PCRM spells out "It's the meat, stupid!" with tomatoes in front of FDA

[nankerphelge]

http://www.happycow.net/blog/?p=188

snip

Angry Doctors Use 1,000 Tomatoes To Spell Out Salmonella Source For FDA: “It’s The Meat, Stupid!”

WASHINGTON—As the Food and Drug Administration enters the 13th week of its struggle to identify the source of the salmonella outbreak that has reached 38 states and the District of Columbia, doctors will spell it out for them—quite literally. Doctors from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) will use more than 1,000 tomatoes arranged to write “IT’S THE MEAT, STUPID!” in front of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building at 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., on Tuesday morning. They aim to highlight the key role of meat industry pollution in spreading salmonella, E. coli, and other foodborne pathogens that affect thousands of Americans every year.

“Salmonella are intestinal bacteria, and tomatoes have no intestine,” PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., says. “These germs come from chicken and cow feces that contaminate waterways used for irrigation and contaminate kitchen counters and grocery store shelves.”

[LaurenG]

1. I just wrote about my experiences with salmonella poisoning

and that's exactly what I thought. All the meat and dairy consumers were really sick. I wasn't and I don't eat either of those things.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3411151&mesg_id=3411240

[flvegan]

2. I want to know how many folks get sick each year

because of the leaky meat packages contaminating the grocery conveyor belts.

Am I the only one paranoid about this? Like, if I see any moisture on the belt, my food won't go near it, even if it's wrapped in plastic, too.

Okay, this was a little off-topic, I guess, but still.

[nankerphelge]

3. I always avoid the meat slick...

on the conveyor belt too.

[LeftyMom]

4. I ask the cashiers to wipe that shit down.

Eeew.

Most of the stores around here have extra produce bags in the carcass section to bag that shit up too, so it's not dripping all over the damn place.

[Debau2005]

5. WOW! I never paid attention

Thanks, I'll be more mindful of this. I have been so pre-ccupied at how I am going to pay for the soaring prices that I haven't looked at the belt.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Latest reports say it WAS the contaminated water that was used to hydrate and wash the veggies..

not tomatoes after all..but peppers/chillies.