Tackling food safety is far from a piece of cake.
Tackling food safety is far from a piece of cake.
I’ve always had a sensitive stomach. I do my best to avoid dairy and stay away from greasy foods. I take a probiotic every morning.
Around July of this year, I noticed something was off.
After weeks of cramping and bloating, and all the stomach issues you might be imagining, I went to the doctor and requested every test imaginable. But from H. Pylori to Celiac indicators, everything was negative.
My fourth-year at Loyola was approaching. I couldn’t be more than 10 feet away from a restroom and was wracked with anxiety thinking it could be Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis or some other chronic bowel disease that would launch my sensitive stomach into the long-term danger zone category.
After a two-month process, I finally got my answer — E. Coli. When I got the call, my first thought was “Who actually gets E. Coli?”
The answer? Me — and now dozens of other Americans.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a warning on Oct. 22, citing an E. Coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s restaurants in at least 13 states. So far, 75 cases have been reported with at least 22 hospitalized and one dead.
E. Coli is a group of bacteria that can cause infections in your gut, leading to fevers, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, cramps and fatigue. There are numerous strains of E. Coli, with the Shiga toxin-producing E. Coli infection being the most common cause of outbreaks in the U.S.
E. Coli is most often contracted by eating or drinking contaminated foods. Some E. Coli cases resolve themselves in a matter of days, while others can be more long-term or require antibiotic intervention, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Prior to my E. Coli infection, I was under the impression the disease was similar to food poisoning — give it a week or two and it’ll go away. It’s been months since my diagnosis and I’m now doing a second round of antibiotics. I struggle to get to my classes, let alone leave the house for a follow-up procedure to check for bacterial overgrowth.
Hundreds, if not thousands of dollars have gone towards my health because of something contaminated I consumed. Now, confirmed through national headlines, I’m not alone.
It’s unacceptable Americans are being poisoned by the food they consume. It’s one thing to get sick from uncooked chicken or unwashed produce, but it’s horrifying to get sick from pre-packaged grocery store meats or a hamburger prepared by a restaurant. CDC warnings and recalls simply aren’t enough.
America’s currently plagued by foodborne illnesses. In July, Boar’s Head deli meats were recalled for Listeria, which was “the worst Listeria outbreak since 2011,” according to the CDC. In early October, over 300 pre-made chicken products from a long list of grocery stores were also recalled for Listeria, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Although different strains of bacteria, both E. Coli and Listeria can cause similar symptoms and have the potential to cause serious complications, including fetal deformities and kidney dysfunction.
While there’s an argument for consumer responsibility, this year’s run of foodborne illnesses has little to no linkage to consumer fault. Buyers can’t be expected to inspect or reprepare pre-packaged foods marketed as ready-to-eat.
The blame is on the FDA and the corporations responsible for producing and inspecting food. There’s no excuse for being poisoned at the grocery store, much less in three major foodborne illness outbreaks this year alone.
Every two years, the FDA updates and releases its Food Code. The Food Code is a food safety guide for retailers which has significantly reduced the risk for foodborne illness within retail establishments, according to the FDA.
Although retailers and restaurants have a responsibility to follow the Food Code’s guidelines, the FDA has an even greater responsibility to enforce it — a responsibility they’ve let slip through the cracks since Donald Trump’s presidency.
While Trump was in office, FDA enforcement letters dropped by one-third according to The Guardian. This is speculated to be a direct result of Trump’s deregulatory agenda, with an emphasis on the lack of collaboration between the Department of Justice and the FDA.
The FDA decreasing its policy enforcement implies violations will be tolerated — a dangerous message with ramifications we’re now living through four years post-Trump.
This disastrous string of foodborne illnesses needs to be a wake-up call for the FDA to aggressively enforce their Food Code, ensuring food safety guidelines are adhered to and food quality inspections are conducted thoroughly.
Recalls and notices aren’t enough to make up for the doctors’ visits and the discomfort dozens of Americans have experienced this year.
To the FDA, I hope you’ll do better — or at least reimburse my medical bills.
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