The Economist on Food Poisoning
In reference to the tainted sprouts in Germany:
The question is how the O104:H4 got there in the first place? The usual route is via animal faeces that have contaminated the water used for sprouting, or from manure used directly as organic fertiliser. But both have been ruled out. By all accounts, the farm also complied with the industry’s highest standards of personal hygiene. The conclusion is that the seeds themselves must have been contaminated beforehand.
Scary stuff! But, there is a possible solution!
It is practically impossible to prevent at least some bugs getting into food in the field, no matter how stringent the hygiene rules. And washing fresh produce removes little more than surface dirt. The only answer is irradiation. That means treating food with high-energy bursts of electrons or photons to attack the micro-organisms’ DNA, preventing them from spitting out dangerous toxins and proliferating.
And with that, I give you Uncle Tupelo, “Great Atomic Power.”
