wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Comments

• [1] Roslyn Stone from Pound Ridge, NY June 13, 2008 - 10:56AM

  Regarding Please Explain Food Poisoning:

  Although the CDC reports there are up to 76 million cases of foodborne illness each year, most people automatically think they became sick from the last meal they ate in a restaurant. They simply disregard the last meal they ate at home or at a friend's house. And more often than not, they're wrong. They are more often than not looking at the wrong meal - since most foodborne illness has an onset time of 12 to 36 hours. My company has many restaurant clients and as their medical department, we often speak with their guests who may have been sick. Patrons just don't get it that when they become ill, it probably isn't from what they ate a few minutes or even a few hours ago. But more importantly, most restaurants in the US follow signficantly better food handling practices than most homes. You are far more likely to become sick from your leftovers that weren't properly cooled, from your cold cuts that are past their prime or from your tomatoes that you didn't throw out when every major restaurant in the country threw theirs out.

  
  
• [2] Bryan Walko from Clifton, NJ June 13, 2008 - 01:32PM

  I have this crazy experience with salads that I get at restaurants or take out places. It seems that I get an upset stomach more often when I have some kind of salad, whether it's at a sit-down place, delivered to the workplace or fast food place. I have three theories, do any sound correct?

  1. It's psychosomatic.

  2. There's some kind of common additive/preservative on these vegetables that my body does not like.

  3. Restaurants don't take as much care preparing salads, maybe because the focus of germs is often raw meat, not fresh vegetables. Couple that with the fact that salads aren't cooked, so less of a chance of ridding the food of germs.

  Are any of these likely causes?

  
  
• [3] Kelly from Brooklyn, NY June 13, 2008 - 01:34PM

  WHAT ABOUT ORGANIC TOMATOES?? ARE THEY SAFE?

  Thank you

  
  
• [4] chestinee June 13, 2008 - 01:34PM

  my friends south of the border always told me I would be safe from their "microbios" if I only eat cooked veggies and drank everything "sin ielo" (sp?)

  
  
• [5] Ellen from Brooklyn June 13, 2008 - 01:37PM

  Someone close to me got food poisoning from a NYC hot dog vendor. The resulting sickness itself was not so severe, but he participated in a bike race before he fully recovered. In his weakened and dehydrated state, riding a bike was clearly a bad idea and he ended up passing out while on the bike. The injuries he suffered from the crash were near life threatening. I guess my point is take care of yourself when you get sick from food, excessive heat or anything else!

  
  
• [6] Paul from manhattan June 13, 2008 - 01:39PM

  My question is whether the current problem with tomatoes can be solved with careful washing or if the tomatoes have to be cooked.

  
  
• [7] chestinee June 13, 2008 - 01:40PM

  can you make a distinction between manure on industrial (factory) farms and traditional farms where it is properly used

  
  
• [8] Richard from Texas June 13, 2008 - 01:42PM

  I wish I could get ahold of a bunch of the re-called tomatos. I would cook them approprately and eat them.

  
  
• [9] Millie Niss from North Tonawanda, NY June 13, 2008 - 01:43PM

  My mother was very sick for three days (and somewhat sic for 4 week) while on a cross-country road trip. It seemed to be from a chicken burrito from a McDonald's in Oklahoma. The County Health Dep't in OK sent an inspector the same day she reported it, which amazed us.

  
  
• [10] Jon P. from Hewitt, NJ June 13, 2008 - 01:46PM

  Can you please ask your guest if organic fertilizer that uses manure is more susceptible to e coli bacteria and other bacteria that cause food poisoning?

  
  
• [11] shell June 13, 2008 - 01:47PM

  What my grandmother used to call 'summer complaint.'

  
  
• [12] chestinee June 13, 2008 - 01:48PM

  please make a distinction between raw milk from pastured cows - it is the industry that ruins the milk - and realmilk.com will show you how many cases of contamination in pasteurized there are vs raw milk

  
  
• [13] mx from Earth June 13, 2008 - 01:52PM

  Is it possible that some of this problem is attributable to migrant workers not being given necessary time and access to sanitary facilities in the work-place, ie: while harvesting?

  
  
• [14] chestinee June 13, 2008 - 01:53PM

  Please again distinguish between factory farming (where they are malnourished and grow up in filth and never see teh light of day - and small farms where they actually run outside and get sun and are constitutionally stronger (the pasture yolks are even a different color!)

  
  
• [15] Jon P. from Hewitt, NJ June 13, 2008 - 01:53PM

  SO organic fruits and vegetables are more likely to contain more harmful bacteria…. Stick that in you pipe and smoke it overpriced Whole Foods….

  
  
• [16] Rikki from Woodmere, NY June 13, 2008 - 01:55PM

  Regarding the rich chocolate desserts - chocolate mousse, requires 6-8 raw eggs, is this safe to eat since the dessert isn't baked?

  
  
• [17] mc from Manhattan June 13, 2008 - 01:56PM

  How about taking Pepto Bismol tablets before hand or after if our stomachs feel funny after a questionable meal? It seems tyo work for me.

  
  
• [18] chestinee June 13, 2008 - 01:57PM

  Everybody in NYC can get on a subway and go to a farmer's market!!!

  
  
• [19] Jon P. from Hewitt, NJ June 13, 2008 - 02:31PM

  chestinee,

  So who’s land are you going to take to make up the tens of thousands of small farms needed to feed 300 million people? And who’s going to pay for all that land? Welcome to the real world of living in a country with 300 million people.