The Tomato Crisis of 2008… Can one even begin to measure the immense impact the latest vegetable panic will have on the economy?
The answer is yes. Just ask the Spinach, the leafy green panic of 2006! Just two years ago the Spinach industry was decimated by microscopic bacteria, E-coli. The spinach industry today continues to feel the impact. And, despite the fear of Mad Cow’s disease, the slaughtering and processing of ill cattle as well as bacteria-based recalls, no efforts have been made to regulate and trace cattle from birth to beef in the United States.
Yet in Canada 90,000 cattle ranchers in collaboration with a U.S. company named Smart Online properly trace the life cycle in order to ensure a healthy product of consumers.
When will we next see tomatoes on shelves ? .. It could be quite a while according to Tom Furr, chief strategy officer of Smart Online, a North Carolina based food safety company:
"It will affect even those tomato growers that are doing everything properly, that is reality. A major issue is that there is no proper system in place, so it cant be contained quickly as it needs to be caught at the source. We hear about tomatoes, but do we actually realize the trickle down effects this scare will yield? Without a proper supply of tomatoes the ketchup, spaghetti sauce and salsa industries are all set for rough summer. This crisis is eerily familiar to the spinach scare a couple of years ago which took months to trace the source of the contamination. The U.S. and world consumers need a faster response time, a more secure food supply. By enabling farmers to put low cost tracking processes in place, we can all achieve this goal. Interestingly, Walmart has recently announced changes in how they will accept food vendors selling them products.”
By: Tom Furr – Wed, 06/11/2008 – 16:18
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