Bacteria spread in food

FROM Farm on line Breaking Rural News : HORTICULTURE
Growcom rejects Minister’s safe bacteria claim
Australia
Friday, 11 November 2005

Federal Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran is under attack for claims that E. coli bacteria commonly found on horticultural products are not harmful to human health.
Both peak horticulture lobby group Growcom and Labor's agriculture spokesman, Gavan O'Connor, have slammed the statement and demanded that imported produce be subject to the same food safety standards as home-grown fruit and vegetables.
Mr McGauran's statement followed an Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service survey of imported produce which found 14 of 97 samples contained E. coli bacteria.
Of those 10 were from a single consignment of cassava leaf, drumstick leaf and other specialist items.
But in announcing the results, Mr McGauran's statement said the form of E. coli bacteria commonly found in horticulture is "not usually harmful".
Not so, says Growcom chief executive officer, Jan Davis, who says the Minister is wrong to downgrade the impact of the bacteria on people.
"People have been hospitalised and even died from the E. coli bacteria recently in the United States and the United Kingdom as a result of eating contaminated vegetables," Ms Davis said.
"As well as undercooked beef and unpasteurised milk, people can catch the most virulent strain of E. coli from some horticulture products."
The E coli 0157:H7 strain produces powerful toxins that can cause severe, bloody diarrhoea, kidney failure and even death.
"For consumers to be certain they are getting the highest quality food, the federal government needs to demand that any fresh, preserved or frozen fruit and vegetables that comes into Australia must be grown in a manner consistent with domestic standards."
However, Mr McGauran says as a result of the survey high E. coli count, testing regimes will change.
"As an additional precaution, AQIS will now include E. coli testing in routine screening of imported horticultural products, so we can be confident that imported horticulture will continue to meet Australia's food safety standards," Mr McGauran said.