While foodborne illnesses such as E. coli are usually associated with meat eating, the American Phytopathological Society reports that the incidence of foodborne disease related to fruit and vegetable consumption is on the rise.
According to the plant pathologist J.W. Buck, the annual number of produce-related food disease outbreaks doubled between 1973-1987 and 1988-1992 and continue to rise. The outbreaks include,
Pathogen | Product |
Aeromonas | alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, pepper, spinach |
Bacillus cereus | alfalfa sprouts, cress sprouts, cucumbers, mustard sprouts, soybean sprouts |
Campylobacter jejuni | green onions, lettuce, mushroom, potato, parsley, pepper, spinach |
Clostridium botulinum | cabbage, mushrooms, pepper |
E. coli O157:H7 | alfalfa sprouts, apple juice, cabbage, celery, cilantro, coriander, cress sprouts, lettuce |
Listeria monocytogenes | bean sprouts, cabbage, chicory, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, potatoes, radish, salad vegetables, tomato |
Salmonella | alfalfa sprouts, artichokes, beet leaves, celery, cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, chili, cilantro, eggplant, endive, fennel, green onions, lettuce, mungbean sprouts, mustard cress, orange juice, parsley, pepper, salad greens, spinach, strawberries, tomato, watermelon |
Shigella | celery, cantaloupe, lettuce, parsley, scallions |
Staphylococcus | alfalfa sprouts, carrot, lettuce, onions sprouts, parsley, radish |
Vibrio cholerae | cabbage, coconut milk, lettuce |
Among the large outbreaks, an E. coli outbreak in Japan in 1996 affected 4,000 school children and killed four. The source of the outbreak was traced back to radishes. In the United States 1995-1998 saw nine separate outbreaks of Salmonella or E. coli traced back to contaminated sprouts.
Why the increase? Part of the reason is due to good news on the nutrition front — people are simply eating more fruits and vegetables. From 1988 to 1996, per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables in the United States increased by 20 pounds. With the increase in consumption, the amount of fruits and vegetables imported from abroad has increased while methods of storage and processing have changed as well.
Unfortunately, according to the American Phytopathological Society, while there is an apparatus in place to inspect meat and reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens, there is no parallel system in place for inspecting fruits and vegetables.
Sources:
More people are getting sick from eating fresh fruits. American Phytopathological Society, Press Release, January 27, 2003.
Recent Trends in Microbiological Safety of Fruits and Vegetables. J.W. Buck, R.R. Walcott, L. R. Beuchat, Plant Health Progress, Jan./Feb. 2003.