Avoid these foods during the government shutdown, experts warn

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

December 22 marked the beginning of a partial government shutdown sparked by a dispute between the president and congressional Democrats over funding for a border wall. As a result, an estimated 800,000 federal workers have gone unpaid. One of the nine affected departments is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, responsible for making sure the food we eat is safe.

Due to the lack of funding, the FDA now lacks the ability to adequately publicize recalls, outbreaks and other information vital to human health. 2018 was full of major recalls ranging from romaine and eggs to yogurt and cake mix — all of which were announced by the FDA — and nobody knows when the shutdown will end, so how do we know what’s safe to eat?

To find out, we spoke with registered dietician, attorney, and CEO of TelaDietitian Jackie Arnett Elnahar, who specializes in weight loss and disease prevention, management and reversal. Until the FDA is able to monitor recalls and products more effectively, Elnahar says it’s important to steer clear of raw foods and processed meats because they’re prone to contamination. She also says to avoid romaine lettuce and sprouts such as alfalfa and broccoli. These vegetables are susceptible to E. coli.

“Ground beef should be avoided since it uses the meat of many different animals. Opt for bigger-piece meats that are less likely to be contaminated, such as steak,” Elnahar told The Daily Meal in an email. “It is also very important to eat less raw vegetables at this time and to cook more. Cooking foods thoroughly at 165 degrees Fahrenheit can kill E. coli, salmonella and listeria.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/avoid-these-foods-during-the-government-shutdown-experts-warn/ar-BBS7GWX?li=BBnb7Kz

[sheshe2]

1. Dear Goddess.

[fierywoman]

2. In other words, pretend you're living in Mexico in the 1970's ...

[MissB]

3. Good thing I have a freezer full of meat.

I was just thinking today how I should probably use it up until sometime after the shutdown ends.

[bdamomma]

4. In regards

to the shutdown, who focused on shutting down these particular departments??? Was it this SOB tRump, or was it Stephen Miller??

Seems very suspicious, food, NSA agents which impair air travel, National Parks, IRS. Was this pre-mediated???

[Talitha]

5. If cooking kills the 'bad guys' in veggies, will freezing also work?

[Blue_true]

6. What I do with lettuce is put it in a really concentrated salt water solution over night after

rinsing dirt off of it. Then sometime before dinner the next day I remove it from the salt water solution, rinse it several times, then put it in fresh water and leave it over night. The final act is to remove it from the fresh water, do a quick rinse and then either use it, or put it in the cleaned crisper. Never have gotten sick. The system requires some planning, but that is ok, Listeria can kill a person.

Salt is deadly to all food toxin microbes. 8 plus hours in concentrated salt water kill them off enough for me to eat lettuce without worry. BTW, the lettuce is not salty, infact it is normal.

[Talitha]

8. Thanks!

I got 'un-lazy' and checked a few places online - it appears that freezing does NOT kill the bad stuff. Just the opposite, in fact.. it might help preserve them.

[MarvinGardens]

9. No.

Many microbes can survive freezing that cannot survive boiling.

Another poster on this thread mentioned soaking veggies in salt water. Never heard of that, but it sounds promising.

[essme]

7. Some types of lettuce, and spinach

are easy to grow in indoor boxes. Also, buying sprouts is a huge waste of money. Buy the seeds, and sprout your own.

Sprouting is easy with just an old jar, rubber band and some cheese cloth. You do not need a fancy, expensive setup.

[marybourg]

10. This does not avoid the bacterial contamination, since in the case

of sprouts, the bacteria is in the seeds. I love sprouts, and always sprouted my own, but stopped doing this decades ago because of this problem.

[SoCalDem]

11. "Let then eat steak"

Most people have food in the freezer/cupboards, but that advice is a bit cheeky ..Steak is very expensive and not what people with no paychecks would gravitate to

Mac n cheese/ meatless chili/potatoes-carrots-cabbage/day old bread store bread / peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and of course, some help from friend who are not govt employees..

The real problem is rent/mortgages , car payments, credit card payments.. The food is not a big problem until the stored food is gone...and if no more paychecks come

[Hekate]

13. "Larger cuts of meat such as..." Pot roast. Cheap cuts. Avoid hamburger at all costs....

Both my mother and mother in law (now both deceased) knew how to buy a hunk of inexpensive beef and slice little steaks off, chop some up for stew meat, and make a pot roast of the rest. My MIL, a butcher's daughter, used to select her own piece of beef if she wanted hamburger, and make the man behind the meat counter grind it in front of her own eyes.

As you can tell from my vocabulary, I never learned this skill. But I never buy hamburger.

[SoCalDem]

15. I wait for london broils to go on sale

and watch them grind it

[Hekate]

16. Right you are

[Cha]

12. I eat the same as I always eat..

local organic vegetables.

But, thanks for posting this, Yo.

[smirkymonkey]

14. Not Romaine again!

Damn!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

17. yay Repugs -- roadkill safer than hamburger

Blue waves 2019 and 2020 and 2022 and 2024.

[Vinca]

18. I think government food inspections are spotty at best, so I'll probably carry on as usual with

the exception of romaine since it's been known to be contaminated recently.