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Lou Dobbs EXPLODES Over FDA's Secrecy Over Source Of Contaminated Tomatoes/Jalapenos! Tabacco Right Re MEXICO - RI9
Lou Dobbs
EXPLODES Over
FDA’s Secrecy Over
Source Of
Contaminated
Tomatoes! Tabacco
Makes Educated
Guess As To Bad
Tomato Source - RI9
LOU DOBBS TONIGHT
Flooding Costs Rises; University of Iowa Campus Flooded; Taliban Attacks on the Rise; Your Food Safety; Border Security Crisis
Aired June 16, 2008 - 19:00 ET
DOBBS: The Centers for Disease Control tonight have updated the spread of those contaminated tomatoes, contaminated with salmonella. The CDC now reporting that 277 people in 28 states and the District of Columbia have been sickened by those contaminated tomatoes, 43 people have been hospitalized. At least one person has died.
A new study finds Americans have now very little confidence in the federal government's ability to protect American consumers against contaminated foods especially if those foods are imported. Louise Schiavone has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the tainted tomato outbreak still ongoing but no federal inspectors on any farms anywhere yet, consumers are anxious in general.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very concerned because like I remember years ago there was a Tylenol scare and this is like kind of the same thing. We're like you don't know if this could be the last vegetable you eat.
SCHIAVONE: And worried in particular about imports even though in this case we just don't know whether the source was foreign or domestic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to know where my fruits and vegetables come from.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I check the labels at the market to see if it's domestic produce.
SCHIAVONE: In a study that preceded the latest tomato scare, the Harvard School of Public Health found more than half of those surveyed only barely trust the food inspection process. More than half do not trust food imports from communist China and almost half don't trust foods from Mexico.
The FDA reports the overwhelming majority of tomatoes consumed in the U.S. at the time of the salmonella outbreak were from inside the U.S., Central Florida and outside the U.S., Mexico.
DR. ROBERT BLENDON, HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: I just think we will see growing pressure to have more labeling so people can make some choices in the global marketplace of what and where their food comes from and which ones they choose to give to their families.
SCHIAVONE: The Harvard study also found the vast majority of Americans surveyed were well aware of the food recalls of recent years including the e. Coli tainted spinach from California that sickened more than 200 and left three dead. The tainted peanut butter that made almost 200 people sick and the green onions traced back to a farm in Mexico that triggered a hepatitis outbreak and killed three people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHIAVONE: As for the source of the latest salmonella outbreak, Lou, the FDA is pursuing the case of nine illnesses among customers at a restaurant chain, the best source of record so far on the outbreak. The government though won't identify the chain or even the location and the Centers for Disease Control insists that no one chain of stores or restaurants is at the heart of this outbreak.
DOBBS: Now is this the CDC or the FDA talking about the chain of stores?
SCHIAVONE: The FDA is investigating the chain. It's investigating this cluster of nine people.
DOBBS: So what...
SCHIAVONE: The CDC is saying they are sure that this is -- the source of this is not a restaurant chain or a chain of stores.
DOBBS: And how is it that they can be certain of anything at this point since they cannot determine the source they say of this outbreak? That makes no sense. It is one thing the Centers for Disease Control, a highly respected professional organization, the FDA led by complete moronic unengaged, incompetence.
The idea that they would sit there and say they're not going to reveal where a cluster of this outbreak occurred, this is arrogant beyond belief. Who in the world do these idiots think they are? Who do they think they're working for?
SCHIAVONE: Not only will they not reveal what the chain is, which wouldn't all of us like to know what the chain is. They won't even say what the region of the country was that this chain was located in, but they know they have this cluster of nine people that they feel they can now do a more disciplined trace back.
DOBBS: I've got to say Congress should be removing everyone at the top of the FDA right now. They should just be simply removed and get out of the way because they're not public servants. They're not acting responsibly or intelligently or effectively.
What in the world are they doing? Secondly, the idea that there is no inspector in the field either in Central Florida or Mexico, more than a week after this outbreak, a week and a half, what...
(CROSSTALK)
DOBBS: How do they rationalize that?
SCHIAVONE: They don't have anybody in any farm anywhere because they say they just don't know where to go.
DOBBS: Unbelievable, we will continue to report this story, ladies and gentlemen I assure you as diligently as we can. But there is one conclusion that in my opinion is inescapable. The FDA is led by complete moronic incompetence. It's just unbelievable.
Louise, thank you very much -- Louise Schiavone. I don't understand how Congress can accept this level of performance. As for this administration had a responsible president at the helm of this country, I would wonder why he is not taking action but then again this is of course his FDA and his legacy. Thank you very much.
Well food imports into this country have nearly doubled over the past 10 years. Imports now make up about 15 percent of the American diet. According to FDA reports, imported foods pose a higher risk than domestic food to consumers. Traces of salmonella are the disinter (ph) bacteria have been reported in four percent of imported produce compared with one percent of domestic produce.
And pesticide violations reported in six percent. Again, we stress reported in imported foods compared with over two percent in domestic food. Again, this is from the FDA, so make of it what you may.
Time now for tonight's poll; the question is straightforward. Are you personally making more of an effort to buy local or American grown produce when you go food shopping? Yes or no. Cast your vote at loudobbs.com. We'll have the results coming up here later.
And a reminder that we do have a country of origin labeling law. It's just that the mega foods and agriculture interests have overwhelmed your elected officials and that legislation still hasn't been funded.
Let's take a look at some of your thoughts now. Kreig in New Mexico wrote to say, "Note to the head of the FDA. Yes, I would know where I bought the tomato that made me sick. I could even find the bin I picked it from, thanks to you now even American tomato growers are losing money because of your agency. Keep them honest, Lou." Well we're going to do our very best. Honest is probably too strong a word for what we can do, but we're going to continue to pull them into the daylight.
Ben in Oklahoma, "Keep up the pressure, Lou, it is apparent our government agency, the FDA, does not want to disclose where those tomatoes came from. They play to wait long enough until we forget." I think you probably have that exactly right.
And Tamera in Utah, "Lou, you're the only one out there telling us the truth and fighting for the people. Keep hitting them hard for answers". We will sure continue to try.
We'll have more of your thoughts here later in the broadcast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: All right. Lisa, thanks very much. Lisa Sylvester.
And our poll results tonight -- 94 percent of you say you're personally making more of an effort now to buy local or American grown produce when you go food shopping.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0806/16/ldt.01.html
Tabacco: Now I have ABSOLUTELY NO inside information, and if I’m wrong, I’m certain to hear about it from one of my Detractors. But here goes anyway. Let’s see if Tabacco can make an educated guess!
Domestically the Bush Regime protects Big Oil, himself, other Republicans and the Mercenaries. I’m going to exclude Florida because Jeb is no longer governor and George is not running this year, so there’s no benefit to him in protecting Florida tomato growers.
Internationally Bush protects at all costs Red China and Mexico. Since neither Big Oil nor Mercenaries produce tomatoes and neither does Red China, my best guess is that the tainted tomatoes come from Mexico. And if we never find out the source, you can rest assured it is Mexico!
I’m curious to see how I did with my “educated guess”.
UPDATE July 28, 2008
It’s official (at least, as official as anything can be coming from the incompetent Food and Drug Administration): jalapeno peppers from Mexico are the source of the salmonella outbreak that has made thousands of people sick in this country. This broadcast has been reporting for weeks that Mexican peppers were the likely source. It’s the end of a long saga for the feckless FDA. The FDA recklessly pointed its finger at the U.S. tomato industry and then the U.S. pepper industry, costing them a quarter billion dollars in lost revenues.
http://loudobbs.tv.cnn.com/
Tabacco: Well, we learned 2 things:
1- It's Jalapeno Peppers, not Tomatoes &
2- They come from Mexico
Tabacco's Educated Guess was correct! What we haven't learned yet, but I still suspect:
Bush knew it wasn't Tomatoes and the culprits (JALAPENOS) came from Mexico! STAY TUNED!
Tabacco: I consider myself both a funnel and a filter. I funnel information, not readily available on the Mass Media, which is ignored and/or suppressed. I filter out the irrelevancies and trivialities to save both the time and effort of my Readers and bring consternation to the enemies of Truth & Fairness! When you read Tabacco, if you don’t learn something NEW, I’ve wasted your time.
In 1981's 'Body Heat', Kathleen Turner said, "Knowledge is power".
T.A.B.A.C.C.O. (Truth About Business And Congressional Crimes Organization) – Think Tank For Other 95% Of World
STATISTICAL UPDATE: