nutrition unit 8 responses

1. E. coli is bacteria that is found in the digestive tract of mammals, and is responsible for helping with further digestion. However, sometimes, E.coli ends up in our surrounding environment, for example, when an animal; mainly cow, dephicates and ends up in the runoff or irrigation system in the fields that contains produce. This can cause a potential health risk, resulting in an outbreak of the bacterial infection which inevitably causes recalls for certain produce. For example, the Dole romaine lettuce recall occured in October of 2020 due to an E. Coli outbreak, like previously stated, it could be due to contaminated runoff, irrigated water containing untreated, unsantized sewage or manure, or came from manure used for fertilization. Manure, which is animal waste, is a good method to help with the production of produce, however, if the manure isn't properly composted or developed, there is a potential risk of the contents contaminating the produce it's surrounding. Fortunately, with this outbreak, no one was infected, but if an individual was infected with this bacteria, it would cause acute to severe gastrointestinal problems; depending on if treated promptly. Some examples would be dehydration, and diahrrea, or in severe cases, renal failure, or hematochezia/melena (bloody/black stool). In regards to how strains of this bacteria it is traced, in this casem the produce when through a PCR detection, which identified the presence of E. Coli. But in other cases where an individual is infected with the bacteria, the process goes through 5 phases, and is pretty rigorous. It starts from the time when an individual is infected/exposed to E. Coli from the source of contamination; this could take up to 3 days. Then it carries over to the involvement of the local health care provider where they will obtain a sample of stool from the infected individual and send it out to a lab to get tested; this could take up between 1-5 days. After the sample is obtained by the lab, and the sample is tested, diagnosis is immenent and the results of the test will be reported to the local public health department; which can take up to 3 days. Once the sample is sent out to the public health department, the health authorities will begin to perform "DNA finergprinting" and this process can be done from a day to a week. And when the process is finished, public health authorities will begin to isolate the strain of the bacteria from the sample. and compare it ot the outbreak strain; this can take up to 1-4 days, depending on how if there are multiple emergencies at that present moment. 

2. The recall of romaine lettuce is a very popular and familiar story. The recall of romaine lettuce started with an outbreak of E. coli infections was reported in six states, and at least 12 people were infected. Five were hospitalized. The CDC notice is connected to a voluntary recall of packages of romaine lettuce sold under the name Tanimura & Antle at Walmart stores. On Nov. 6, 2020, Tanimura & Antle said the affected products were distributed to 19 states and Puerto Rico. The recalled romaine lettuce was labeled with a packed date of 10/15/2020 or 10/16/2020. Lab testing then identified the outbreak strain in a sample of Tanimura & Antle single-head romaine lettuce. The romaine was collected and examined by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as part of routine sampling. The E. coli strain found in the sampled romaine was the same as was identified among the ill people. At the time of this incident, I was actually working at Mcdonald's and noticed that the salads were taken off the menu. This being because romaine lettuce was a key ingredient in McDonald’s salads. This issue caused sales to go down because a lot of people liked McDonald’s salads and only came to McDonald's for the salad. I'm sure this caused a lot of controversies everywhere.

3. The fast food Chipotle company has been charged in Los Angelescourts with two counts of violating the food, drug, and cosmetic act by serving food that causes four outbreaks of norovirus which causes diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps, and a food poisoning incident. The 25 million payment was the largest fine that was ever given to a fast food company for a food safety case. From 2015 through 2018 there were more than 1,000 people who got sick from the outbreak from chipotle, and now the justice department charged the fast food restaurant chain with violating federal law by adulterating food. A type of bacteria that forms when food is left out at an unsafe temperature that causes the chipotle restaurant to have an outbreak. Approximately 700 people reported to have gastrointestinal problems, including nausea, diarrhea and fever. According to the article that I have read it stated that “The series of outbreaks not only sickened thousands and provided the government with fodder for criminal charges, it saw the end come for the founder and CEO of the company, Steve Ells. He pledged from the beginning to provide wholesome, natural food sourced in a sustainable fashion. The outbreak scandal saw his company's stock drop to less than half its value and was the writing on the wall for Ells” (New Desk, 2020). The chipotle fast food industry has dropped in customers dramatically because of the outbreak, and a lot of people do not want to catch any type of disease that could harm them. According to the article that I have read it also stated that “Chipotle also agreed to create a comprehensive food safety compliance program; if followed, the government will most likely dismiss the criminal information”  (CNN, 2020). If restaurants began to provide us with a healthy program, then we could get the opportunity to have two options available for us.

4. On December 16, 2020, Tesoro’s Trading Company in Las Vegas, NV released a statement regarding a product they currently supply and distribute to Trader Joe’s facilities across the nation. The company announced that some lots of “Trader Joe’s Lightly Salted Edamame” may have had the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This is an organism that can cause serious, and sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised adults. Healthy individuals can still become infected but may only experience minor acute symptoms like fever, nausea, headache, abdominal pain and/or diarrhea. In pregnant women, Listeria can also lead to miscarriages and stillbirths. This recall pertained to the 16-ounce plastic packaging edamame that were sold only to Trader Joe’s retail stores in Arizona, Southern California, Southern Nevada and Utah initially. However, Tesoro Trading Co. released an updated statement to include one more lot of the product that may have been distributed to other parts of the country. Trader Joe’s and Tesoro removed all affects products from distribution as soon as the risk was announced yet urged all consumers to check the lot number on their already purchased products as an extra precaution. Any customers that purchased an affected bag were asked to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. As of today, the cause of this outbreak is still under investigation through the FDA. Their press release did not confirm or deny any known infections linked to the possible contamination. 

5. Canned organic black beans sold at Costco and other retail stores were recalled due to botulism risk. The recall affects three varieties of canned organic black beans with specific lot codes distributed between February and April of this year. The lot codes can be found at the bottom of the can. Three varieties of canned organic black beans, sold by Faribault Foods, Inc., have been recalled for food poisoning concerns. Faribault Foods, Inc. is voluntarily recalled several varieties of its organic black beans, including products that were sold in Costco and other nationwide retail stores, over concerns about Clostridium botulinum, a bacteria that can produce dangerous toxins and lead to botulism. The source of foodborne botulism is often home-canned foods that are low in acids, such as fruits, vegetables, and fish. According to the FDA, Clostridium botulinum poisoning in humans can begin from six hours to two weeks after eating food that contains the toxin. Symptoms may include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, and muscle weakness. Botulism poisoning can cause paralysis of the breathing muscles, which can result in death.