 28.

     I think that the FDA should of acted faster in this situation. It's not the biggest problem in the nation, I agree, but some of those top stories don't involve people dying and getting sick. Also, the company of the cantaloupe should not use pesticides or other chemicals that may harm whomever consumes the product. People should take precaution around some brands that had problems back then, just to be safe. Everybody has flaws, so don't blame people on accidents.