More food for thought from the Associated Press in a story looking at the major tomato-related — oops, jalapeno-related — well, we may never know — salmonella outbreak . Reporters found this about a packing plant under suspicion in Mexico:
A plant manager confirmed to The Associated Press that workers handling chili peppers aren’t required to separate them according to the sanitary conditions in which they were grown, offering a possible explanation for how such a rare strain of salmonella could have caused such a large outbreak.
The AP has found that while some Mexican producers grow fruits and vegetables under strict sanitary conditions for export to the U.S., many don’t – and they can still send their produce across the border easily.
Neither the U.S. nor the Mexican governments impose any safety requirements on farms and processing plants. That includes those using unsanitary conditions – like those at Agricola Zaragoza – and brokers or packing plants that mix export-grade fruits and vegetables with lower-quality produce.
In fact, the only thing a Mexican company needs to do to sell produce to the United States is to register online.