Note NAFTA reference in the 9th 'graph

[MDOLAN <mdolan@citizen.org>]

  This is an important story, which the Congress should consider as it 
  debates NAFTA expansion.
  ****************
   Reuters
  
   Consumers Risk Growing Number of Superbugs
   07:51 a.m. Aug 25, 1997 Eastern
  
   By Leila Corcoran
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuter) - Consumers who cannot stomach the thought of a pink
  hamburger after last week's record recall of meat should take a closer look 
  at the fruit, salads and other fresh foods on the dining table.
  
  The deadly E.coli:0157 bacteria blamed for the recall of 25 million pounds
  of hamburger from Hudson Foods Inc.is one of a growing number of superbugs 
  infecting consumers, food experts said.
  
  Salmonella, cyclospora, hepatitis A and other foodborne diseases are
  occurring more frequently as food imports have exploded. Consumer groups 
  claim that foodborne illnesses make some 33 million Americans sick each 
  year, killing about 9,000.
  
  So far, 18 people have become ill from eating E.coli-infected hamburgers
  produced by Hudson's Columbus, Nebraska, processing plant. Agriculture 
  Department investigators took a break over the weekend from their probe 
  into how the beef patties may have been contaminated after handing plant 
  managers a list of questions late Friday, department officials said Sunday.
  
  Meanwhile, Hudson announced that the Columbus plant has lost the fast-food
  business of top customer Burger King Corp., calling it a ``serious 
  disappointment.''
  
  The hamburger recall has been front page news for days, but the outbreak
  caused by the tainted beef has been small compared to a rash of recent 
  foodborne illnesses. Last spring, some 200 students and teachers in 
  Michigan became sick from hepatitis A after tainted frozen strawberries 
  from Mexico were used in the federal school lunch program. In May, the 
  United States suspended imports of raspberrries from Guatemala after an 
  outbreak of cyclospora, a tiny parasite that survives even chlorine rinses.
  
  Although USDA, food experts and consumer groups agree the American food
  supply is the safest in the world, they also said consumers need to be more 
  careful preparing and cooking food. Some consumer groups insist a new 
  federal agency is needed to safeguard the nation's food supply because of 
  the complicated jurisdiction shared by the USDA and the Food and Drug 
  Administration.
  
  ``Rare hamburgers are definitely out,'' Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center 
  for Science in the Public Interest said, adding that last year there was a 
  ``bumper crop'' of foodborne illnesses in the United States.
  
  U.S. food imports of fruits, vegetables and meats have doubled in the past
  five years as the number of FDA food inspections have fallen sharply due to 
  budget cuts. A recent government audit found the USDA was unable to keep up 
  with inspections of fresh produce imported annually from Mexico as a result 
  of the NAFTA trade agreement.
  
  Of foodborne illnesses, scientists agree the worst appears to be 
  E.coli:0157, a strain of the bacteria first identified in 1982. It causes 
  bloody diarrhea, severe cramps, dehydration, and in some cases, 
  kidneyfailure.
  
  Four children died of the bacteria in 1993 after eating tainted hamburgers 
  at the Jack in the Box restaurant chain. But the same strain of E.coli has 
  also been found in unpasteurized milk that came in contact with animal 
  feces, and in fresh produce that was fertilized with animal manure.
  
  ``Irradiation and better technology are the answer,'' Frances Smith of 
  Consumer Alert said. ``It's a needle in the haystack problem ... I don't 
  think if you brought in twice the number of inspectors you would be able to 
  find all the E.coli.''
  
  But other experts said the rising numbers of illnesses simply reflect
  improved surveillance systems, a better understanding of bacteria  and more 
  thorough reporting of cases to health agencies.
  
  ***** NOTES from MDOLAN (MDOLAN @ CITIZEN) at 8/25/97 9:30 PM